With the growing awareness of how chemicals are affecting our health and our move towards more organic, wild-crafted and bio-dynamically cultivated botanical ingredients, many of our much loved plants are becoming harvested to the point of extinction.  Our earth’s resources are being plundered, while, unaware,  we are bathing in organic oils and smothering our delicate skins with the latest “organic” miracle oils.

Part of an organic lifestyle is caring for the planet but we also need to be aware that it is our natural resources that are most at risk of becoming endangered, even if we are buying and using them with the best of intentions.

Cosmetic, beauty and skin care should be responsible for keeping their products in line with sustainable environmental concerns, but we don’t live in a perfect world….these things can sometimes slip through the cracks.  We have to take responsibility for keeping ourselves informed.

Being conscious consumers of Aromatherapy essential oils, carrier oils and hydrosols is a bl**** good way to start!  We need to empower ourselves to become increasingly aware of diversity loss & forest depletion, sustainable production policies & indigenous community welfare.

Here’s a low down on the following ingredients (there are heaps more but here’s a start) to be conscious of and research further.  You may find them in your cosmetic products or use them as raw ingredients for your own concoctions – skim through for the ones you use/ are familiar with:

AMYRIS OIL- “West Indian Sandalwood”.  amyris balsamifera L. – predictions that this essential oil will eventually disappear from the market because of over-exploitation of the tree and habitat degradation

AGARWOOD – aquilaria crassna – products are commonly sold as incense products & as essential oil which is used as an ingredient of fine fragrances – One of the reasons for the relative rarity and high cost of agarwood is the depletion of the wild resource

ARGAN OIL – argania spinosa -  is widely promoted by cosmetics companies, who emphasise its high anti-oxidant content, its high unsaturated fats content (via linoleic & oleic acidcontaining glycerides) and its high vitamin E content. It is threatened by animal-grazing, over- collection of wood for fuel, over-collection of drupes (fruits in which the outer fleshy part surrounds a shell, pit or stone), changing agricultural practices replacing argan groves

ARNICA OIL - arnica montana – used for bruising, wounds, aches & pains – critically endangered in Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia and Luxembourg, endangered in Belarus and the Netherlands; vulnerable in Estonia, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal and Romania; and near threatened in Denmark and Norway

CEDARWOOD ATLAS cedrus atlantica CEDAR, CYPRESS Cedrus brevifolia CEDARWOOD HIMALAYAN Cedrus deodara CEDARWOOD KENYAN Juniperus procera are all on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2009

FRANKINCENSE - “olibanum” – boswellia carteri - a gum found in the bark of various Burseraceae trees, a family of trees that constitutes some 25 species of shrubs or small trees found in the dry tropical areas of Arabia, N.E. Africa and India.  Chemotypes from Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and the Yemen are under threat

The widely used PINE, SCOTCH pinus silvestris is threatened

RAVENSARA r. anisata - my favourite oils for the respiratory system – the species from Madagascar is under threat due to destructive harvesting of bark for production of essential oil from stem-bark

ROSEWOOD aniba rosaeaodora – used in fragrance for its slightly spicy, floral and sweet smell, balancing action effect on the mind and body and skin care -  is a widely known example of unethically traded commodities from threatened species in recent years, but continue to be used by many leading fragrance houses.  The chief importer of Rosewood oil is the US, followed by Switzerland, France & other EC countries. Many books and articles ask you to boycott this oil

SANDALWOOD, (SW) AUSTRALIAN Santalum spicatum is much reduced in the wild through exploitation, as is SANDALWOOD, EAST AFRICAN Osyris lanceolata and SANDALWOOD EAST INDIAN Santalum album

This is not a name and shame exercise so companies are not mentioned (the consumer is king remember, we create change with our purse) but an exercise to raise awareness that even natural and organic products can come with a cost to the environment..and our conscience. Researching the ingredients of your products, although time-consuming is the only way to ensure the health and well-being of you and your family as well as the cost of your consumption on the planet

I have researched all the above through Cropwatch an independent Watchdog for Natural Aromatic Products used in the Aroma, traditional herbal medicine and phytochemical industries.

If you know of any of the above to be incorrect, you have other great sources or have any questions, I would love to hear from you!

Go forth and be conscious!