URGENT ACTION NEEDED NOW!

The Aromatherapy Trade Council (ATC) is alerting people to a potential threat to the Aromatherapy industry.

The ATC has been monitoring the progress of the draft 7th Amendment to the Cosmetics Directive 76/768/EEC which deals with the issue of the labelling of products containing fragrance allergens.

The issue of the labelling of fragrance allergens was a key concern of industry at the first reading of this proposal in 2001.  During these discussions, representations were received from industry bodies such as COLIPA (The European Cosmetic, Toiletry and Perfumery Association) as well as key UK cosmetics producers. The European Parliament took on board the concerns expressed in its first reading and amended the proposal to provide for clear and useful labelling while ensuring that the legislation remained workable.

The amendment follows the findings of a report from the Scientific Committee on Cosmetics and Non-food products (SCCNFP), who following dermatological studies found that there were 26 fragrance ingredients which were an important cause of contact allergies. Several suggestions, such as banning the ingredients completely or including a warning label, were rejected at first reading. Indeed, the cosmetics industry successfully argued that the effects of these two measures would be an end to the essential oils industry.

The Parliament listened to the requests of the cosmetics industry by adopting a text which would require labelling of the 26 fragrance ingredients in concentrations of above 0.010% in rinse-off products like soap and shampoo and 0.001% in leave-on products such as colognes, creams and antiperspirants.  Other fragrance ingredients would not be labelled. I understand that this position was welcomed by many of the industry bodies as providing a clear and proportionate solution to those who have allergic reactions to these ingredients.

However sixteen of these ingredients - benzyl alcohol, cinnamic alcohol, citral, eugenol, isoeugenol, benzyl salicylate, cinnamic aldehyde, coumarin, geraniol, anisyl alcohol, benzyl cinnamate, farnesol, linalool, benzyl benzoate, citronellol, d-limonene - are found naturally in essential oils commonly used in aromatherapy and aromatherapy products.

Many essential oils contain one - or often more - of the 16 chemicals listed above and at significantly higher concentrations than those proposed. Since the proposed regulation would apply to ingredients in pure form as well as ingredients in essential oils, it is possible that many essential oils would be removed from the formulations of fine fragrances and cosmetic products. Once the sixteen chemicals are listed as allergens, they are likely to be regarded as harmful ingredients and a potential problem, despite the fact that the aromatherapy profession and the essential oil industry have a long history of safety. This could have a devastating effect on both the profession and the trade.

The essential oils educator Martin Watt confirms that the reason for these proposals is that an EEC committee of dermatologists [who probably know little about natural essential oils] is reporting a steady increase in cases of skin sensitisation in the European population.  However, verifying the accuracy of these statistics seems to be nigh impossible.  Also little regard seems to have been given to the increasing consumption by Europeans of highly spiced foods, which can also trigger skin sensitisation.

Martin fears that the food flavouring industry could be the next target, but wonders if the eurocrats will dare to take on the might of the American fast food outlets. I suspect that they might. If so, your chilli burger or pepper steak could be served with a “might cause an allergic reaction”caution.  Remembering the days of my youth, when stomach-wrenching curries were the order of the day, I think that such a warning might be justified!

Seriously though, whilst the removal of essential oils from products could have a devastating effect on the essential oil industry, it may have an even more significant impact on essential oil based agricultural economies of European countries, such as Bulgaria, France, Italy and Spain and, even perhaps, parts of the United Kingdom. On lesser developed countries the results could be catastrophic if major fragrance users are forced to steer from natural oils to synthetics [which would probably not need to be labelled as “sensitisers”], or insist upon the alleged allergens being removed at the point of processing, which would inevitably increase costs.

Still, what can we all do about it?

The ATC urges that you write to your MEP as soon as possible, and certainly well before the Second Reading of the Amendment on 10th June 2002, to oppose the proposals in their current form on the basis that:

Essential oils should be treated as single entities, as they have been historically in worldwide scientific compendia.
If proposed levels are implemented and essential oils are not treated as separate entities, they may be regarded as harmful, they may be removed from formulations and this could  have a devastating effect on both the essential oil industry and the aromatherapy profession and trade.
The proposed cut-off levels for labelling should be re-evaluated at levels consistent with sound scientific-based data.
The scientific basis of classifying a fragrance ingredient as an allergen is being addressed by the CEN and no action should be taken until this review has been finalised.

A suggested letter can be obtained upon request to the ATC office <info@a-t-c.org.uk>. You can find the contact details for your local MEP on the European Parliament website <www.europarl.org.uk>. Additionally you can do as I did and target the MEPs who sit on the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy. 

The more people who write, the more impact will be made and the more notice the EP and EC will have to take of the lobby

The MEPs reply.
From Philip Whitehead, Labour MEP for the East Midlands......To exclude essential oils from the scope of the provision would clearly negate its effect.  These oils, as you state, contain many of the fragrance ingredients that are of concern to sensitised consumers.  The fact that the cosmetics industry bodies were willing to support the amendment in Parliament’s first reading suggests that they are happy that the provision does not pose a threat to their products’ viability, or the inclusion of essential oils in them......In no way has European Parliament stated that these ingredients are harmful, nor would it do so without sound scientific advice.  The European Parliament does not advocate taking these fragrance ingredients off the market nor prohibiting their use......It is the Scientific Committee that has the task of deciding the appropriate maximum safety levels for these ingredients and including them in the legislation via a technical adaptation.

Dr. Caroline Jackson (Conservative, South West), who is the Chairman of the Environment Committee, writes......As you may know, the ability of the European Parliament to amend a directive once it has had a first reading is limited.  We can put down amendments which we passed at the first reading, but which were not accepted by the Council. Or we can amend new parts of the text that the Council has added at its first reading......I don’t think that the amendment which you seek was mentioned at the first reading.  If so we can follow it up......I will now get in touch with the rapporteur, and with the Commission, to see how the land lies, and do everything I can to help on the point you have made to me.  I will also contact the British Minister responsible for dealing with this directive.

Roses bloom again in Bulgaria.

Writing of alleged allergens, essential oils, and the potential impact of proposed European legislation on agricultural economies, I am reminded that rose oil (Rosa damascena Mill.) contains geraniol at around 20%, as well as linalool and citronellol.

Output of Bulgarian rose oil is set to rise this year, as local entrepreneurs revive a traditional occupation hard hit by the collapse of communism. Rose growing suffered in the 1990s as villagers turned to subsistence farming on land handed back by post-communist governments to its former owners. The area under cultivation shrank from 2,500 hectares at the beginning of the decade to about 1,200 hectares in 1998.  Bulgaria’s share of the international rose oil market declined from about 50% to 35%, and was only prevented from falling further by keeping prices stable.  As a result, Bulgarian rose oil is probably underpriced for its quality.

Last year Bulgaria exported 1,200kg of rose oil, of which almost 60 per cent went to European Union countries.  Production should rise this year by another 100 kilos as bushes planted three years ago are harvested for the first time. The bushes flower for about 25 days a year from mid-May to mid-June. The blooms are picked by hand early in the morning when the aroma is strongest, and transported in small quantities to the distillery.  Seedlings come from the Rose Research Institute at Kazanluk, which has developed several Damascena rose varieties suited to conditions in the famous “Valley of the Roses”, which extends more than 100km along the Balkan mountain range.

Dimiter Stefanov, owner of a rose oil distillery near Kazanluk in the centre of the valley, advises that there was a shortage of raw material for the distilleries, because growers were no longer being paid by the state.  They were pulling out rose bushes in the hope of getting subsidies for growing food crops.  Farmers can’t get loans for rose growing but private companies can, though the amounts are small, he says.

The aim of Bulgaria’s rose oil producers is to recapture the 20-25 per cent premium formerly paid for their oil. It will take time to rebuild the business because production is still low and cultivation is fragmented, says another distiller Dinyo Kolarov, but all of last year’s attar was quickly sold, so we think the demand is there.  I hope that he’s right!

Lichen, where?
I have suffered from lichen planus of the mouth for many years....In all this time no-one has ever mentioned to me that lichen planus was not just a mouth problem....Where else in my body can I get lichen planus/lichen sclerosus?

Following my comment in last month’s Newsletter [No. 122] I had several calls about lichen planus, and now have several trying sea buckthorn (Hippophae rhamnoides L.) to relieve the problem. For the present, I am suggesting that they try only the seed oil.  I shall report later upon progress (hopefully!).

Lichen planus is an inflammatory skin disorder with itchy papular lesions arising usually on the extremities. The nails and oral or buccal mucosa and rarely the genital mucosa may be affected. Its cause is uncertain although sufferers do have a higher incidence of autoimmune disease than normal.  Some drugs can produce ichenoid reactions - mepacrine, methyldopa, penicillamine, and sodium aurothiomalate.

Lichen planus are aggregates of small, persistant, polygonal papules, flat-topped with a characteristic sheen, and of reddish-purple colour, occurring in well defined patches on the wrists, ankles and abdomen; greyish patches on mucous membranes; and may involve hair follicles and nails.

Lichen sclerosis et atrophicus is a chronic skin condition in which flat papules appear and later coalesce into large white areas, and the skin becomes thin, hyperpigmented, and telangiectasic [abnormal dilation of the terminal skin capillaries]. The cause is unknown.  It occurs most often in women as kraurosis vulvae [a degenerative condition of dryness, itching and atrophy of the vaginal introitus associated with postmenopausal lack of oestrogen].  It may be precancerous, and often occurs in conjunction with leucoplakia [a disease characterized by the occurrence of white, thickened patches on mucous membrane, usually on the lips and inside of the mouth; may also occur on genitalia]. Thank goodness for medical dictionaries!

Parents beware!
Rat-a-tat-tat! Oh, not another! I shirk shiftily behind the curtain. However the hammering upon the door becomes more frenzied, and the dog is turning double somersaults. Reluctantly I relent and ease the door ajar.  Wash your car mister?

Upon the step is a line-up of sodden small boys, carrying buckets the size of barrels. This is the fourth team of the morning.  What on earth is going on?  With Jan out shopping, I am bereft of back-up.  Don’t they understand that I like washing my own car? No amount of argument seems to dissuade them, and yet. O.K., walk your dog then? pipes up the smallest of the team. Good heavens, Mungu the ridgeback hasn’t had his breakfast yet and, in his current demented mood, is likely to devour the urchin. Why don’t they wash their parents’ car, or walk their own dog? Well, I may have the answer.

According to a survey of British parents for Abbey National, a child aged under 16 earns an average of £100 a month for helping with domestic tasks.  A fifth of parents with two children told the bank they paid a total of £2,500 a year. This is really quite significant cash, and I begin to understand why some families in our village simply cannot afford to pay big money for little helpers

Current going rates for domestic chores? Apparently car washing commands £2.30, general cleaning around the house £2.77, loading/unloading the dishwasher a hefty £2.52, vacuuming a more reasonable £1.25, setting the table a bargain £0.53, bed-making a surprisingly costly £0.76, and taking the rubbish out a staggering £2 for boys.  It seems that pay inequalities start early in life: boys are paid, on average, five times more than girls for loading and unloading the dishwasher, and girls only get a paltry 60p to take the rubbish out. Interestingly walking the dog does not feature on the tariff, but cleaning out the pet’s cage will knock you back £1.92.  Meanwhile Justin is threatening to put in a claim for twenty years back pay. He should be so lucky!

Kanuka queried.
I really do make a rod for my own back.  Whenever I mention an oil in a Newsletter it invites a multitude of questions, which I am often completely unable to answer.  Last month I briefly mentioned Kanuka (Kunzea ericoides J. Thompson). No sooner is the Newsletter through the letter box.....I thoroughly enjoy your Newsletter - munching my breakfast muesli wouldn’t be the same without perambulating through your chatty columns (!).....than the phone begins to ring: Tell me more about Kanuka.
      
To be honest I don’t know that much about white tea tree, as it is sometimes known in New Zealand, being more familiar with Manuka (Leptospermum scoparium Forster & Forster), or red tea tree. Both are handsome shrubs widely distributed throughout New Zealand, though the mature kanuka can become a tall spreading tree.  In parts of New Zealand both species are known as manuka, and so you can see my problem. Also back in the day when I first started reviewing New Zealand flora the herbal and medicinal properties of both varieties were thought to be virtually the same [Paul, T. 1987. Nga Taonga O Te Ngahere - Treasures of the Forest. Dept. of Conservation, Wellington, N.Z.].

It has long been known that the steam distilled essential oils from these plants are mainly comprised of monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes [Cooper, R.C., Cambie, R.C. (1991) New Zealand’s Economic Native Plants, Auckland. Oxford University Press].  Early documents record the use of bark, leaves, sap and seed capsules of manuka in beverages and medicinal preparations [Brooker, S.G. et al. (1981) New Zealand Medicinal Plants, 2nd Edition.]. More recently manuka and kanuka oils have been used in perfumes, cosmetics and health care products.  Chemical analyses of commercial manuka and kanuka oils have revealed the existence of a predominant kanuka chemotype and several manuka chemotypes [Newsletter 117].

All of the kanuka oils examined, irrespective of their geographic origin (North Island, South Island, coastal, sub-alpine), exhibited GC-MS profiles which were characterised by the presence of an elevated level of a-pinene (>50%), and lesser levels of a complex series of other monoterpenes and sesquiterpenes, including b-pinene, myrcene, p-cymene, cineole, limonene, linalool, terpinen-4-ol, viridiflorene, ledol, viridiflorol and palustrol.  Many of the minor sesquiterpene components of kanuka appear to correspond with the minor components of Australian tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia Cheel) [Brophy, J.J. et al. (1989) Gas chromatographic quality control of oil of Melalaleuca terpinen-4-ol type. J. Agric. Food Chem. 37: 1330-1335].

Inspired by the success of the Australian Tea Tree industry, a group of New Zealand researchers determined to assess the antimicrobial properties of kanuka and manuka oils in comparison with those of Mealaleuca alternifolia [An investigation into the antimicrobial properties of Manuka and Kanuka oil. 1994. Cawthron Institute, New Zealand.].  Their findings, which to my knowledge have never been replicated, suggest that manuka is twenty times stronger than tea tree or kanuka in its activity against gram positive organisms. For gram negative organisms manuka and kanuka are very similar in activity but overall not as good as tea tree by a factor of two or three times. Results for yeasts and moulds are good but variable depending on organism. In summary, it is opined that the activity of kanuka oil is similar and only slightly lower than tea tree and may have comparable ingredients.

However, quite how all this stacks up with more recent research....Kanuka has little or no measurable antibacterial activity [Harkenthal, M. et al. Comparative study on the in vitro antibacterial activity of Australian tea tree oil, cajuput oil, niaouli oil, manuka oil, kanuka oil and eucalyptus oil. Pharmazie. 1999; 54: 460]....I am not sure, but I am always mindful of the advice of Professor D.F. Merz, a leading essential oil researcher, who always maintained that you had to blend manuka and kanuka together to get the best antibiotic effect. I think that he was probably right, and use the blend much as I would tea tree.  For me, it is a winner on insect bites.

Feline favourite nips nasties!
Known for its stimulating effect on cats, laboratory experiments conducted at Iowa State University indicate that the compounds in the essential oil that gives Catnip (Nepeta cataria L.) its pungent, minty aroma are highly effective mosquito repellents [Peterson, C., Rowley, W., Coats, J. Catnip Essential Oil as a Mosquito Repellent. American Chemical Society’s 222nd National Meeting, 2001, Chicago].

In the experiments, the researchers tested groups of female mosquitoes in a glass tube, one end of which was treated with nepetalactone, a biologically active characteristic constituent of catnip. After 10 minutes in a high dose environment, 80% of the mosquitoes had moved to the untreated side of the tube.  In a low-dose test, 75% of the mosquitoes moved away from the treated area.

Similar tests were conducted with DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide), the compound used in many commercial insect repellents. In those tests, about 10-fold higher concentrations of DEET were required to obtain similar repellency away from the treated side of the tube [Peterson, C., Coats, J. Insect Repellents - Past, Present and Future. Pesticide Outlook 2001; 12(4):154-158.].

Survival of the fittest, or is it something else?
Blessed though our garden is with a fine selection of brightly coloured butterflies - peacocks, tortoiseshells, red admirals and painted ladies - it is always the somewhat drab cabbage white which seems to predominate.  Why?

The European Cabbage butterfly (Pieris rapae) is a widely distributed insect.  A native to Eurasia and North Africa, it was accidentally introduced into Canada about 1860, from where it spread over most of North America.  It also has become established in Bermuda, Australia, Hawaii, and other Pacific Islands.  As a caterpillar it prefers plants of the crucifer and caper families, and it is a common pest on cabbage, Brussel sprouts and cauliflower.

Now researchers in the US [Frank C. Schroeder and Douglas B. Weibel, in collaboration with the group of Professor Thomas Eisner, Cornell University] have discovered the secret of its success: cabbage white caterpillars make their own insect repellent.

Following a study of a number of larval insects, they noted that the greenish-brown caterpillars of the cabbage white have rows of glandular hairs along their bodies, which apparently had never been investigated.  Their product is a clear oily fluid that collects as droplets at the tip of the hairs.

On the assumption that this secretion might be protective and responsible in part for the cabbage white’s extraordinary adaptive fitness, they looked into both the repellency and chemistry of the fluid.  They found the secretion to be potently deterrent to ants, and to consist primarily of a series of unsaturated lipids, which they named mayolenes.

It seems pretty certain that this oily substance is defensive, and could clearly be effective against arthropods other than ants, including such threats as wasps, bees, beetles, spiders, harvestmen, and parasitoids. Smart!

In fact this surprises me not at all because, as a small boy, I was an enthusiastic collector of caterpillars and learned quickly that the hairier the caterpillar, the more exotic the emerging butterfly or moth from the chrysalis might be.  The angry rashes which accompanied my triumphs deterred me little.  The cabbage white was the rare disappointment!

Glandular hairs are a common defensive feature of plants, where they have been shown to be effectively protective against insects.  They are of less frequent occurrence in insects, but the chemistry of the secretion of insectan hairs, to the extent that it is known, can be of interest.  

For example, the pupal hairs of certain coccinellid beetles have been shown to produce, in one species, a series of novel alkaloids (the azamacrolides), and in two others a combinatorial mixture of macrocyclic polyamines. The present discovery of yet another novel group of secondary products from the glandular hairs of an insect suggests that the study of such defensive materials can pay off.  

Helping hands.
Many young couples locally have benefited from the massage techniques of Linda Kimber, the producer of the widely acclaimed video A Practical Guide to Childbirth Massage Techniques.  Mr. F.M.L. Charnock, Consultant Obstetrician at the John Radcliffe Hospital, was moved to comment....This excellent video shows massage techniques which are very well worth pregnant couples seeing, discussing and learning....Their advantages are beautifully explained and shown.

Therefore I was delighted when Linda dropped in to tell me about her new course for massage and aromatherapy practitioners.  For therapists interested in Pregnancy & Childbirth, increased knowledge in this area will certainly be a very positive way for them to prepare a couple as they approach that special but emotionally vulnerable time of pregnancy and childbirth.

This 4 day course has specifically been designed in such a way as to support massage and/or aromatherapy practitioners to feel more confident and become safer when looking after women during pregnancy and possibly childbirth.

The course will also involve learning an established massage programme which supports women and their birthing partners using massage, visualisation and breathing techniques, and is intended to offer therapists an additional skill.

Linda is working with the distinguished Clare Maxwell-Hudson and their first course, held at Clare’s school in London in February/March this year, was a great success. The next 4 day course in London will be 9th/10th October and 9th/10th November. Book now!

Courses are also available in Oxford, and in any other locations on request, with the optimum number of students.  Linda also runs one day workshops for midwives who are interested in learning this programme and want to extend their skills and expertise.

Check out Linda’s website <www.childbirth-massage.fsnet.co.uk>, or e-mail her <linda@childbirth-massage.fsnet.co.uk>.  If you prefer, you can phone/fax her on 01865 372686.

Finally.....A task for Dr. Cream!
Remissly I rarely read the local newspaper, grabbing it from Jan’s hands without a glance to place beneath Birdie or the Blues Brothers [my parrots], and therefore may have missed many similar opportunities.

Have you got the bottle? What bottle? Caroline Short discovers the art of faking it - achieving an all-over luminous glow that would even make Des O’Connor jealous. Really?

Standing in her underwear in the middle of a room, Caroline is sprayed from six inches away with a colourless sugar that reacts with the amino acids in the top layer of skin [so I read] to produce the tanned look.  The spray comes out as a fine mist and smells vaguely of mango. After spraying, she is dried off with a hairdryer. Her skin felt a bit sticky for a few hours afterwards [I’m not surprised!] and she was worried about touching herself in case it rubbed off. Instead, she endured the somewhat grotty feeling for some 15 hours and emerged from the bath [without washing, I must mention] the following morning feeling so much more confident with a deep, rich, tan. Hello Caroline, I didn’t recognise you at first, says a friend, you look brown, been on holiday?  Golly!  Surely Cream can come up with something similar that saves you the cost of a holiday to Spain. 

Meanwhile the sun burns brightly here, but for how long? A “Home-Tan Top-Up Kit” could make some sense!



P.S. A note for the diary.  ANNUAL OPEN DAY. 
Sunday, 15th September, 2002. 

charles@essentiallyoils.com
 

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