FRESH!!!

I was wandering around downtown Victoria, waiting for an appointment..and found a body care shop that looked interesting!  They had some delightful new products……a salt scrub and a sugar scrub…..well, maybe not so new.  We’ve been making our Salt Spring Soapworks saltscrub for almost ten years and the sugar for six or seven.  But hey, the jars were beautiful!  Wish I was a big multi-national and could afford containers like that!

They also cost a LOT more than our scrubs…..over 30% more!  So, time to check the ingredients….let’s see….natural oils….sea salts….natural sugar…pretty good so far….the scents were all 100% pure essential oils…this looks really good…..If I didn’t have a bathroom full of delightful scrubs….I might have bought one.

BUT!  HEY! WAIT!  There were also quite a few things that looked really scary. Like chemicals and preservatives…yes, these jars were preserved enough to last for years!  And apparently, some people keep these kinds of products for years.

Occasionally we get a complaint that our scrubs have gone ‘off’ and don’t smell good anymore.  Sometimes they actually get a bit hard.  We usually ask how long they’ve had it…we will of course take back instantly, anything that isn’t up to our high  standards!  But usually, it turns out the product has been around for awhile….one lady brought back a Cranberry Scrub from Christmas in the middle of summer…well, by now it’s 8 or 9 months old.

A friend once complained to me that her scrub had gone ‘off.’  I asked how long she’d had it and she replied that I’d given it to her for her birthday A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE!!!!  If I don’t love something enough to use it up in 2 or 3 months, or I find it at the back of the bathroom cupboard….out it goes!!!

So……I need to ask!!Would you rather have a completely natural/organic product that’s handmade in small batches…and lasts 2 or 3 months max…..or a wonderful product full of preservatives that will still be hanging in there when you find it under the towels in 2011???  And…do you want to pay $12 more to have all those nice preservatives??

One men’s product made by the other guy…..and with a natural scrub in it…..has seven, 7, yes, SEVEN preservatives!

But for something like the scrubs…or massage oils, or bathbombs….that will last for a few months with none at all…..that we make up FRESH each week…why not skip the convenience of loooonnnnngggg shelf life for a CLEAN, FRESH product!

Let us know what YOU prefer….

Linda Quiring