Over 70% of Australian women believe they have ‘sensitive’ skin. But what does that really mean? In most cases it may not be our skin but a normal reaction to the daily onslaught of chemical laden beauty products.

Perhaps the biggest chemical culprit is “synthetic fragrance” (usually only listed as parfum or fragrance on your label with little else to guide you). Even if essential oils are listed on the label synthetic fragrances may still be used to hold the fragrance. If in doubt a good guide is that if it says 'perfum' or 'fragrance' it probably includes synthetic fragrances.

Of course it might seem logical to simply choose products that are “fragrance free” but this is where it appears we have all been somewhat duped. Think about it! How many substances really don’t have a smell at all? In fact the number of chemicals that have to be used so that ingredients DON'T smell may mean ‘fragrance- free' products are no better than their synthetically fragranced counter parts. Shockingly when we swap ‘fragranced’ for ‘un-fragranced’ we may be simply swapping one list of irritating chemicals for another.

So why don't more products use essential oils? The answer is simple. It’s hard! It turns out that the plants once distilled are as fragile as in nature. How long does a picked flower last out of water? Well essential oils are the same. Exposed to light, heat, or air they can wilt and fade. Top notes (which are the pretty sensual ones) are typically the most volatile.

But nature also provides the answers. Some essential oils are their own natural stabilizers which when blended with more fragile oils help them to hold their note. So at Pod when we worked out how to keep essential oils (even precious absolutes) stable without adding chemicals we knew we had to use ALL that nature had to offer.

What’s more POD has sourced these essential oils from boutique producers who are beginning to distil some of Australia’s great unknown flora. Look out for Australian oils in our products including Australian Sandalwood, Manuka, Mimosa, Fragonia, Blue Cypress, which are gaining a world class reputation. 

Finally even people with sensitive skin can enjoy the sensuality that comes with smelling truly delicious! Enjoy!