What is a Natural Fragrance?

natural fragrances: essential oils vs. fragrance oils
Look closely at your label; does it contain "fragrance" or essential oils? What's the difference anyway?

Many cosmetic products contain fragrance oils or perfumes, which can irritate sensitive skin and noses. Fragrance oils are synthetic chemicals formulated to make an odor. Fragrance oils can also contain phthalates. There have been various studies showing toxicity of these plastic compounds, and other studies claiming the concentration used is not harmful to humans (*as it has only been proven in high dose exposure through animal testing.) You can read more about it here. Along with being prone to allergens, fragrance oils do not carry any aromatherapy or healing benefits, and exist in formulations purely for scenting purposes.

Natural fragrances come from essential oils, fruit and plant essences. Essential oils contain a plethora of aromatherapy and health benefits. They have been used in various medicinal practices, such as homeopathy, since the beginning of time. A terrific resource to begin learning more about health benefits and aromatherapy is an essential oil encyclopedia. This one by Julia Lawless is great to get started with due to the beautiful color illustrations accompanying the info. Many are familiar with lavender essential oil and its mellowing effects, but there are numerous other essential oils that carry health and aromatherapy benefits from healing wounds to revitalizing the skin to calming an upset stomach.

The Grapeseed Co. uses only natural fragrances and is know for their signature scents: blends of botanically derived fruit and plant oils with added aromatherapy benefits. The Grapeseed Co. shop has been set up so that you can not only shop by the product you're looking for, but also by our signature essential oil blends. Each page set up by blends explains the properties and aromatherapy benefits for the scent. Check it out

*The Grapeseed Co. is cruelty free PETA certified; we test our organic products on willing and eager humans and do not support animal testing

Bring Beauty to Your Day

"The echoes of beauty you've seen transpire, Resound through dying coals of a campfire."

~ Ernest Hemingway

Green Skincare: Fresh From Your Kitchen

Strawberry Kiwi Exfoliating Mask

1 ripe kiwi
2 medium sized ripe strawberries, or 3 small
1 T sour cream

makes enough for you and a friend, or save remainder in fridge for up to 1 week

Directions:
peel kiwi fruit, cut in quarters
remove stems from strawberries, cut in half
puree all ingredients

Application:
Apply to clean face with upward circular motions.
Leave on face 10-15 min
warm clean hands under faucet and rub into face to enhance exfoliating properties while splashing with warm water to remove
follow with Grapeseed Organic Skincare chamomile & grapefruit moisturizer and/or rose & grape serum

What it Does:
Strawberries and kiwis are chock full of vitamin C and contain round seeds that gently exfoliate the skin, naturally. Sour cream contains a naturally occurring alpha-hydroxy acid from lactic acid in the cream that exfoliates and renews the cellular surface of the skin, while brightening and toning.

Related posts:
The Grapeseed Co. brings you easy Fresh From Your Kitchen DIY spa treatments you can create with a trip to the grocer or health food store. Check out past features:
super silky bedtime bath salts
cold care
cool cucumber under eye mask
lemon ginger revitalizing bath
breakout busters
parsley facial steam

Grape Seeds: A Truly Green Choice

We are often asked, "How did you ever decide to launch a skin care line centered around a single ingredient?"

The answer comes down to 3 basic principles that define truly GREEN choices:
recycling, health benefits and local resources

RECYCLING
The Grapeseed Company's bath & body products feature the finest quality expeller-pressed grape seed oil, a natural byproduct of the wine making process. Grape seeds are normally thrown away by wine makers after they crush grapes to make wine. Our red grape seeds are recycled from the wineries, then pressed into an oil to create skin care products.

HEALTH BENEFITS
This ecologically sound oil is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and resveratrol. Grape seeds help fight free radical damage, the signs of aging, and heal skin exposed to natural elements. Grape seeds are rich in polyphenols, which have been linked to cancer prevention and anti-aging treatments in medical research. Applied topically, grape seed oil is known for its light, nutrient rich composition; an ideal choice for all skin types.

LOCAL RESOURCES
Santa Barbara, California is our home base, business, creative inspiration, love & life. Santa Barbara inspired The Grapeseed Co.'s innovative bath, body and skin care lines using resources grown in our own local wine region. By using locally based ingredients, we are saving on carbon emissions from transport, supporting local growers and producing a unique, earth friendly product to feed your skin.

Deeply rooted in eco-friendly choices, The Grapeseed Co. was founded on the desire to create natural bath, body and skin care using local resources. We make green choices in every aspect of business, from ingredient selection, to formulation, manufacturing and operations.

What's in Your Lip Balm?

As the saying goes, you are what you eat!

Petroleum is the active ingredient in many drugstore "name brand" lip balms. It’s estimated that the average woman consumes over 1 pound of lip product per year, by eating, drinking and licking her lips. One study even claimed 4-6 pounds of lip product per year, but unless you're Paris Hilton, I can't fathom it's that excessive! Do you really want to be ingesting a petroleum based lip balm? There are many natural alternatives that make it possible to soothe, condition and heal chapped lips without harsh ingredients.

When looking for a natural lip balm, it’s important to select one with quality ingredients. The first question to ponder is, “Would I eat that?” Many natural carrier oils, also referred to as vegetable oils or base oils, are derived from fruits and plants, such as avocado, coconut or grape seed. Carrier oils have different grades, so it’s important to educate yourself on the differences between food grade, expeller-pressed, organic and solvent extracted carrier oils. Solvent extracting is a process that requires the use of chemical solvents to remove the oil from the plant or fruit. Even some food grade oils are solvent extracted, so look carefully into what types of oils the manufacturer uses. If you are seeking the most natural choice, expeller-pressed and organic oils are the purest form.

Flavor and fragrance come from two different sources in natural balms, either essential oils which are naturally steam distilled from plants, or synthetic flavor oils. For safety precautions, essential oils should not exceed 0.3% of the total formulation in lip balms. Flavor oils can be used safely up to 1% of the formulation. Most flavor oils are not natural, but are a very small percentage of the formula and provide more flavor options than essential oils. So if you see a mango or pina colada natural lip balm, chances are it's made with a flavor oil. Since it's probably only 1% of the formulation, this may not concern most folks, but is something to be aware of since many natural balms do contain synthetic flavors.

Ironically, while researching this topic for an article I'm writing, I received a phone call from my sister-in-law. She was frustrated by a need it now lip balm she purchased in desperate need of soothing her chapped lips. April is a die hard eco-warrior who will only shop and surround herself with the greenest of the green. She bought this balm from a well known "natural store", only to find out upon closer examination of the label... it contained petroleum.

Read your label, what's in your lip balm?

The Grapeseed Co. uses only expeller-pressed and organic carrier oils in ALL of our products. They cost a bit more, but in our opinion, it's worth it! It's what our brand stands for. Our lip balms contain only pure essential oils. I do not want to eat chemicals, and I don't want our customers to either. You can learn more about our truly natural lip balms here

Dirty Dog Organics Love

Emily at GCD Spa just posted a fabulous review on Dirty Dog Organics pet care products. Emily gave Dirty Dog products as gifts over the holidays. Here's what a gift recipient had to say:
"Between baths we find that a small spray of Fur Freshener, combed through her coat, keeps her smelling sweet enough to sleep on our bed at night."
This dog looks like a real character, check her out here sporting a stylish boa and sunglasses! Glad to hear we're not the only folks sharing our bed with a sweet smelling pooch!
Dirty Dog Organics Fur Freshener was also featured in the LA Splash Gift Guide for Pets under $20. These gifts are listed by price, so scroll down to check out Dirty Dog Organics, a terrific value starting at just $5!

Does your dog have DO? That's Doggy Odor, folks! Pamper your pooch with Dirty Dog Organics botanical shampoo, fur freshener and gifts sets made with organic ingredients and fresh, calming essential oils.