Notes and News

• The price of Rose oil may be increasing more due to 20% reduced production in Bulgaria because of a drought, according to a note in the Sofia Echo. Almost all of the reduced 2007 Bulgarian output has been sold. Bulgaria produces about 50% of the world's production, according to the note.
• An article in NutraIngredients-usa.com entitled "Toxicity of essential oils questioned by Cropwatch" discusses the information presented in the recent August Cropwatch Newsletter. They also, somewhat stupidly in my opinion, point out that "some industry observers claim that there may be ulterior motives behind [campaigns calling for the increased use of natural ingredients], suggesting that the most vociferous of campaigners for the use of natural products are often involved in the naturals market, thereby profiting from their own campaigning." The reason this is a stupid argument is because the reverse is also true; those who argue against the use of natural products are usually involved in the synthetics market. It would make more sense to argue this out based on the facts and science, and not the anonymous ad hominem attacks on the participants. Just who are these "industry observers", anyway? And who are these "Industry players" they also cite? To be fair I should refrain from pointing out that based on the advertisements running on the page with the article, they may be the advertisers for the web site. The article was also published at CosmeticsDesign-Europe.
• The previously mentioned article closes with this ironic sentence: "Furthermore, some industry players have warned against believing all of the science cited in such campaigns, stating that it may draw false conclusions and mislead consumers." It is ironic because the article cites as an example of good science the article suggesting a link between lavender and tea tree oils and abnormal breast development in young boys, which has been challenged by many in the aromatic industry, as readers of this blog will remember.