Perfume · Eco-Chick

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Abercrombie and Fitch (Deservedly) Earns Green Teens’ Wrath with Mall Protest

Abercrombie and Fitch has long walked the ‘adored by teens, hated by adults’ line, what with controversies sparked by their scantily-clad (and strangely hairless) models and ugly-people-need-not-apply hiring practices. But now they’ve pissed off the kids, and they’re fighting back with 70′s-style in-person protests (hey, 70′s is totally IN) of the ubiquitous mall retailer.

Teens Turning Green, an advocacy group made up of young folks who want to get toxic ingredients out of the products that tend to litter young-people’s bathrooms is going after A&F’s new scent, Fierce, which the company instructs its employees to spray in and around their stores, and of course, to wear themselves when they work. Teens Turning Green has sent a letter and video (see below) to A&F’s headquarters to no response, so now they’re taking to the streets (or the mall pedestrian walkway).

According to a press release from the group, “The issue is the spraying of the store’s signature fragrance “Fierce” in and around all A&F’s, a product that has been found to contain endocrine disrupting chemicals and cause allergies, headaches, wheezing and impacts male sperm count. The student protesters want to draw attention to a letter they are sending to the store’s national headquarters to demand a halt to spraying the store’s employees and customers , and also to the Safe Cosmetics Act of 2010 introduced this year to reform the regulatory policy on cosmetics (first time in 70 years). Hundreds of organizations have signed the letter, representing over a million and a half people.”
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abercrombie and fitch, asthma, chemicals, health, perfume, Teens, Toxins

Eco Chick Giveaway: Win a Set of RubyBlaise Essentials Aromatherapy Mists

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by Stephanie Rogers · 05/05/10

UPDATE: Thanks for participating, everyone! The winner is – Nicole Galland!

Scent can be so powerful, changing our moods and awakening memories – but sometimes it can be dangerous too, namely when it’s coming from a toxic blend of chemicals vaguely labeled as “fragrance”. Essential oils make it easy to avoid the bad stuff and get even more benefits than simply pleasing scents – promoting skin healing and even killing germs. It’s a no-brainer to ditch the synthetic perfumes and room sprays and switch to healthy products like RubyBlaise Essentials aromatherapy mists.

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essential oils, giveaway, Natural Beauty, perfume, scents

Chic Scents from Tallulah Jane and A Perfume Organic

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by Stephanie Rogers · 01/23/10

Have you ever found a fragrance that blended so well with your natural scent, it seemed like it was made for you? The kind of scent that compels you to furtively sniff your own wrists, and makes men find your neck completely irresistible?

For a long time I thought I would never find a perfume like that again. I was never a big fan of synthetic fragrances but gave them up completely in college, in favor of essential oils. But I’m not a master perfumer and I’ve never been able to create a blend that was just right.

Maybe now, I won’t have to – thanks to boutique perfumeries that offer up non-toxic, cruelty-free, vegan fragrances that easily rival the department store stuff. Organic online beauty boutique Spirit Beauty Lounge has two new perfume lines that sound totally sniff-worthy.

Eco Beauty, perfume, Shopping

Pacifica Perfume: Sustainable, Socially Responsible Scents to Savor

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 09/14/09

Avid surfer Brook Havey-Taylor founded Pacifica in 1996 to put her training in aromatherapy to work and share the scents from her travels. Now, the company boasts a line of over twenty fragrances that can be found in candle form, perfume solid, body creams, soaps and sprays. Pacifica is based in Portland, Oregon and practices carbon neutrality and cruelty-free production. The products are vegan and do not contain any animal ingredients, including beeswax.

I had the opportunity to speak with Brook and discuss natural fragrances. I have long enjoyed scents and as far as senses go, smell is one of my most adored, but these days I am hesitant to use any scents or oils that are not necessarily safe. What does it really mean to be safe or natural? Is there such a thing as truly organic perfume? How are natural ingredients such as patchouli and sandalwood being affected by the vast cosmetics and beauty industry? Brook thinks about these things and was happy to share some thoughts.

KJA: How natural is Pacifica and what does this mean to you?

BH-T: For Pacifica, I never claim that we are 100% natural. I use as many natural materials as I possibly can. My goal is always to create a safe and sustainable product, an ethical product, and an affordable product. At our company we provide a 401k and viable health and dental insurance plans to insure our workers are treated well. Our factory in Oregon is virtually waste free. Everything is recycled into candle production or donated to local women’s shelters. We use local box manufacturers for packaging the products and local printers which is quite rare. The only component of our products that is made overseas are the tins for our perfumes and some of our glass, though we are trying to find local suppliers. We are really focused on keeping the business viable and local. As a company we try to look at everything we do as whole.

KJA: So, are your ingredients organic?

BH-T: When it comes to the issue of natural or organic fragrance you have to be really careful in your language. Even essential oils contain synthetics at times. There are arguments against 100% natural – you are using water, land, affecting cash crops – and social issues come into play hugely. It’s coming more to the fore now, especially with palm and sandalwood (clk here for more info on this topic.) Our western craving for all things natural can be extreme.

Beauty, body care, natural, Organic, perfume