The essential oils of the AromaCare

For several months we have been talking about essential oils and synergies ; It is time to introduce you to the laboratory, based in Avignon, with which we have developed the mixes that you will find in the capsules AromaCare. Who better to talk about it than the Director general of the Laboratory, Mr. Henry Rosier. Interview directed by Maria, R&D manager at Aroma Therapeutics

Maria : What is the history of the Rose Davenne Laboratory since its creation date ?

Henry : The company was founded in 1994 by Dominique Davenne at the outset to satisfy the demands of quality essential oils for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries because there was a lack in this niche. I arrived in 2003, 14 years ago now. At that time we began to create aromatic compositions to meet the needs of customers to have a “ready-to-use” fragrance.

Maria : And surely more sophisticated than essential oils alone ?

Henry : Absolutely. And with our experience on essential oils and biology, we have developed natural fragrance compositions, and we have never deviated from the natural. We have thus developed associations of essential oils for both biological properties and pleasant scents in the nose. We have developed a lot in that niche.

Maria : For what types of products have you just developed these mixes ?

Henry : We have made mixtures for skin hydration, slimming products, tonic and soothing, but also for biocidal products (insect repellent, anti-lice) and for products against odours (ambience), in short, for all Ranges of the cosmetic, except the contour of the eye which is particularly delicate where the use of essential oils is not recommended.

Maria : You work with several brands then ?

Henry : Quite, we work with a lot of great brands. Twenty years ago, these brands asked us for an essential oil to add to their products now they ask us for sophisticated compositions with or without activity.

Maria : What do you mean by “with or without activity” ?

Henry : With or without biological activity. After essential oils alone, the second part of our activity is the development of active natural compositions. Our active natural fragrance replaces the traditional fragrances of products to bring activity and fragrance into a single addition. And the third part of our activity is to develop natural fragrances without biological activity, just for the purely scented side: for example an amber smell, fruity, white flowers, pink and many others.

Maria : I see among the finished products, a wide range of Marseille soaps with very varied fragrances.

Henry : Yes, we were asked for active compositions to be added in soaps: moisturizers, anti-irritants, healing but also soaps just for the pleasant smell of them.

Maria : Where do you find the producers of all these quality oils, how do you do your “sourcing” ?

Henry : For our organic and conventional essential oils, we work with the whole world ; As well with South Africa, as Canada, China or Indonesia. We go around the world every time ! Our biggest concern is quality raw material ; We refuse a lot of lots that do not conform to our specifications that we have put in place as our years of experience.

Maria : Do you test in your laboratory every batch of essential oil you find ?

Henry : Absolutely. If the sample meets our expectations and our quality criteria, we validate the sample and buy the merchandise, when the merchandise is delivered it is re-checked to ensure that it is the same lot. If it is compliant, it is accepted in the laboratory, it remains in quarantine time of the control then it is put into production.

Maria : You are well equipped then in the laboratory, with all the equipment necessary for your checks ? Henry : We are equipped to do all the physical controls, such as density, refractive index, optical deflection… anything that physically characterizes an essential oil. In addition, we have gas chromatography followed by a mass spectrometer to identify the molecules. When we see spikes that are unknown to us, we suspect a adulteration of the essential oil and the lot is refused. Besides it is not necessary to forget the common sense of an essential oil which is its characteristic smell.

Maria : You compare your results with an existing database of molecules ?

Henry : Yes, always. There are official standards such as the AFNOR standards, the French and European Pharmacopoeia and the internal standards. We also make indices of peroxide that determines the degree of oxidation of the essential oil. Some may be highly oxidized and should not be used.

Maria : So you guarantee total traceability of the sample to the finished product.

Henry : Yes, for every essential oil that comes home, there is a lot number on the manufacturing sheet and we keep our manufacturing record for 10 years. What makes the difference between us and the competition is our quality criteria that our customers appreciate. We meet strict standards and we never deviate from this rule.

Maria : What are the quality standards you apply ?

Henry : We are based on European or French standards, which are the AFNOR standards. When there are no standards imposed, we respect our own quality criteria created internally.

Maria : Do you make your own essential oils ?

Henry : Yes, for eight years now, we have been engaged in a culture program for organic essential oils, of which one is part of us, like the immortal and another part of other producers in the region and elsewhere in France and Spain. We commit to quantities for a multi-year period and then we collect the essential oils as soon as they are extracted since they are produced at the place of cultivation. For our productions on site, we bring a walking alembic that spends a week at home and that does all the distillation.

Maria : Do you have any certifications for your essential oils ?

Henry : We have several certifications : ECOCERT certification for organic products. GMP Pharma and MPUP certification for raw materials for pharmaceutical use. These are certifications granted by the ANSM that comes to control us to see if we comply with the rules established according to good manufacturing practices.

Maria : Do you sell your essential oils directly in pharmacy ?

Henry : Exactly. We do not yet sell unit in pharmacies, because we are not organized for it, but we sell bulk for the masterful preparations.

Maria : How many people work for Rose Davenne ?

Henry : We’re 10 people today.

Maria : And finally, how long have you been working with Aroma Therapeutics ?

Henry : Aroma Therapeutics came to visit us 5 years ago for the development of natural fragrance compositions and for the last two years we have been working on the essential oils synergies of the AromaCare.