Natural Materials: Bergamot

Bergamot essential oil has a wonderful fresh, uplifting scent. It makes an excellent top note and is another favorite oil of mine.



Photo by jen_maiser CCL

Bergamot

• Source - Citrus aurantium ssp. bergamia, cultivated in Italy
• Plant parts used - rind of the fruit
• Aromatic extract - expressed essential oil

In perfumery, bergamot is used extensively as a top note and is common to many fragrances and cosmetics. It is very uplifting, and in aromatherapy has been used to treat tension, anxiety stress, depression and more. Bergamot oil is phototoxic, meaning it can cause sensitivity, sunburn and skin pigmentation when exposed to sunlight. The chemical components that cause phototoxicity can be removed through distillation or treatment so that it may be used for leave-on skin products without problems.

The oil is extracted from the rinds of the small pear-shaped fruits. The fruits are called bergamot oranges, but the skin is yellow to green. They are commonly grown in Italy and named for the city of Bergamo where it was first sold. Earl Gray tea is flavored with bergamot oil. The fruit itself is not eaten, and it is cultivated just for its oil.

Article: A rose, by any other name?

A Grasse rose farm, run by fourth generation farmers, is having to sell off the precious rose fields.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/haley-alexander-van-oosten/natural-misconceptions_b_142978.html

There's no surprise that few are willing to pay for the luxury of real rose oil, especially when the synthetic alternatives are so much cheaper and the average consumer knows no difference.

It is a terrible shame that a tradition passed on through many generations will be lost. Besides losing the culture, the history, and the beauty of the process, the supply of natural oil will further dwindle. I have not yet had a chance to sample Rose de Mai from Grasse, but it's one I'd hoped to procure in the future.

My hope is that as the demand for natural products increases, so will the demand for aromatics--and that cultivation and production of botanical aromatics will not become a lost art.

Maker Faire Austin

Maker Faire starts tomorrow! If you're in the Austin area this weekend, come out because it's going to be fabulous! Saturday it will be from 10am to 10pm, and on Sunday it will be from 10 am to 6pm.

I'm making final preparations for my Maker booth where I'll be demonstrating perfume blending.

Check out Makerfaire.com for more info! Be sure to come by my booth in the crafts section and say hello!

EGCG Swag Bags are coming!

The Swag Bags are coming soon!

Swag Bags are the perfect way to choose your holiday gifts. Sample items from 10 different EGCG shops including perfume, balms, soap, scrubs and lotions.

Starting Oct 15 you'll be able to purchase them through the EGCG Etsy Shop. Hurry, because they are limited edition you'll want to get one before they sell out!

New Perfume - Autumn Spice

Autumn Spice

This perfume is my entry in EGCG's Iron Chef Challenge. The EGCG challenge for the month of September was to create an item with these ingredients: Orange, Spice and Vanilla.

Autumn Spice begins with a blend of four orange essential oils--Wild orange, Blood orange, sweet orange and orange juice. Then come the spices! Nutmeg, cardamom, clove, black pepper and turmeric blended with a soft vanilla base.

It's available both in my Etsy shop and on StephanieKNaturals.com!

Interview at The Rebel Perfumer

Diana Rajchel, fellow natural perfumer, interviewed me for this months installment of Perfumery Without Pretention over at The Rebel Perfumer. Or Le Parfumeur Rebelle, but either way it has great reads and lots of blogs links, so check it out!

In the eye of the beholder

A lovely painter named Silja recently made a request on the Etsy forums. She asked for pictures of eyes so she could paint them. I responded to the call, and before I know it she sends me a link to this result:



Already it is featured on The Chic & Green Blog. You can see more of her beautiful work at 5erg's blog or her Etsy shop.