Magickal Realism

Every so often I get customers desperately seeking for a natural scent that “lasts.” While there are plenty of natural scents that do last for well over four hours, they are not the scents they are seeking.  And even then, it comes down to expectations formed from mainstream synthetic scents, and the customer not being prepared for the natural  to act differently.

Most commonly, I get requests for a “citrus scent that will last more than fifteen minutes.” If this were chemically possible, it would be interesting, but it would be like one of those creatures in a 1950s movie - the minute the scientist leaves the room it moans and begs, “Kill me!”

Synthetic citrus scents can last that long. Sadly, most that I’ve encountered tend to get cloying at standard strength, and your co-workers will hate you and stop inviting you out to lunch when you come in reeking of it every day.  What a natural citrus does is acts as the emcee: it comes out to the front of the perfume, announces the major players, and then fades to the background to let the other notes do their job. If the other notes are mainly citrus, as they are in L’Orange, it will be a short performance, so you’d best put on some lotion beneath as a backup act.

With natural perfumes, it’s not about the scent remaining the same from the moment of application to the moment of wash-off. The scent, instead, puts on a performance: the smell will change as it evaporates, becoming a different fragrance altogether by the time you’re ready to clean.

If you’re looking for a singular, strong note that will remain on your skin unchanging, you’d best go to a syntheticist. If you’re able to tolerate the short-term just to enjoy a performance, then definitely check out naturals.

While the headline from the US Department of Health and Human Services would make you think that aromatherapy has been wholly discounted, the recent study testing the effects of lemon and lavender essential oils actually did reveal some surprising data: lemon essential oil actually works - sort of. “While lemon oil showed a clear mood enhancement, lavender oil did not, the researchers said. Neither smell had any positive impact on any of the biochemical markers for stress, pain control or wound healing.” ((Gardner, Amanda. Aromatherapy Falls Short, Study Finds. Healthday. 2008.  http://healthfinder.gov/news/newsstory.asp?docID=613285 ))

Actually, the study indicates it seems to work. There weren’t enough people for an empirical sample, so it just might not be the time to draw a conclusion.

Aromatherapy has an inconsistent body of literature, with inaccuracies sometimes taught from school to school. The better sources use lots of couching language, like “believed to be” and “reputedly.”  And to be fair, the way the aromatherapy effects were tested on these subjects is not consistent with the way most aromatherapy is applied.¹  So while those of us who use these alternative therapies may not be so thrilled with these results² finding out this information is actually overdue.  There’s still a lot to be said for the placebo effect - the human mind is an amazing and tricky thing, and just because it is a placebo doesn’t mean that its use is to be entirely dismissed.³

1. In most cases, essential oils are diluted in a neutral oil base and massaged into the skin, so that the overall effect is to enhance the application of a massage. In other standard applications, it is added to a steam and inhaled from a distance - if distilled water had chemical effects, perhaps it is actually something to do with the heated water, but that’s just conjecture. [↩]
2. Yes, I do use aromatherapy. Or, at least, I drink a lot of jasmine tea when I’m stressed out. [↩]
3. I actually do practice witchcraft. We’re all about placebos and mind tricks towards a salutary or not-so-salutary end. [↩]