The “JOY” of All-Natural Perfumes: Much More Than Just Smelling Good!
Ever wondered why the original “JOY” by Jean Patou was named as the “Scent of the Century”? To start with, it’s a quintessential floral perfume containing two of the most expensive floral essences, Rose and Jasmine, among others including Michelia, Tuberose and Ylang-Ylang. Specifically, 1 oz (30 mL) bottle of “JOY” contained the most expensive floral essences of 10,000 jasmine flowers and 28 dozen roses, contributing to its reputation as "The World's Costliest Perfume”. It was launched in 1930 with a price tag of $40 for 1 oz bottle, and it was an instant hit despite its high price, especially considering the depressed economic environment that followed the Great wall Street Crash in 1929.
And there may lie the main reason why this floral gem saw such an unprecedented success in such challenging time- it just may have helped some, those who could afford it, to overcome the Great Depression during 1930s! By shear virtue of containing all-natural floral essences, it may have had imparted such potential mental and emotional therapeutic benefits in addition to possessing the exquisite fragrant characteristics. Indeed, natural products are known to possess such wonderful therapeutic activities; more than 50% of the approved drugs are natural products or their derivatives, while only less than 30% therapeutics originating from synthetic, combinatorial chemistry efforts. This may be attributed to co-evolution of natural products in synergy with their molecular targets in biological systems, most importantly in humans. Therefore, natural perfumes may not only make you smell good naturally, but also be beneficial at a much deeper level, acting on several molecular targets in our body.
Now the real question is- can we pinpoint the chemicals that impart the characteristic smell to, say Rose or Sandalwood, and synthesize them in the lab? This is especially important in case of Indian Sandalwood, which has been mercilessly overharvested for its divine fragrance oil and is now a protected species. The answer is yes, but with a catch! For example, alpha- and beta-santalol, two organic compounds that give sandalwood oil it’s characteristic fragrance, are now successfully produced through fermentation process. It should be noted, however, that the steam distilled oil from Sandalwood contains hundreds of other constituents, some at very low concentration, which add depth and complexity to the true sandalwood aroma. This is also true in case of all other natural essences including Pure Rose and Jasmine oils used in Kusumina Perfumes, that are obtained by painstakingly careful steam distillation of millions of Rose blossoms and Jasmine flowers. These complex natural mixtures, as opposed to individual synthetic mimics, may be the real reason behind why natural perfumes offer much more than just an impressive olfactory experience. They may unlock the real center of joy that you didn’t even realize until now existed in your own body.
Specifically, pure Rose and Jasmine oils are known to refresh the soul and uplift the spirit! They have calming, relaxing and ecstatic effects that may effectively counteract general depression and anxiety feelings. They are also very seductive and aphrodisiac in nature. By their inherent calming nature, they may help in promoting restful sleep. Moreover, pure Indian Sandalwood and Vetiver oils possess heavenly healing characteristics providing balance and calm. In fact, Sandalwood has been used worldwide for centuries in meditation and other religious rituals for its blissfully divine, grounding effects. In addition, both Sandalwood and Vetiver are proven to enhance the mood, reduce the stress and effectively eliminating the nervous tension. The list of benefits provided by different natural essences is limitless.
To summarize, all-natural perfumes may prove to be excellent effective stressbusters and mood enhancers, which are much-needed remedies for the mental, emotional, sleep and sexual health challenges associated with our modern lifestyle. This is in stark contrast to those gorgeous bottles of synthetic perfumes from the big names (won’t be mentioned here!) that contain man-made chemicals directly linked to headaches, migraines, brain fog, asthma, allergies, dermatitis, and eczema. It is noteworthy here that sensory science is yet to unravel the key to matching up odor molecules to the roughly 400 odor receptors in the human nose, and how those matches relate to people perceiving the smells. Thus, your nose may not be able to completely discern a natural perfume from a synthetic one, but your body will certainly react to the two in completely different ways.
Therefore, the choice is clear! It’s time to switch out your old toxic perfume (no matter how great the “brand” is) and accept these kind gifts from Mother Nature in their magnificent, complexly pure forms! You are bound to fall in love with the natural perfumes, which are perfect alternatives to synthetic, “big-smelling” perfumes that announce (rather scream!) themselves when you walk in a room. You don’t need to mask your skin with synthetics but let the natural perfumes provide an individualized experience to you, both at the physical as well as emotional levels. So, go ahead…be one with the Nature!