A Perfume Organic: Contest & Samples

A Perfume Organic, a fairly recent niche brand offering certified organic fragrances, is celebrating Fashion's Night Out this coming Friday 10th September in New York City at 2 Great Jones Street, Broadway & Lafayette from 6PM-10PM.

A contest with prizes is organized, some prosecco drinking and complimentary fragrance samples for all. Participate in a scavenger hunt-themed styling contest in multiple Soho New York-based locations called "Dots SPOTS." Meet at Imilla Road, and meet Richie Rich and celebrity stylist Mia Morgan who will co-host and judge your personalized looks!
Winning looks will win a day of beauty and styling with Mia Morgan, a new Dots wardrobe & a trip for two to a tropical location!
A Perfume Organic is an official sponsor for The Green Shows - the premiere fashion event exclusively committed to eco-friendly fashion - September 12-14th.

For more information: Imillaroad.com, A perfume Organic, The Green Shows

via press release

20% off Caron fragrances on Fashion's Night Out

Fashion's Night Out, Friday September 10th, hides a few surprises for our readers. Phyto Universe in New York City is organising an evening of offers and discounts from 6pm-8pm, with champagne served on the side too! Namely 20% off all Caron fragrances (remember they have the "urns" with pure parfum in there!), Lierac skincare and Phyto haircare. (You can also gain a 20% discount on future approintments booked on that evening and enter to win a 160$ Botanical Bliss treatment).

Where & When? Friday September 10th, 6pm-8pm at Phyto Universe, 15 Lexington Avenue (Entrance on 58th St.), New York, NY 10022

More info: www.phytouniverse.com or e-mail at info@phytouniverse.com

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.