Oppose the Safe Cosmetics Act in the USA

News of an ominous nature reached me. It's been in the cards for some time (read our article from February 2010), but now indie perfumers are alarmed enough to notify us of impending changes which are about both to close down their businesses and to effect dramatic changes in the industry at large.

Indie perfumer Ayala Moriel who initially notified me is calling it dire: "The chances that you in the USA and as a result in all North America will be able to use any natural products, essential oils and natural perfumes included, is in danger. Not to mention the livelihood of many small businesses, due to the "Campaign for Safe Cosmetics" for passing the "Safe Cosmetics Act" (SCA for short).The main problem with this act is that it proposes that all compoments of all ingnredients in cosmetic products will be listed on the label. Considering that most natural products are very complex and contain many, many molecules (for example: rose essential oil contains over 200 identified molecules and still has many trace elements that are yet to be discovered), this will make labeling of natural cosmetics (perfume included) non-realistic. There will simply be no room to put all the ingredients on the label... So what this law will really do is ensure that mostly if not only synthetic mateirals (which are "purely" just one or two molecules) will be used in your skin care and body products! This will make it very difficult for the growers and distillers of natural raw materials for perfumes and cosmetics to survive, not to mention eliminate the small businesses who will not be able to catch up with such regulations, labeling-wise and sourcing-wise. This is similar (but even worse!!!) than the nightmare that has been going on in Europe for the past decade with IFRA regulations and RIFM (the EU regulatory body). It is not too late to stop this from happening! And if we don't, than the entire world will be smelling like Calone and artifical fruits, and all we could wear on our skin will be silicone... Renown aromatherapist Robert Tisserand, who is an expert on the issue of safety of essential oils and understand the threat of this act wrote an excellent article which will shed more light on the matter. Here's an exerpt: "The thinking behind the wording of SCA 2010 is naive because there is an assumption that substances are either “safe” or “toxic”, and that if we simply eliminate the toxic ones from personal care products, the world will be a better place. It may seem like an excellent idea, but once you start talking about parts per million or lower, it is unnecessary and unrealistic. Not even foods are regulated to that degree, and our exposure to foods is far greater than our exposure to cosmetics".

Read the rest of Robert Tisserand's article, and if you live in the USA, please act on it and Sign the Oppose SCA Petition (the goal of 5000 signatures is only 111 short, so I trust our readers will do their share and help reach it!), write Congress, write Your Senator, vote "Oppose" on Open Congress, and see your representatives & senators in person during Summer Recess August 9 - September 12. If you are on Twitter, please follow the #OpposeSCA hashtag. to oppose this bill, which is draconian and ridiculous and will only ensure that we will all be only using synthetics that are manufactured by large corporations and are supposedly safe, rather than plants and oils that were used for thousands of years. It will do nothing for improving safety in cosmetics.

Educate yourself, by reading the following relevant links:
Oppose SCA
Indie Business Blog
Essential U
Personal Care Truth
Robert Tisserand's article

Read more also on Ayala Moriel's personal blog (alongside some wonderful news of hers).

Additionally read about the Natural Perfumers' Guild opposing it on this link.

If you want to follow everything about perfumery restrictions follow the label "Restricions" on our Series linked here on PerfumeShrine.

Fresh Index: Bringing Back Favourites by Public Demand

"Exclusive to Fresh retail stores, The Fragrance Bar features nostalgic favorites brought back by consumer-request. These fragrances are available "on tap". Create your own library of scents. Explore fragrance layering; design a signature combination!"

Scents in Eau de Parfum concentration include:

Cucumber Baie(crisp greens and sheer florals)

Patchouli Pure (woodsy with spice and warm undertones)

Pear Cassis (crisp fruity floral with green undertones)

Tobacco Caramel (sweet woodsy with honey)

Violet Moss (powdery floral with earthy armoise)

Check The Fragrance Bar page on the Fresh website.

Francis Kurkdjian for British Elle: Win a Rare Autographed Bottle of Elle 25

How would you feel if your favourite fashion magazine engaged one of the most acclaimed young perfumers to fix a special fragrance for you? And on top of that made it in extremely limited quantities as to be able to call this "your very own"? Good idea? British Elle had just that thought when they asked Francis Kurkdjian, the perfumer behind such blockbusters such as Le Male and Narciso for Herto create a bespoke pefume, called, Elle 25 for the 25th anniversary of British Elle magazine.

This special edition is available in just 25 bottles, each of them signed by perfumer. Francis explains his vision: "She is a woman of many emotions who is liberated, humorous, tender and elegant". The Elle 25 fragrance notes include: floral bouquet accord, cedarwood essential oil, musk and a chypre base, according to British Elle.

The only way to own the perfume is to take part in the contest organized by Elle UK: "Write your own brief for bringing ELLE to life as a scent in under 70 words and email it to elle25@hf-uk.com by 1st October. The best 25 entries will win a bottle of ELLE25 signed by Francis".

Bearing in mind that such efforts have in the past produced a beautiful tuberose, all lush and expansive, for the similarly limited commemorative edition Guerlain Marie Claire, we're optimistic that this isn't just marketing drivel.

Buzz by The Sun: Tabloid Perfume

Did you think that the celebrity perfume business was a tired concept? After thousands of A-, B- and Z-listers having their very own celebo-fragrance out, now it's the time to see something unusual: A famous tabloid, UK's The Sun collaborated with no less than Roja Dove (of Guerlain and Harrods Haute Parfumerie fame) to bring out their new fragrance, aptly called...Buzz!

Taking inspiration from The Sun, Dove has created Buzz, a perfume that embodies the glamour of a movie premiere and the excitement of a red carpet line up. To create the scent, Dove has created a heady blend of the effortless style of Sarah-Jessica Parker, the charisma of Sophia Loren, the intoxicating sass of Beyonce Knowles and the girl-next-door charm of Cheryl Cole. Speaking of his exciting project with The Sun, Roja Dove said:

“Collaborating with The Sun is an unusual step for me. In my work I create bespoke one-off fragrances for individual clients so I was surprised when I was asked to create a scent for a newspaper. “However, I’ve always loved the idea that everybody should be able to share the world of exquisite fragrance. Working with the biggest newspaper in the English speaking world is a fantastic opportunity for me to bring my world and my work to a wider audience and share the magic of fragrance".

Entertainment comes in many guises but the one thing it should do is feel good and leave us buzzing with happy memories. Buzz Eau de Parfum opens with a blend of bright, breezy citrus notes where Bergamot reigns supreme, before leading directly to a sensual heart of Jasmine and Ylang Ylang which capture the glamour of the Oscars, BAFTAs, opening nights and debuts, before revealing a soft layering base of Vanilla and Sandalwood, that enhance all sensations of pleasure, evocative of a red-carpet moment.

Buzz eau de parfum will be sold at £59 per 50ml from September onwards at the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie on the fifth floor of Harrods. More details can be found at the-sun.co.uk/buzz

What do you think? Is this an original concept or what? Do you have expectations from the juice?

The 20 Best Ever Perfumes List

The Daily Mail has devoted an article by Elsa McAlonan to a selection of the 20 best ever perfumes for women. The selection includes:

Anais Anais by Cacharel
Angel by Thierry Mugler
Beautiful by Lauder
Blue Grass by Elizabeth Arden
CK One by Calvin Klein
Classique by Jean Paul Gaultier
Coco Mademoiselle by Chanel
DKNY by Donna Karan
Eau Dynamisante by Clarins
J'Adore by Christian Dior
Je Reviens by Worth
Joy by Jean Patou
L'air du Temps by Nina Ricci
Lime, Basil and Mandarin by Jo Malone
No.5 by Chanel
Opium by Yves Saint Laurent
Poison by Christian Dior
Rive Gauche by Yves Saint Laurent
Shalimar by Guerlain
Youth Dew by Lauder

Certainly there is an emphasis on tried-and-true classics, but also the effect of best-selling status entering the equation (CKOne, Beuatiful, Coco Mademoiselle etc). Each and every one on this list is a perfume that has sold millions of bottles over the years.

What say you? Which would have been your picks for a top-20 best ever list?