In the meantime, there are sectors of people who are equating the use of beeswax with that of civet paste. I was not aware of this rather odd point of view, thus, I am here to clarify a few things...
- Big agro beekeepers, like John Miller showcased in More Than Honey, are very different than those of us who save feral hives and act as their guardians using holistic and mindful methods.
- Civet is a nocturnal animal related to the cat that secretes a pale yellow, viscous substance used in perfumery. Originally introduced to Europe by Marco Polo from China it died off in use when synthetic materials replaced the original palette of perfumers. Regrettably, civet has made a comeback as "natural" perfumers use it within their palette which contains animal ingredients. The fragrant substance is secreted from the animals anal glands and then scraped while the cat is teased and stressed in a tiny cage. Quite horrific and certainly not in keeping with what we associate "green" and "natural" perfume with. According the Chandler Burr "Civet is like adding whole cream to soups or sauces." Indeed, in France and in the 14th century Venice, civet was an immensely popular ingredient in fine fragrance due to its alchemical magic at incremental amounts as well as adding tremendous longevity to a perfume.
So, what do you think, is using beeswax in perfume the same as using civet paste? It's possible that the confusion might be because those who are part of the "vegan" tribe prefer to obtain from"bee related" products but are okay with petroleum products, go figure. I'm still trying to understand that one.
At the end of the day, or our lives, each of us will be held accountable for what we've done here on planet earth or maybe not. What I do know is that if I hadn't saved the three colonies of feral bees that share there honey and beeswax with me, they would have been exterminated using toxic chemicals.
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