"Natural Fragrances" - Swans Candles and Candle making supplies

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TOPIC: "Natural Fragrances"

Renayna

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Posts: 42

Date: May 19, 2008

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A good resource for you learn about fragrances is the International Fragrance Association (IFRA.) You might want to check out their website at www.ifraorg.org. They explain fragrances as follows: Fragrances are complex mixtures of natural and synthetic materials. Natural ingredients originate from materials found in nature, like roots, bark and flowers. These are obtained through physical processes such as distillation or extraction. In contrast, synthetic ingredients are manufactured through chemical processes. Natural and Organic- There are no governing bodies nor rules about these two terms in the fragrance industry. The closest industry is the food industry, and they are barely comparable. All of our fragrances are compatible with the highest standards of IFRA. - If you see claims about a fragrance or a candle being natural or organic, then you can be sure that it is all marketing and someones decision to make that claim. There are no police out there to crack down on them, and you are welcome to make similar claims and try to find ways to defend your position. We are careful not to misrepresent our products.- You might feel comfortable making a claim like Gardenia Fragrance; Made from Natural Gardenia Essence. Certainly many of our fragrances contain compounds derived from nature. Extracting from nature is often the best way to capture the true fragrance, but those same fragrances contain a number of synthetic compounds as well. Essential Oils- Although there are no rules about natural and no one policing the industry, you are correct that Essential Oils do have a natural image and are probably the closest to what most people think of as natural. Essential oils are not necessarily the best fragrances. They very widely in their scent because they are extracted from nature. The cinnamon oil derived from The Dominican Republic can deliver a very different fragrance than one from Madagascar. And it will vary from year to year and lot to lot. Essential oils are not as stable as fragrances. Their chemistry changes, their colors change, their fragrance changes. You definitely dont want to keep much stock of essential oils. You can also tell them that there are no established rules for natural or organic in the fragrance world. One persons natural might not be another persons natural. Also, natural does not mean better or safer. One of my favorite examples relates to foods and supplements. People love the idea of botanical extracts. If you were to make an extract from Foxglove, that lovely flower that bloom all over the Northwest, it would seem like a good potential source of something beneficial. It is. It contains digitalis, but digitalis is a potent heartbeat-altering compound. It can kill you. So, a natural, botanical extract, does not mean you get something safe or good. It is always a battle to try to educate your customer on this concept. -- Edited by Renayna at 05:47, 2008-10-15 __________________ Renee - Store Manager

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