It is old news that in 1999, due to frequent consumer complaints that exposure to Calvin Klein’s “Eternity” perfume had led to asthma, migraines, sensitization, and even multiple chemical sensitivity, the Environmental Health Network (EHN) had the perfume analyzed by an industry laboratory specializing in fragrance chemistry. The laboratory analysis showed that “Eternity” is composed 41 ingredients, some of which are well known to be toxic to the skin, respiratory tract, and the nervous and reproductive systems. Other ingredients are well known carcinogens. Since then, The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health has conducted other analyses and reported that the perfume industry uses 3,000 different ingredients, most of which are synthetic. Plus, 900 of those ingredients are known to be toxic, posing health risks, and even carcinogenic. Furthermore, unfortunately, the perfume industry is presently not required by the FDA to label all of their ingredients because their ingredients lists are considered trade secrets. In other words, mainstream perfumes are full of toxic, synthetic, petrochemical ingredients that pose known, irreparable health risks to the lungs, nervous system, and immune system. Mainstream perfumes also pose a cancer risk.
This is very unfortunate because perfumes have been an essential part of humanity through out the ages. Perfumes have been used to enhance sensuality and change moods and have even been used for healing benefits through out time. But the healing perfumes are made of natural ingredients. The good news is that while the mainstream perfume industry insists on using synthetic ingredients that endanger our health, it is still possible to find all-natural perfumes composed of all of their all natural, healing ingredients.
Some of the most common natural perfumes are called perfume, or fragrance oils. The oil that is extracted directly from flowers and plants is called essence oil. This oil is actually extremely highly concentrated. It is so concentrated that if you actually put it on your skin you’ll get a very nasty chemical burn. To make cosmetic grade fragrance oils that can be worn on the skin, manufacturers take these essence oils, combine them, and then dilute them with other clear oils that can be touched, like clear jojoba oil. So, fragrance oils are oils that are extracted straight from the flowers and plants and have been diluted so that they can be worn cosmetically.
Below are three fabulous places to find some absolutely wonderful fragrance oils that smell heavenly plus have all of the healing benefits that perfume should have.
One of my favorite places to buy fragrance oils is from The Purple People Market Place, available online. The Purple People are a monastic community lead by Reverend Nazirmoreh K.B. Kedem in Saint Joe, Arizona. The monastic community extracts, blends, and bottles its own fragrance oils. They offer over 200 different fragrances including fragrance oils from individual flowers, herbs, and spices and traditional blended fragrance oils like Egyptian Musk and Sweet Oriental Musk. Things like Egyptian Musk are blended from ancient Egyptian well-known recipes. But what I especially like about the Purple People’s website is that they provide a chart, located all the way at the bottom of their True Scents Essence Oils Offerings page, showing how each fragrance is used to stimulate your emotions, energy, and improve your health. For instance, Bergamot stimulates cheerfulness, opens your heart to love and life, and enhances sensuality, success and wealth. Ladies, how about buying some Bergamot for your man! Frankincense enhances meditation. Magnolia enhances feelings of love and Jasmine enhances sensuality. Magnolia and Jasmine happen to be one of my favorite floral combinations. Also, vanilla enhances sexuality and feelings of love. Ladies, why don’t you also buy yourselves some vanilla to wear for your man tonight?
Besides floral and classic perfume oils, The Purple People also blend fragrance oils modeled after designer perfumes found at typical retailers. From The Purple People, you can buy blended versions of Chanel #5, Chanel #19, Eternity, Escape, Fahrenheit, Giorgio, and Infinity, plus many, many more. I am unfortunately too sensitive to be able to get anywhere near the toxic cesspool originals of these perfumes, so I can’t tell you how similar The Purple People’s perfumes are to the originals, but I can tell you that they are wonderful fragrances.
Plus, these fragrance oils are cheap, so what do you have to loose? How cheep are they? A tester for 1/3 dram is $2, and just to let you know, even if used daily, a tester can last you for at least 6 to 9 months. A 1 dram bottle costs $3, a 1/8 oz roll on costs $9 and the prices of their larger bottles go all the way up to $40 and make very nice gifts.
Auric Blends
The next best place to buy fragrance oils is from Auric Blends, available online. Auric Blends’ version of Egyptian Goddess has developed worldwide acclaim and their other Egyptian roll-on perfumes have won regional awards. Even the New York Press voted Auric Blends’ perfume Majik as “best love potion.” Auric Blends have also designed four fragrances that are solely original to Auric Blends; they are Layla, Pele, Siren, and Tara. Each perfume is inspired by its own legend. You can purchase sample kits which include 4 samples for $9 to $12 depending on which group of products you would like to sample. You can also purchase an Egyptian Goddess sample kit with 2 samples for $4. If you want to try only one thing from Auric Blends, ladies, try the Egyptian Goddess. It’s their number one selling fragrance and known for being sultry, sexy, and evocative. It’s a combination of a soft floral fragrance and a light powdery musk for something incredibly seductive and feminine. Its wearers are noticed by all and it’s known to drive men crazy. Give it a try!
Now for a little something you probably weren’t expecting: You can get fragrance oil versions of just about every single designer and mainstream perfume your heart desires. The best thing about these fragrance oil versions is that they are made with natural ingredients rather than synthetic ingredients like their original counterparts. Also they are undiluted by all of the toxic chemical solutions perfume manufacturers think are necessary to make liquid perfumes out of. These fragrance oils are pure, uncut oils made of natural ingredients, unlike the synthetic mainstream perfumes.
Where do you get these duplicate designer and mainstream fragrance oils? You can find them at Unique Oils, available online. What exactly can you get there? Pretty much anything you want: Armani, Cartier, Prada, Victoria’s Secret, Dolce Gabbana, Calvin Klein, and much, much more. Unique Oils literally carries hundreds of fragrance oils. The designer fragrance oils are found under Body Oils; they also carry the same classic flower and classic Egyptian fragrances that The Purple People carry under Fragrance Oils.
Plus, unlike their designer and mainstream originals, these body and fragrance oils are cheap! A 1/8 oz roll on costs only $5 and even used daily could last you between 6 months to a year. Unique Oils’ other prices range from $7 to $15. You can even get sample packs. Unique Oils’ cheapest sample pack offers 5 body oil fragrances of your choice in the 1/8 oz roll-on size for $20. Or, even better, you can get a sampler with 10 body oil fragrances of your choice in the 1/8 oz size for only $35. Not to mention that Unique Oils has an ongoing offer that for every $25 you spend, you get a free dram sample of any fragrance of your choice. And again, one dram can last you at least 6 months. So for $35 you can bring home 11 designer fragrances!
How close are these fragrances to the originals? Again, I can’t tell you. I have to stay far, far away from mainstream perfumes, but Unique Oils’ testimonials are excellent. Many of the designer perfume collectors who have purchased their products say that they smell exactly like the originals.
So let me reiterate. You can purchase a bottle of highly toxic and carcinogenic Calvin Klein’s “Eternity” for between $40 and $80, or you can purchase a bottle of fragrance oil designed to duplicate “Eternity” and is actually healthy for only $5. Which are you going to choose?
Important Advice on Testing Fragrance Oils
One more word should be said on fragrance oils. Fragrance oils are typically six times more concentrated than the liquid perfume versions. Liquid perfumes usually only contain between 25 percent to 40 percent perfume oil. While one usually can’t tell a difference between the scent of a fragrance oil and the scent of a liquid perfume, because fragrance oils are more concentrated, they can sometimes smell more dense than the perfume original. With that in mind, when you are comparing a fragrance oil to its designer original, you really shouldn’t smell the fragrance oil straight from the bottle.
Another reason you shouldn’t test a fragrance oil by smelling it straight from the bottle is that in perfumes, alcohol is used to bond the molecules of the fragrance and carry the fragrance into the air, but in fragrance oils, the molecules are blended and bonded by jojoba oil. In mainstream perfumes, as the alcohol burns, you smell the fragrance. Plus, even the top notes and bottom notes are burnt off by the alcohol until you have the main underlying scent. But in fragrance oils, heat is actually needed to heat up the jojoba oil and carry it into the air.
Therefore, always test a fragrance oil by applying it directly to your skin. It can even be a good idea to give the fragrance three to five minutes to thoroughly heat up and blend.
