Warning about fake Linden Blossom Absolute

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone:

 

This warning is being posted with list mom Chris' approval.

 

There is quite a scandal about fake Linden Blossom Absolute (LBA) in

the aromatherapy and natural perfumery community. It has been covered

a lot on my group, to the point I felt a need to write in my blog

about it, and the nefarious ways of some suppliers. See second

article down " Bad Suppliers Will Scrooge Ya "

http://anyasgarden.blogspot.com/ This article does not focus on the

LBA scandal, but is a good start to recognize the problems in the

industry. Be sure to read the comments, as Martin Watt and other

chime in with good information. Tony Burfield has a great article on

the subject of adulteration, cons and such at

http://www.i-c-m.org.uk/Journal/2003/nov03/003.htm

 

The suppliers, not all of whom know they are selling fake LBA, span

from the UK to California, according to the reports in. It has been

going on for years. A natural perfumer in my group recently realized

that a perfume she has been selling for 8 years contains it, so she

is having to trash her formula and start over.

 

The main warning sign that the LBA is fake can come from the

description of it as a light, pourable, fresh, floral scent. Nothing

could be further from the truth. It is a dark, gunky, think substance

with a hay-like warm, cozy scent - it does reveal a more floral

quality when highly diluted, but it is brown, not light, not pourable.

 

These suppliers are charging a pretty penny for this rare absolute.

In fact, even the dark, thick stuff may be doctored a bit if it comes

out of India, but that stuff is probably tweaked with other naturals.

 

We're trying to get the word out to both newbies and longtime buyers.

Hope this public service announcement helps y'all avoid being ripped

off. If you have some of this stuff, demand a refund and educate the

supplier. Some have ethics, and have taken it off their sites, others

refuse and even attach noted aromatherapists names with it in their

sales pitch.

 

Chris and I both hope that this will help raise awareness of problems

in the industry, and y'all will be able to (perhaps, fingers crossed

for good luck) avoid costly mistakes in purchasing natural aromatics.

No system is perfect, as Martin notes, so we can only hope that as

more know about these problems, the con game will lessen a little.

 

 

 

Anya McCoy

of Natural Perfume http://anyasgarden.com

Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild http://artisannaturalperfumers.org

Natural Perfumers Community Group