Do The Right Thing

For the past few days I have been sitting at the computer typing ingredients labels for our new Acousticjus oil parfums. I had long ago made the decision to add more extensive ingredients lists to all of our perfumes, and decided to start with these and go on to our other brand Soivohle. As anyone who ever reads the label on a commercial bottle of perfume knows, there is usually a long list of ingredients listed. These are primarily ingredients deemed allergens etc. by the Perfume Industry Organization IFRA (International Fragrance Association). It is required that members of the IFRA comply with their guidelines, and are also adhered to by non-members with global distribution. The IFRA restrictions and guidelines on some (not all) ingredients used in perfume formulation are considered by many to be overly restrictive and sometimes biased against natural materials.  This alone is enough to give even the largest corporations headaches, as they are forever reformulating products to comply with the ever increasing restrictions and guidelines.
Now enter the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 H.R. 5786.  A new piece of legislation designed (in theory) to put the squeeze on cosmetics companies with even more regulations than are already in place.  But in fact if one reads the proposed bill, it is very clear that it will be the small natural products companies who will be put out of business. Legislation like this is not really geared towards fairness and common sense, or even good science, as I see no good science in anything that I read regarding this bill and others like it. The large chemical companies will survive this kind of legislation because they have the money to put enough loopholes in the final draft to protect themselves from any real harm. It is the small independent company doing the right thing, creating safe, often all natural and organic products who will suffer. Here we are in a time of great economic strife and legislators are proposing new regulations that will put thousands of honest hard working people out of  business. I think they should tell it like is is and rename it the.....
"Put small business' who make safe cosmetics out of business Act of 2010"
I don't think it matters much which side of the political fence we sit on these days. The Democrats want to over regulate everything and the Republicans want to throw all regulation out the window. Surely there is a place somewhere in the middle where common sense and solid data mean something.
But back to perfume: I am right on the edge of re-naming all of my products Altar Oils, Incense, and Linen Spray. Safe for use on skin but not recommended.  How sad is that. To be living in a world controlled by fear and mis-information. I understand that people want safe cosmetics and for the most part I think this is just what we have. As a small business owner who is creating just on the edge of this industry in perfumery, I can say with all honesty that my aim is to do the right thing. I am not out to harm folks or use materials that have legitimate claims against them.Yet at the same time I will not demonize a material or ingredient based on unsound or non-existent science.

So what are these folks going to do once they have successfully driven the safe cosmetics companies out of business. Who are they going after next. The organic farmers, the quilters, the bee keepers.

Now back to those labels............