Great post full of thought provoking information. I struggled with the decision to begin using phthalate free fragrance oils in my products. After providing a survey to my client base, it was unanimous that a majority liked both essential and fragrance oil options. Natural is and will always be my base of creation, however, you can’t argue with the millions of people that want to smell like a sugar cookie or a version of pomegranate that can’t be duplicated in nature.

You know I’m a huge fan of your creations and think you are one of the best, if not THE best soapmaker in the industry. I know you will find a balance.

ROCK on gal!

Lisa M. Rodgers

IFRA is trying to address this problem, and thus their standards seem incredibly harsh to us. This is not necessarily the case for every oil in question. What’s more, they propose that we develop a cumulative dermal sensitization reaction to fragrances, natural or synthetic. So they suggest for this reason that thresholds stay even lower.

When you start to think about all of this, you can easily begin to see why fragrance oils are not such a bad idea for skin care products that are manufactured in bulk, reserving essential oils for strict aromatherapy applications.

And this doesn’t even address the environmental/depletion issues!

Further, did you ever notice that organic products often use synthetic fragrance? Given everything we’ve discussed, I’ll let you ponder the several reasons why

Great to hear on the dyes! I use NO synthetic pigments, and no matter what anyone says, oxides are not natural! I do want to point out that, on occasion, I use some clays that may transfer color to pure cotton washcloths, especially red clay. Bear in mind all of those clay-dyed T-shirts you’ve seen.

IFRA would not shut me down. They are not a regulatory body, merely a trade organization. Compliance is voluntary, and many distillers and distributors are actually refusing to join and/or revoking their membership because of these issues. If I was randomly audited by IFRA, they would ask for a product sample and they would run analysis on the sample. If it was found to be in violation, I would be asked to remedy the situation and pull that product or fix it. If I was using materials they banned, they would ask for my supplier’s name and then the supplier would be held liable as well.

Still, the FDA could very easily choose to enforce IFRA’s standards if they so chose. I would likely not be shut down, but if the FDA chose to enforce IFRA standards, things could get difficult. This is why so many people are choosing to be compliant now… at least until the current backlash I’m hearing about.

These are very complex issues, and there is no one right answer.

also, aromatherapy oils are diluted by carrier oils that are approved for the skin. essential oils are just that, similar actually to baking extracts. you don’t really use them at full strength. they are just too harsh. recipes, be they for skin care or baking, have certain standards of dillution.

i think something to keep in mind is that if sarva is shut down for an infringment of IFRA regulations we all lose. michelle must do what is best for the business AND for her peace of mind. we should support whatever choice she makes.

Thank you for your very carefully considered comments! I just completed a new blog post that will hopefully address many of the issues you raised. You are so right… we are all connected. I think the concept of E-cubed will really appeal to you.

As to the difference between essential oils and aromatherapy oils, this has largely to do with the purity, but there are other factors. Aromatherapy-grade EOs (essential oils) are typically confirmed pure by gas chromatography analysis, a process where they examine how light refracts through the molecules of the EO. This refraction process helps determine purity of the EO. There are other techniques, some more and some less advanced, but this is the present reliable industry standard.

Further, Aromatherapy grade EOs are sometimes selected based on their chemotype, meaning the balance of naturally-occurring chemicals that are detected within the oil. There are also different cultivars of, say, Basil, and they will tend to have different chemical compositions, and one specific type of Basil may be helpful for acne (O. sanctum) while more generally speaking, Basil is a great for coughs, decongestant, or a mental alertness aid. But again, you must know the chemotype of your EO in order to determine some of this. You won’t find that information on a bulk bottle of EO or in a grocery store. Those EOs are not as carefully analyzed.

As for EO abuse in America, I was being harsh… in general we are far less trained here to work with these very powerful chemicals, and the assumption is that because they are natural, they are safe. (Do note that a three-year-old boy was poisoned and died from ingesting 10ml, or just 1 teaspoon, of eucalyptus oil in 1980.) It isn’t quite this way in Europe, and aromatherapy certification in Britain is a governmental process.

Hope that helps answer your question! And thank you for your incredibly kind words about the soaps. That means so much to me.

I think in countries where essential oil production takes up the land of food production- it is unfortunate no doubt, but that as long as there is a demand for the oils, they probably will win out to food production as it is more economically beneficial. And, these oils sometimes coming from developing countries, financial decisions often trump others. This is true even with food production – finest grains and fruits are shipped out of some countries leaving the ‘remains’ for the locals. Sad, but true.

How are essential oils ‘abused’ in America compared to Europe?

I admire your openness with your customers. As someone said above (sorry missed the name) this is an opportunity to be creative. Rules and regulations are helpful, and seem constrictive but you continue to amaze me at your creativity! We have a lot to learn from you in flexible living!

What is the difference between green and all-natural?

I like your products being they are ‘clean rinsing’. This is important because I noticed for me this actually dramatically reduces time I spend cleaning soap residue from sinks and bathtubs! I also like the colors don’t leave ’stains’ behind. I have vote for clean rinsing, 100% natural and nearly natural. It’s is sad that no matter how hard we try to be green and all natural it does in some way impact the environment. As long as we live we must consume something, and that something in someway affects someone or something somewhere. We are all connected! We just need to strive for balance (of course a topic for later discussion!).

Thanks.

There is a difference sometimes between a green product and an all-natural product. My choices for the all-natural products must, in my mind, remain green, though even what’s green is a nebulous concept. What happens beyond that point will be based on further research

i did not start using sarva soaps with the knowledge that they were all natural. i occasionally looked at ingredients out of curiousity. i like the product. i try to live a mainly “natural” lifestyle. i buy natural whenever i can, but don;t kill myself if it’s not possible. knowing that you have our best interests in mind is key. i will continue to buy the soap and to give it as gifts. i am a hairstylist and recognize that we can’t always get a product in. either due to warehouse shortages, a sellout, or ingredient availablity. heck some of my favorite products get discontiued for nothing more than a company decision. not much i can do about that.

the fact that some soaps will be discontinued is a shame. but it happens with everything. i think of it as a chance to try something different or new. call it a chance to live “outside the box”. doing so in the past has never proven to be fatal for me. and in some instances it has been an opprtunity to grow.

i support sarva soap, no matter what. you’re very talented and i think whatever the final decision is, it will be a good move.
best wishes with all your future ventures.

Yes, you are indeed correct. At this point – and I repeat, at this point – compliance is voluntary. This could change. There are individuals in this industry who believe that IFRA/RIFM compliance *now* prevents unnecessary policing by the FDA. Remember, the FDA could easily bring IFRA in as an informational organization and enforce their findings. There is a *lot* of increased FDA regulation in the last few years, and it is not something that would be impossible. They do, in fact, have enforcement power on other issues, and they use it.

I am not a member of IFRA. I purchase from both IFRA and non IFRA member distributors.

There is, however, a different side of this. It is not solely political.

Well, two, actually. (1) The skin safety issues that I believe are of critical importance to adhere to. Some of RIFM’s findings correlate with my own data. Some do not. Some are close. We are left to make our own judgment, but new research continually is available. I can’t stress enough how important is is to treat essential oils like the chemicals they are, natural or no. Essential oils are very nearly abused in this country. Go to Europe and you find a different situation altogether.

(2) Environmental concerns. I am in contact with people who are going to be providing me more information about the environmental impact of essential oils production versus fragrance oils production. Consider deforestation or plants which do not quickly grow back. We have depleted many natural resources.

I also wish to reiterate that I am NOT eliminating products that I – and IFRA – deem safe, and the bulk of my product line will always be natural. This was merely putting feelers out to see what my customers want. If my customers want 100% natural products, and are content to have less choice, then I am happy to oblige.

Thank you again, Bud, for taking the time to write this considered post.