Synthetic vs. natural fragrances

The topic of fragrance came up today on Twitter. A Bath/Body company indicated that a customer smelled some of their different "natural" soaps and complained that they smelled "funny".

This is a common topic in today's market. The most natural scents are those of Essential Oils as these are derived from real things found in nature: like flowers, roots, bark and fruit skins. The problem comes in when large "mass" produced products are called "Grapefruit" scented or "Sage/Cedarwood" and they have no essential oils in the product. They use synthetic fragrances and then add a bunch of chemicals to keep those fragrance strong and obnoxious.

One of the best examples is Ginger. Real Ginger Essential Oil has an aquired smell. But if said customer heads to the mall and smells any product at Bath & Body Works or another similar store, they'll find Ginger-titled products that smell almost sweet and nothing like natural ginger.

Then that customer shops at an independent bath/body store and wonders why things may smell "funny" because they aren't strong and sweet like the stores at the mall.

This goes for coloring too. Natural products are naturally scented and use natural ingredients. Ever seen all of the different "colors" of naturally occurring Shea Butter or even Hemp Oil? Their colors can range from deep yellows or greens to lighter yellow. The coloring differences are natural. Not every flower is the same color or every tree the same shape. That is the great thing about natural things. And using natural ingredients is the best thing about natural bath/body products. Color may vary and scent may vary. The goodness is unmatchable.

So please remember when shopping for your natural bath products. Read the ingredients. If the product is Grapefruit Scrub..then does the product use real sugar and grapefruit essential oil? Look for real ingredients, not chemicals. You wouldn't eat chemicals, right? If you put chemicals on your skin, you are absorbing the chemcials into your body. It's the same thing as eating the chemicals. If any chemicals are listed on the label or if the company doesn't list any ingredients, then keep shopping.

Also remember that Fragrance can be fine but it's the chemicals that are added to keep that fragrance strong. Most people that have allergic reactions to products, are usually allergic to the chemicals and not the fragrance or natural ingredients.