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ARTICLES ON AUBREY

Scents & Sensitivity, from Healthy Living

A few tips before buying a loved one perfume or cologne can make a healthy difference.

Everyone is familiar with the way certain smells are directly linked with memories from our childhood, with special moments in our lives, and with romance and sexuality.

Indeed, commercials for perfume products will tell you that they will help you to attract romance. But, more and more people are finding out that instead of being the powerful aphrodisiacs of commercial lore, fragrances and perfumes may be more likely to trigger allergic responses.

Fragrance sensitivity in the workplace is emerging as a growing national concern. Fragrance can make a wonderful addition to the ambience of a person or room. But today's modern fragrances are nothing like the essences once distilled simply from flowers. Increasingly greater numbers of people are finding that fragrances in the workplace are causes of allergies.

"The vast majority of the public does not have a fragrance allergy," says Donald Belsito, a dermatologist at the University of Kansas Medical Center, in a report by MSNBC health writer Francesca Lyman. However, allergic reactions to fragrances are on the rise, he says, increasing from 9 percent to about 12 to 13 percent of dermatitis patients over the last decade.

At Harvard Medical School, experts such as Dr. Michael Segal, an assistant professor of neurosurgery, say that fragrances can be a serious health concern for asthmatics. "Perfumes are fine for the large majority of people who do not have asthma, and most ingredients in perfumes are probably fine even for most people with asthma," Segal told the MSNBC reporter. But today's modern perfumes and fragrances contain so many synthetic chemicals, some of which are potentially allergenic, that they can trigger asthma attacks.

Dr. Morton Teich, an allergist who has practiced in New York City for more than 30 years, told MSNBC: "I'm seeing more and more environmentally sensitized people. I suspect that's because our environment—indoor as well as outdoor—and our food is more polluted, and our immune and endocrine systems are simply overloaded."

Perfumes today are complex mixtures of primarily synthetic chemicals. Artificial fragrances of the sort found in perfumes, colognes, hairsprays, lotions, soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, pesticides and household cleaning agents are mixtures of chemicals and solvents combined in such a way as to trick the brain into thinking that it is smelling something pleasant and natural, notes an expert. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Many chemicals used in fragrance mixtures and perfumes are known to be cancer causing (carcinogens) or toxic to the nervous system (neurotoxins).

Since the beginning of civilization, humans have used fragrances to enhance their daily lives and enhance special occasions. Up until the mid-nineteenth century, all fragrances were naturally derived. But in the early 1830s, scientists learned how to isolate and identify the chemicals responsible for aromas. The first of these were cinnamic aldehyde from cinnamon oil and benzaldehyde from bitter almond oil.

In the 1920s, the first completely synthetic perfume, Chanel No. 5, was marketed and from there the synthetic perfume industry skyrocketed.

Additionally, about 95 percent of perfume ingredients are not composed of flower essences or natural products as people generally imagine, but synthesized from petrochemicals, which give off volatile organic compounds, vapors emitted from compounds like solvents, wood preservatives, paint strippers and dry cleaned clothing.

These VOCs are known to produce eye, nose and throat irritation, headaches, loss of coordination, nausea, and damage to the liver, kidneys, and central nervous system, say experts. And while adverse health effects from VOCs typically occur at far higher doses than what would be found in fragrances, they nevertheless can be potentially dangerous in tight indoor spaces.

The Phthalate Threat

In May 2002 a coalition of environmental and public health organizations contracted with a major national laboratory to test 72 name-brand, off-the-shelf beauty products for the presence of phthalates, a large family of industrial chemicals linked to permanent birth defects in the male reproductive system. The laboratory found phthalates in nearly three-quarters of the products tested (52 of 72 products), including 9 of 14 deodorants, all 17 fragrances tested, 6 of 7 hair gels, 4 of 7 mousses, 14 of 18 hair sprays, and 2 of 9 hand and body lotions, in concentrations ranging from trace amounts to nearly three percent of the product formulation.

Major loopholes in federal law allow the $20-billion-a-year cosmetics industry to put unlimited amounts of phthalates into many personal care products with no required testing, no required monitoring of health effects, and no required labeling. To our knowledge, the 72 product tests detailed in this study represent the most comprehensive information available on the occurrence of phthalates in individual beauty care products. None of the 52 phthalate-containing products list the offending chemical on their ingredient labels.

In animal tests some phthalates damage the developing testes of offspring and cause malformations of the penis and other parts of the reproductive tract. The same phthalates that cause permanent harm of the male reproductive system in laboratory studies are also found in fragrances like Poison by Christian Dior and Coty's Healing Garden Pure Joy Body Treatment, to name just a few.

Natural Fragrances: Smart Choice for Sensitive Skin

Consumers are generally less likely to suffer allergic reactions and irritation if they use naturally sourced fragrances or products containing them.

The Aubrey Organics line of natural fragrances and colognes is highly recommended for use by members of our health advisory board because these blends are entirely naturally derived from plant sources without animal materials.

"Nature, with her great abundance, offers an enormous reservoir of fragrance materials of vegetable origin," says Aubrey Hampton, of Aubrey Organics. "Blossoms are usually used to make fragrances, because it is the blossom that contributes to plants' odor complex, but I have also found leaves, stems, and roots can contribute fragrant materials. For example, blossoms give the sweet and delightful fragrance of rose and jasmine tuberose; stems and leaves can yield complex notes from geranium, patchouli, and peppermint; fruits give us anise, coriander, nutmeg; the peel gives us orange and lemon; seeds give us celery, cardamom, parsley; roots give us angelica; wood gives us sandalwood, cedarwood, and rosewood; herbs and grasses give us a bounty of fragrances such as tarragon, sage, rosemary, thyme and lemongrass; needles and twigs are even used for their fragrance material such as spruce, pine, and cypress; barks such as cinnamon can create a fragrance material."

How to Obtain—Aubrey Organics' colognes are available at health food stores and natural product supermarkets nationwide. For further help to find a health food store or natural product supermarket nearest you carrying Aubrey Organics' colognes, call them toll-free at (800) AUBREY-H (282-7394) or visit their website at www.aubrey-organics.com and use their store locator service.

To prefer naturally derived colognes such as these makes a big difference to our health. In addition, consumers say they are every bit the attractive equivalent or even better than their synthetic commercial counterparts.

Tammy M. from Chesapeake, Ohio, tells us, "I suffer from many allergies and have not been able to wear fragrances for some time now. I decided to give Aubrey's Wild Wind a try. I sprayed a small amount, noticed that it smells like Emeraude, and thought, 'Oh, no, here comes the headache.' But, NO! There was no headache and no sneezing! I was so relieved and pleased! Aubrey's Wild Wind is wonderful! I will certainly refer your company to my fellow allergy sufferers."

Morag Smithers from Grants Pass, Oregon, notes, "For years I have fought with allergies to different additives, preservatives, coloring and artificial fragrances in skin care products and cologne. I can use all your stuff without my skin breaking out or ending up with a bad headache and it really works too... But down to the Wild Wind Cologne. I love it!! I admit when I first saw it and noticed the color I was a little panicked. Yellow coloring so prevalent in most perfumes makes me ill... literally. But I reread your ingredients list and the reassuring part that says no artificial colorings added and I decided to trust. I sprayed some on and it has been my main scent since. It smells so clean and fresh, and lasts all day long!! And a special bonus—I don't get a headache from it!!"

K. Gabriel from Gaithersburg, Maryland, told us, "I love Angelica—it's so pretty and feminine, but not cloying. It's light, slightly spicy, soft, and sweet, all at once. I find it very soft and comforting; it has a gentle, warm smell. I gave up wearing synthetic colognes and perfumes when I switched to using natural products, but I missed wearing perfume. My favorite local natural-foods store just started carrying Angelica. I was so happy to find a 100% natural cologne, and one that I like so much, too. I don't like any of the department store fragrances anymore (even the 'high-end' ones), because they smell harsh and chemical-laden to me now. Angelica is really different—and the price is great too, especially compared to what I used to spend on synthetic stuff that now gives me a headache and a rash! Thanks for yet another great natural product, Aubrey!"

Fragrances with Phthalates

Calgon Hawaiian Ginger Body Mist
Calgon Turquoise Seas Body Lotion
Charlie Cologne Spray
Escape by Calvin Klein
Eternity by Calvin Klein
Fire & Ice Cologne Spray
Freedom
Jovan White Musk
Lancome Paris Tresor
Liz Claiborne Eau De Toilette Spray
Oscar
Parfums de Coeur White Tahitian Ginger
Fantasy
Poison by Christian Dior
Red Door
The Healing Garden Pure Joy Body Treatment
White Diamonds by Elizabeth Taylor
Wind Song Extraordinary Cologne

by Prince Matchabelli

Colognes & Fragrances for Smart Shoppers

Aubrey Organics has created a unisex eau de cologne line, suitable for men and women, whose beauty is in their fragrance and simplicity. Derived from a few essential oils or isolates, the company uses as a carrying agent natural grain alcohol, which evaporates on the skin and does not cause drying.

Among the most popular totally natural colognes today, Angelica Eau de Cologne combines the root extract of angelica with other mixed wildflower and herbal oils.

Elysian Fields Eau de Cologne was designed to be a natural counterpart to the finest French perfumes but without synthetic ingredients. The fragrance is derived from pine oil, herbal essential oils, and wood notes.

Lemon Blossom Eau de Cologne is a wonderful "body splash" derived from lemon peel and blossom essential oils that also provides vitamin E and essential fatty acids to leave the skin soft and smooth.

Musk Splash Eau de Cologne is entirely plant-derived, yet superior to animal musk oil fragrances. It combines oak musk, rose musk, musk seeds, and other herbal essential oils for a delightful, warm natural musk fragrance.

Wild Wind Eau de Cologne is also an alternative to animal musk oil derived from fragrant hibiscus musk seeds.

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