Short bonus episode of the Green Beauty Conversations podcast (host: Lorraine Danymeyer, chartered environmentalist, biologist, CEO of Formula Botanica). Lorraine responds to an interview with Dr. Sally Goldstone on the environmental footprint of essential oils, endorses the view that essential oils should be used sparingly due to large ecological footprints, recommends alternatives (hydrosols, carrier oils), and urges working with organic/ethical suppliers. She issues two listener challenges: (1) rethink and reduce personal and formulation use of essential oils; (2) prioritize ethical, organic suppliers even if more expensive. Closing includes community/course links and a subscribe request.
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I've just finished recording an episode with Dr. Sally Goldstone of Shalik on the sustainability of essential oils and by the time this recording goes live, you'll already have listened to that interview with Sally in your favorite podcast app. So I really enjoyed my discussion with Sally and I know that our conversation will have ruffled some feathers. So I wanted to jump on quickly record this super short bonus episode and set out my thoughts on on the way that we can sustainably work with essential oils and also set you a challenge to help us help you change the Green Beauty sector Hi, it's Lorraine Darmeyer, chartered environmentalist, biologist and the CEO of award winning online organic cosmetic formulation school Formula Botanica. I host the Green Beauty Conversations podcast and these are my green beauty opinions in which I share my takeaways from the podcast interview we released last week, which I hope you've listened to. In this short episode I put forward my main thoughts on the topic we last discussed, as well as setting you a challenge to make the green beauty sector a better place. So my main takeaways from the interview with Sally is that I think she's right. Essential oils are beautiful, ethereal ingredients that deserve due reverence and need to be used sparingly. But unfortunately, as you will probably know as well, the Internet has gone mad for essential oils. Everyone seems to be selling them and claiming to be an expert on how to use these very potent chemical compounds, which I have to say is a real worrying development. Now, I'm not an aromatherapist, but I have met many of them over the years who are rightly concerned about this trend to use essential oils in every part of our lives, and I think that sits at the heart of this sustainability issue. Now I also agree with Sally that essential oils have a large footprint for a very small output, which is why they should be used sparingly. And yes, there are plenty of other wonderful botanical ingredients that contain chemical compounds that can have similar effects on the skin or create exquisite fragrances as well. Think of the hydrosols. Think of the carrier oils that so many of the people in our community already use. I'd say that arguably the formulators already in our Formula Botanica community are aware of this. I also regularly get sent fragrance free formulations or formulations that contain complementary fragrances from those carrier oils from those hydrosols. But my favorite point of all of our discussion was this idea of us all working with ethical and organic suppliers. Now we've partnered with a couple of such suppliers in our daily teaching work at Formula Botanica and they're running amazing projects that support communities and regenerate industries and are also doing the right thing by the environment. So my challenge to you for this week is twofold. Firstly, I challenge you to rethink how you're using essential oils in your life. And that doesn't just mean in your formulations if you are a formulator. It could also mean how you're using them in room diffusers or home remedies or any other part of your life. How could you potentially cut down on your own personal use and use them sparingly? Now, we're not going to phase out essential oils out of our life for good, but that doesn't mean that we can't use them more sparingly and treat them with more reverence. Secondly, my other challenge to you is that I encourage you to work with organic, ethical suppliers wherever you can. You may have to pay more, as Sally rightly pointed out in our interview as well, but that should be something we're all on board with if it means creating a sustainable industry that protects the habitats affected by agriculture and the communities around those projects. So that is my challenge to you. We're in this together. Don't forget that the global green beauty sector is a movement of inspiring and passionate individuals. And the thing I love most of all about our communities is the way that everyone supports each other. So I hope you'll work with me to keep moving things forward. Thank you for listening to my green beauty opinions. Remember to visit the Formula botanica website@formulabotanica.com to try our free online formulation course. And if you haven't subscribed yet to the Green Beauty Conversations podcast, please make sure you do so in your favorite podcast app. And I'll be back soon with my next episode.
