Word Rant Wednesday: Natural

This weeks word rant spotted in the media and elsewhere includes linguistic associated with perfume brands that DO NOT use whole, plant material in their formulations even though the descriptives make it sound like they do. It makes my job oh soooo very difficult, you have no idea.

The other big reveal, which I complain about often, is that almost in every case, labs create their products and perfume labs don't use whole essential oils, they use isolates which sometimes are synthetic, natural or a mix. One needs to be part detective and wordsmith to see beyond the (veil) marketing.

For example these are the ingredients on one "botanical" perfume being sold as "... exclusively crafted with an abundance of 100% natural .... known to be the purest and most precious in the world." You be the judge....

Jojoba oil: Simmondsia chinensis oil

Proprietary blend: citrus limon (lemon) fruit extract, juniperus mexicana oil, cupressus sempervirens leaf/nut/stem oil, citrus nobilis (mandarin orange) fruit extract, cananga odorata flower oil, dipteryx odorata (cumaru) bean extract, rosa centifolia flower extract, iris florentina root extract, carum carvi (caraway) seed oil, pogostemon cablin oil

(FYI: juniperus mexicana oil is Juniper, cupressus sempervirens leaf/nut/stem oil is a Mediterranean Cypress, cananga odorata flower oil is Ylang Ylang, rosa centifolia flower extract is Rose, iris florentina root extract is Orris and pogostemon cablin oil is Patchouli)

Cera bellina: Polyglycerol-3 beeswax
Hydrogenated jojoba oil (jojoba esters)
Beeswax: Cera alba
Shea butter: Butyrospermum parkii butter
Candelilla wax: Euphorbia cerifera,
Carnauba wax: Copernicia prunifera
Dimethicone, Magnesium stearate

It seems to me if you want to use the most precious materials in the world one would use organic, local beeswax, instead of bulking up with additives like:

Cera bellina: Polyglycerol-3 beeswax
Candelilla wax: Euphorbia cerifera
Carnauba wax: Copernicia prunifera (a palm which only occurs in the northeastern states of Brazil)
Dimethicone: Magnesium stearate

More words being used by big brands touting "natural perfume"...

True Nature
Organic formulator
Biodegradable
Certified organic perfume
Spiritual and agricultural sensitivity
Naturally....Natural fragrance
Botanical Essence
Health conscious
Sustainably sourced natural ingredients

and a few of the latest (2020):

100% Natural Derived
Plant Based Perfume Made From 100% Plant and Flower Materials
Beyond Clean

Conclusion, words mean nothing. In some cases only a small amount (2-10%) of synthetic aroma chemicals are added to formulations to increase longevity or ramp up the volume on a perfume, thus giving the company the ability to use the words above.

Edited: July 2020

Chiaroscuro Giveaway Winners

Thank you to all who graciously shared their input on selecting the best ad image to represent the new Chairoscuro natural perfume! After assembling all the names of those who entered we put the list into the Randomizer gods selected Deborah and Babette as the lucky recipients of the perfume sampler and print.

Greg and I went through all comments posted on the blogs, facebook and private messages. The overall ad image most liked was #1, posted above this paragraph.

Chiaroscuro Ad and Giveaway

Greg, the illuminator of my fragrances, has created a promotional image for Chiaroscuro. Instead of just one, he has been quite abundant and produced five variations. We would love some feedback as to which one you feel represents this light/dark natural perfume the best.

Thus, to tempt you to participate, Greg is offering a signed print and I am offering a solid and liquid sampler as part of a giveaway. To participate please head on over at his Spalenka blog and leave a comment telling us which image best represents the spirit of Chiaroscuro. If you have sampled the perfume tell us when and where you sampled it in your response and you will receive two entries!

The randomizer will choose one winner for the print and one for the sampler. If you prefer the print over the sampler or vice versa be sure to mention that in the comment.

Persuasion

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #10

The advertising team here in the wooded hills consists of myself with added input from husband #1 Ben, current husband Maestro Gregorio and daughter Eve. Occasionally friends will be added into the synergy as well. Since Greg has contributed imagery for corporations and people like Lorree Rodkin, Ben does film advertising and Eve is a fashionista blogger I feel we've got a nice mix contributing.

Saturdays is the main day of brainstorming because the four of us are all here. These sessions tend to be very intersting because there are multiple POV, points of view. Often the discussionsalso lead down the path of comedy and belly laughs. Today was such a day.

In the midst of this Anne Marie of MinxShop sent me some photos. She took some shots wearing her Victorian perfume locket with Chaparral solid natural perfume. Here are a few, which is your favorite? The number of the photo is under the image.

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #6

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #8

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #7

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #5

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #4

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #3

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #2

MinxShop Natural Perfume Locket #1

All photos by Anne-Marie of MinxShop.

Spellbound

Ben came by Sunday afternoon and made delicious African Peanut Soup with Eve for dinner. While we were enjoying the spicy, creamy liquid food Ben mentioned a hologram of Kate Moss created for Alexander McQueens at the Spring 2010 Paris Fashion Week.

Curious, I looked it up...



Wow! I showed it to Greg and he wanted to know how the technology worked. So then I found this one done in for the Spring Summer 2008 Fashion Preview Collection for Diesel title Liquid Space.



GASP! I just love that part with the perfume, albeit I'd probably run as far as I could from the haze of synthetic chemicals contained in the bottle.

A Spade

There is a continued trend to harness Mother Nature and at the same time paint products to appear as if they are made from nature when they are actually created in labs. The rise of corporate power and the promotion of conjured facts in relation to nature are also on the rise.

Let's first look at the microcosm of an incident that just transpired. In my experience most fruit teas I have sampled are made with synthetic aroma chemicals. In fact I have yet to find one I like, so I stick to my Earl Grey flavored with true Bergamot essential oil. Recently I decided to ask a tea company about their ingredients, I had a strong intuitive feeling that the tea was flavored with a synthetic. Two weeks later I got the response back from their customer service department. I expected an answer like "Yes, we use synthetic flavoring." or "No, we use no synthetic flavoring and are completely devoted to using only the highest quality flavorings from the botanical world." Instead I got a long, mumbo jumbo e-mail going on about how they use nature identicals because, I quote: "It is not artificial because it can be found in nature and man has figured out a way to copy it."

Sometimes I feel like I'm Alice who has fallen into a strange alternate universe. The e-mail went on to justify that using these chemical recreations is actually a benefit to the environment. I'm thinking that they must be referring to the environment of their corporate offices. By using song and dance the company manages to deceive people into thinking their product is something it's not. Surely we are all aware that supporting organic agriculture is a benefit to the environment, right?

The tea company went on the establish their position by telling me that the copied molecules are safer than those made in nature. This reminds me of a perfume event here in Los Angeles where the representatives of a large synthetic perfume conglomerate convince the audience that it is more sustainable to recreate aroma molecules than use the real thing. To my astonishment the audience is not able to perceive the truth.

This is one of many challenges that those creating true botanical products face. As corporations attempt to gain more ground, deceptive advertising will continue. I'm an advocate of calling a spade a spade. Green washing and greed seem to be intricately woven. It's up to the consumer to ask lots of questions and do their best to evaluate the answers. The customer service fellow who contacted me back was very clever how he worded his paragraphs. The average consumer might be swayed by the mumbo jumbo and the idea that creating copies in a lab is actually better than Mother Nature. Personally, I'm not interested in supporting products that copy Mother Nature, most especially when their marketing uses deceptive advertising.


On a marco level, a similar related challenge has been brewing that begs for consciousness from the human race. I've been teaching this in my Aromatherapy classes for over ten years now. Let's begin by looking at slice of history with the attempt to control the feminine and wild magic which began in the early fourteenth century Europe. This resulted in the deaths of somewhere between 40 to 100 thousand individuals of all types but more importantly it wiped out much herbal remedy lore. Many historians believe that this period was an attempt to eliminate female midwifery skills. An antiseptic cleansing transpired which then continued on into the 1900's with the invention of the microscope and the establishment of the drug cartel. Now in modern times we have the majority of the population with no clue on how to manage their health. We've also got the conglomerate Monsanto trying to harness and control Mother Nature by disallowing the growing of crops unless their "seed" is used, even in our own backyards! A patent of food.

The symbols of the feminine, wild magic of Mother Earth versus the patriarchl Father are evident in this ongoing Earthly drama and beautifully illustrated in the film Avatar. My personal favorite illustration of the times, via the media of film, is the Matrix.

In these rather surreal times we live in remember who you are, be ever so mindful, dig for the truth, ask questions and make your voice heard. Call a spade a spade.

Pure Fume

A friend and I were discussing the Universe of Perfume yesterday with it's various cast of characters from the kings, queens, knights, warriors, princes, wizards and elephants. Elephants? Yes, elephants.

Elephants are often referenced when something is obvious, but, no one talks about it because it is not appropriate or politically correct. There are quite a few elephants roaming the Kingdom of Perfume. Some are discovered right away, others take years to see and witness.

In the field of illustration when artists create a new piece, they make postcards and send them out to art directors. In this way the art directors can see the latest work by the artist. Sometimes artists will put the piece up on their website and send out a link. In the eighties when I lived in NYC and had my letterpress studio in Greenich Village I would create letterpress postcards and send them out to a select group of art directors. Within the Kingdom of Illustration this was all considered appropo.

When a niche perfumer has a new product how do they get the smell of that product out? Sending samples is, in some circles considered unethical. Not to mention sending full bottles of the perfume. Some perfumers have contests or giveaways to get around the moral dilemma.
The challenge lies in that if no one experiences the scent and shares their perception, then how does the perfume have a chance? Time to access that inner magician.

One friend referred to bloggers as lobbyists, that's an fascinating perception. Read what Scentzilla wrote on her blog about this issue, it's pretty interesting.

The big conglomerates...even some of the "supposed" niche brands have an advantage with the ability to hire PR people and get into magazines and newspapers. If they are in shops, department stores or online venues many times the shop keeper will participate in the promotion. Even here you have yet another animal in the Kingdom, the media hogs.

The elephant that is causing me discomfort today is the deceptive advertising one. The one where someone will taut their product as "natural" for example, when the product contains elements that most would not consider natural. But, petroleum is natural they might say? How about the huge conglomerates that have a parcel of land in Grasse and refer to it in the marketing. This way when they say there is REAL Rose or Jasmine in their perfumes they refer to their little plot of land. Never mind that the amount of essential oil produced by those plants would never be enough for the massive amounts of product they manufacture and distribute all over the world.

Let's call a spade a spade shall we? King of Spade, Queen of Spade or Jack of all Spades...no-no that's Jack of all Trades, oops.

E is for elephants but it is also for ethical...what exactly defines ethical behavior? After all, perception is an act of creation.

Roxana illuminated Perfume™
Illustrations ©Greg Spalenka, see his luminous website by clicking here. Contact him
directly if you would like to license his artwork.

Red and Green

The standard color wheel depicts from six to twelve, sometimes more, colors arranged in a circle. The three primary colors being red, yellow and blue. The secondary orange, green and violet. If you look at a color wheel you will notice that red and green are usually opposite one another.

In the year 2006 Emporio Armani released a fragrance as part of the campaign denoted by the color red. The “redness” of the perfume is attributed to the fact that a percentage of profits go to African women and children with aids. The marketing campaign indicates that they are using the artwork of a Ghabaian artist and environmentally friendly packaging.

Fast forward to the year 2008, where all of a sudden green is the color everyone, including corporations, strive to be associated with. Green indicating good for the environment.

So, let me get this right...red denotes a level of consciousness in corporate business and green indicates an amount of environmental awareness. Looks to me like Green is the new Red. Has someone already trademarked the word Green? If you mix two colors opposite each other on the color wheel you get brown. However, sometimes you can layer a green wash over a red one and get a lovely affect.

Images: Color squares are from a variety of my paintings ©Roxana Villa, color star from Wikipedia.

Roxana Illuminated Perfume™
Roxana Villa Artwork

Base note

We don't have TV hookup here at the house. We prefer watching films, and in the case of LOST, we download it off iTunes. My daughters father, Ben, works in the advertising world. When he comes by to see Eve, he shares, via the internet, some of the cooler commercials. This is one of them: http://www.aglassandahalffullproductions.com/?CMP=EMC-a_mgp%5Cn