photo of women carrying kewda pandanus blossoms to distillery in India
photo courtesy Christopher McMillan http://whitelotus.smugmug.com/
Anya McCoy, President of the Natural Perfumers Guild is happy to announce that a percentage of Guild membership fees will be distributed to aromatic plant growers and distillers around the world. This project will be coordinated by a Guild member who will help identify and disburse the funds. Of particular interest are businesses in the Third World, because a microgrant there may mean the difference between being able to purchase fertilizer, a farm implement, seed or a distillation unit part that is needed - or not being able to purchase same.
"I have spoken with Guild Founder Mandy Aftel about this program, and she agrees that giving back to those who produce the aromatics so critical to our art is a step towards providing a future for them and us. The Guild will also move forward to solicit funds from Guild members that will be granted to the recipients with acknowledgment of both the Guild and the donor member" says McCoy.
The Guild microgrants are intended to help any business associated with the production of natural aromatics and their extraction in a form used by perfumers and body care artisans. Disbursal of funds will begin September 1, 2008. A statement detailing the program will be published by the Guild before then, and input from Guild members is welcome as we all work towards providing help with this grassroots effort to promote and support the production of natural aromatics worldwide.
For the past few months a number of people have contributed to a document that both strives to help define natural perfumery and has self regulation of the industry as goals. The approach we decided on by general concensus was to take a very gentle approach at this time by providing a brief narrative and the definitions we arrived at.
This document is being released on June 1, 2008, the 2nd Anniversary of the Natural Perfumers Guild and we are very pleased to present this to others in the industry and all interested parties to communicate the nurturing and forward-thinking steps the Guild is making in the protection of our art and our products in the worldwide marketplace.
Defining Natural Perfumery and
Recognizing the Need for Self Regulation
A Position Paper
Issued by The Natural Perfumers Guild
June 1, 2008
Introduction
Perfumery, as an art and profession, has a long and distinguished history. For the thousands of years perfumers have practiced their art, nature has been both their inspiration and the source of their materials. From simple mixes of basic raw materials to exquisite and complex blends of painstakingly prepared distillates, perfumes and perfumed products have enriched our lives and the lives of our predecessors, making them sweeter, fuller, and more enjoyable. Perfumers’ creations were used in temples, palaces and ordinary homes; their containers are found among the artifacts of most ancient civilizations.
In the mid-1800’s, scientists began to separate natural raw materials into their component parts, isolating aromachemicals such as coumarin and vanillin. Within a few decades, scientists found ways to create these aromachemicals without using natural source materials, resulting in the first synthetic perfumery ingredients. With the commercial demands of modern perfumery dictating their choices, perfumers switched from creating perfumes exclusively from natural materials to creating perfumes that were largely or entirely synthetic.
Fortunately, natural raw materials continued to be grown, processed and distributed. Interest in natural perfumery among perfumers and consumers has increased and now an ever-growing number of perfumers wish to create perfume using only rich, complex and evocative natural ingredients.
Natural perfumers seek definition of their art while consumers seek information that can help them navigate the complex fragrance marketplace. Definition and information on standards for natural aromatics in perfumery have not been readily available from reliable, independent sources. This document is the first step in both defining natural perfumery and proposing self-regulation for the industry. Subsequent documents will address additional important industry definitions and standards, such as safety, environmental concerns, raw material and product testing, and manufacturing processes.
The Guild is issuing this document for further discussion and consideration as a standard for defining natural perfume and the adoption of uniform language for self-regulation.
General Definitions:
• Natural perfumery is the art of blending fragrance ingredients of natural origin (see below) to create aesthetically pleasing natural fragrance compounds used to fragrance a full range of industry products from fine perfume to personal and household products. The natural fragrance compound is the aromatic foundation for fragrant natural products and naturally fragranced products (see below).
• Fragrance ingredients of natural origin include:
o Botanical raw materials, such as flowers, barks, seeds, leaves, twigs, roots, rinds, etc.
o Soil derivatives, such as mitti
o Exuded materials from plants, such as oleoresins, balsams, and gums
o Animal derivatives, such as ambergris and Hyraceum tinctures and absolutes
o Essential oils derived from botanical raw materials by dry, steam, or water distillation or by mechanical processes
o Other forms of essential oils, such as rectified oils, bacterially fermented oils, fractional distillations, molecular distillations, isolates, terpene-less oils, and folded oils
o Distillates, such as hydrosols
o Tinctures derived by macerating a botanical raw material in ethanol, such as tincture of vanilla
o Infusions derived by macerating a botanical raw material in a wax such as jojoba or a fixed oil
o Concretes, pomades, absolutes, and resinoids, all extracted from botanical raw materials using a solvent other than water, followed by removal of the solvent by distillation. Solvents may include hexane, CO2 and others.
o Attars, rhus, and choyas
• A fragrant natural product is made by combining a natural fragrance compound with a wholly natural carrier. A fragrant natural product may be labeled “natural” (e.g. natural perfume, natural soap, natural massage oil, room spray, linen spray, etc.)
• A naturally fragranced product is made by combining a natural fragrance compound with a partly or wholly synthetic carrier. A naturally fragranced product may be labeled “naturally fragranced” (e.g. naturally fragranced perfume, naturally fragranced soap, naturally fragranced massage oil, etc.)
• Carriers are used to deliver fragrance as well as function to the user of a fragranced product. Some carriers are simple and natural (such as ethanol from grain, grapes, sugar beets or sugar cane; expressed oils; waxes) and some are simple and partly or fully synthetic (such as synthetic ethanol, some specially denatured alcohols, silicone fluids). Some carriers also are more complex and can be wholly natural, or partly or wholly synthetic.
Complex carriers include creams and lotions, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, incense, botanical potpourri, and more.
Note: The definition of “natural carrier” is evolving. Numerous organizations have promulgated definitions and standards. The Natural Perfumers Guild does not endorse any particular definition or standard at this time.
• Any fragrant product made with a wholly natural carrier and a partly or wholly synthetic fragrance compound may use the term “natural” on its label in reference solely to the carrier, provided that the label must clearly state “contains synthetic fragrance” (e.g., natural soap, contains synthetic fragrance).
• Any fragrant product made with a partly or wholly synthetic carrier and a partly or wholly synthetic fragrance compound may not use the term “natural” on its label.
*********************************************************************************************************************************
Thanks to Steve Earl, Mandy Aftel, Janita Haan, Patricia West, Tony Burfield, Robert Tisserand, Nancy Brooks and the others who contributed to this document.
For Immediate Release
The Natural Perfumers Guild (NPG) and Cropwatch decry the science and proposals of the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) as slanted and overly-restrictive regarding the amounts of furanocoumarins to be permitted in perfume and fragranced products. According to NPG spokesperson Anya McCoy, "We are very disappointed that IFRA have not vigorously defended the use of citrus oil ingredients against pressure from Brussels, specifically the European Union Cosmetics Commission (EUCC)."
"You can get more oil in your hands slicing up a lime or a grapefruit than IFRA wants to allow in perfume or cosmetics with its new proposals," added McCoy."
Furanocoumarins in perfumes and essential oils can cause photosensitization and phototoxicity if incorrectly used by the end wearer, resulting in perhaps a tanning effect to the skin in blotchy areas where applied and not protected against sunlight.
Most pointedly, the furanocoumarins in citrus oils are found by Cropwatch and the NPG to be given such a bad rap by the IFRA, that if perfumers have to limit their use, fresh colognes and citrusy perfumes as they are known will cease to exist. "We believe this to be cultural heritage destruction of the artform of perfumery."
Tony Burfield of Cropwatch has updated the Furanocoumarins A-Z listing in Natural Aromatics. Cropwatch took on the task of constructing this database due to the relative unavailability of such data to essential oil users and perfume formulators. This database aims to provide of accurate information on citrus oil furanocoumarin distribution in raw materials.
Summation of the issue can be found at http://cropwatch.org/citrus%20intro.pdf.
The comprehensive database is available for download at http://cropwatch.org/Furanocoumarins%20A-Z.pdf.
The database expands on information about furanocoumarins - botanical species, variety, geographical region, processing methodology and time of season - which the IFRA previously published in an insufficiently detailed form to be useful.
Burfield added, "Furanocoumarin information is needed in the light of IFRA's proposals, currently set before the European Union (EU) Commission, whereby six major marker furanocoumarins have been identified by IFRA, and it is proposed that their concentration, in any combination, within retailed fragranced cosmetics should not exceed 5ppm for products left on the skin, and 50ppm in wash-off products.
"Such Draconian limits spell the end of the line for natural perfumery in traditional citrus colognes."
The Natural Perfumers Guild and Cropwatch contend that the IFRA and the EUCC don't have the rights to permanently encumber or damage the art of perfumery by denying perfumers the use of traditional citrus ingredients when a labeling solution warning about furanocoumarin risks, such as, "Only wear under heavy clothing," or, "Do not expose fragranced skin to sunlight for 12-24 hours," would easily suffice.
Learn more about the Natural Perfumers Guild at http://www.naturalperfumers.com.
HTML: http://www.eworldwire.com/view_release.php?id=none
PDF: http://www.eworldwire.com/view_release.php?id=none
ONLINE NEWSROOM: http://www.eworldwire.com/newsroom/310315.htm
NEWSROOM RSS FEED: http://newsroom.eworldwire.com/xml/newsrooms/310315.xml
LOGO: http://www.eworldwire.com/newsroom/310315.htm
CONTACT:
Natural Perfumers Guild
Miami Shores, FL 33153
PHONE. 305-756-0065
http://www.naturalperfumers.com
KEYWORDS: Natural Perfumers Guild, Cropwatch, Tony Burfield, Mandy Aftel, Anya McCoy, citrus oil limits, International Fragrance Association, perfumery, perfume, IFRA, oppose citrus oil limits in perfumery
SOURCE: Natural Perfumers Guild
Posts
All Comments
