Plant Aromatics Safety Manual ** Safe Dilution of EO

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Last one y'all. ;-)

 

 

Butch Owen <butchbsi

Sun, 24 Apr 2005 16:23:40 -0700

Plant Aromatics Safety Manual ** Safe

Dilution of EO

 

Hi y'all,

 

Today .. someone on another list asked the following question regarding

dilution of Tea Tree. And I responded as you see below. I cannot

overemphasize the need to know the correct .. SAFE .. dilution for EO.

 

> What are the proportions for dilution?

 

Depends on how safe we want to be .. some folks push the odds and risk

irritation .. and worse .. sensitization. The same question on safe

dilution can (should be) asked for any and all EO .. but the number of

incorrect (irresponsible and risky) rumors we hear/read about will

generally outnumber the correct (tested safe) answers.

 

We all see posts on ridiculous blend recipes on various Newsgroups ..

many are straight out of one of the many AT " novels " and there is room

to wonder if the person posting it has really used that blend. Folks

who slam together EO blends without having the correct information are

like a person who drives drunk .. it will likely back fire on them or

someone else in time.

 

The basic reference publication we need before we get into production

of Lotions and Creams and whatsoever for sale to others .. or for use by

us and ours .. is THE Safety Manual .. " Plant Aromatics. "

 

Every essential oil used in the cosmetics industry has been tested on

human subjects and safe level of dilution is known. " Plant Aromatics "

is a compilation of this data researched over many years by Martin Watt,

Cert. Phyt. Medical Herbalist & Essential Oil Educator. The primary

source of his research was the R.I.F.M. (Research Institute for

Fragrance Materials) and their sister organization the I.F.R.A.

(International Fragrance Research Association).

 

These organizations collect and assess scientific safety data on

essential oils and provide reports on safe and adverse reactions to

their member companies in the commercial sector.

 

They have also commissioned research evaluations for over 40 years and

they publish the findings on essential oil safety in the journal - Food

and Chemicals Toxicity.

 

Basically .. we have a choice of disregarding safety, shooting in the

dark and keeping our fingers crossed .. or going to a library and

researching the back issues of Food and Chemicals Toxicity for the past

40 plus years, or if we are short on time, acquiring this Safety Manual.

 

" Plant Aromatics " includes (in one bound copy):

 

Skin Irritation

Sensitization

Photo sensitization

Oral & Dermal Toxicity

 

It goes into:

 

Reactions to Individual Chemicals

Testing for Adverse Effects

Skin Absorption

Oils Not Recommended

Absolute and Concrete Extracts

Maximum Levels of Oils in Perfumes/Cosmetics

Toxicity Levels

Referenced Adverse Effects on the Skin

And many more subjects

 

Why does one need this Safety Manual? I can think of three reasons.

 

1. Ethics and Personal Safety: Why should we use an EO in a dilution

that is larger than that which has been tested as being safe? We have

responsibility to ensure that those who use our products - as well as

ourselves, are not injured due to our not knowing the safe dilution.

 

2. Legal Liability: When we sell a product .. like it or not, we then

become liable for any harm we might cause. Ignorance is no defense.

Will use of this safety data get us off the hook if we are faced with a

lawsuit? I don't know, but if we can quote scientific safety data I

would think we would be in a better position to show we took reasonable

and prudent action to do the right thing, and we made informed decisions

using available information rather than guesswork. Intent can mean much

and a good defense can not hurt - methinks.

 

3. Professional Development and Knowledge: " Plant Aromatics " is more

than rumor and is quotable as scientifically sound. The date/time/who

conducted the tests are referenced.

 

The old edition of Martin's " Plant Aromatics " was $75. The new, revised

edition is $44.90 .. it can be obtained from two sources on Earth .. the

two sources are listed below.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

Europe & Asia .......... http://www.aromamedical.com/paper.html

Cost .. $56.10 ... shipping to the USA is included in this price.

 

North & South America .. http://www.av-at.com/plantaromaticsavnp.html

Cost .. $44.90 ... plus $4.20 Priority Mail shipping within the USA.