Organic Pharmacy Organic Glam Fragrances

by Tom

First off, can I write how horrified I am by what’s happening in Japan?  Living in a place where that can easily happen I’d like to suggest that we all do the
following: donate $10 to the Red Cross (easy as texting REDCROSS to Give $10: Text REDCROSS to 90999 {in Canada: 30333}), then make sure that you have emergency kits stocked in your home and plans for an emergency in place for you family.  You might not live in earthquake country (although there are faults in the midwest and northeast) but there are fires, floods, hurricanes or even bad winter storms that can affect us all.  A good emergency plan is a great thing to have.

 

Now..

 

I was strolling down Beverly Hills version of Main Street, Beverly Drive a while ago (Rodeo gets all the press and the Tom Ford boutiques while Beverly has our deli Nate ‘n Al’s and restaurants and shops that people can actually afford) and decided to stop into the West Coast store of The Organic Pharmacy.  I’d never been in; they feature skin care that’s, well, organic and some homeopathic items as well.  They also have a new line of scents that are pretty great.

 

They are as follows:

 

Citron: almost a misnomer, since while it does have a lovely citrus opening it almost immediately goes to a lovely orange blossom.  The drydown has a hint of patchouli and just enough neroli to keep the blossoms blossoming.  It’s a white linen sheath over tanned skin kind of scent, the kind I adore even if I’m more of a white cotton t-shirt over white 50SPF slathered whiteness kind of guy.

 

Jasmine: not a misnomer.  A sheer jasmine that open with citrus and ends with sandalwood.  They list Ylang Ylang and celery seeds in the middle notes.  There is a very light fruitiness and bit of green in there that could be these, and frankly I’m kind of glad they aren’t more pronounced, since it would stamp all over that blameless young jasmine, which would be a very bad thing indeed.

 

Oriental Blossom: Oriental in the way that they used to use Myrna Loy in her youth as an Asian.  Sort of Oriental Lite, but that’s no bad thing.  It’s got the citrussy opening, the spices at the middle and the oakmoss at the end.  A girl who thinks that Opium should be applied with a lavish hand will curl her persimmon-colored lips into a derisive sneer.  Those of us who might have been trapped in an elevator in summer with said girl would beg her to give this office-friendly one a try.

 

Oud: I know, who isn’t doing oud now?  It’s like everyone woke up one morning and decided that oud was the new fruity floral.  This one sort of does to the Montale model what Oriental Blossom does to the Opium one: dials it back from 11 to ranges that won’t frighten the horses.  Because as much as I like Oud Cuir Arabie, it’s a bit much for church.  If I went.  It’s more of a third date, seal the deal kind of scent.  This one mixes in just the right amount of sage, pepper, woods and spices to make it the oud for the rest of the day.

 

My only issue?  Price.  These are $220 for 100ML.  Granted, they are 100ML and the bottle is gorgeous; heavy art deco glass ones that are quality pieces.  I wish they came in smaller sizes.  But $200 is the new $50, right?  They’re available at the store in Beverly Hills and I assume at the two New York stores the company lists on their website. http://www.theorganicpharmacy.com/

 

photo:  Red Cross Japan – wikimedia commons/some rights reserved

  • March says:

    I was loving this until we got to the price! :((

  • maggiecat says:

    Thanks for the reminder – I’ve been meaning to do this and getting distracted at work. My son was stationed in Japan until a couple of months ago, and while I’m selfishly glad he’s stateside, my heart just breaks for all of those poor people.

    If anyone finds out more about how to sample these lovely-sounding-but-too-expensive-to-take-a-chance-on-buying-unsniffed scents, let us all know, ok?

  • Tom says:

    Thanks! I was afraid that the reference was too old..

    • Musette says:

      Uh, no….for some of us :”> it’s what we were raised on (she was my parents’ gen but those were the early movies we were weaned on).

      My brother just moved back from Japan a few years ago – he remembers being impressed by the emergency drills. I’m a big believer in disaster preparedness but a quick poll of my friends and neighbors (both here and in the City) suggests that I’m in the minority. I wonder if that’s the norm?

      xo >-)

  • Shelley says:

    Appreciate the reminder about the Red Cross, which has proven itself time and again in times of need across the globe, and has been/will be on the ground in Japan throughout. I’m also looking at the Rotary Shelter Box program, and Doctors Without Borders, two other established groups who have been well vetted.

    Can I express how much I enjoyed “in that they used to use Myrna Loy in her youth as an Asian”? Of course, most “oriental” scents fall prey to some amount of myth and construction, but I totally got what you meant. (Wonder what that makes my Oriental Lounge?)

  • Ann says:

    Nice post, Tom, and thanks for the reminder about the Red Cross. We all want to do something but it’s important to go through reliable agencies like these to make sure our dollars really go to help those in need. Our consumer advocates here are warning about charity scammers and the like taking advantage of people’s desire to give.
    BTW, these scents sound wonderful — is there any way/outlet for sampling them somehow? Thanks!

    • Tom says:

      There is a special place in Hell for charity scammers.

      I think if you call the boutiques they might ships samples. Or suggest that they just sell sample packs..

  • Maureen says:

    Thanks for your opening, it would not be possible this week to behave as though it isn’t happening.
    Could you pass on a comment- I found it incredibly hard to read your lovely post due to a moving advertisment right next to it. i know the site has to earn a living but it is horrible. I did find that by clicking on to the comments box that got rid of it but hardly the point!!

  • nozknoz says:

    Also feeling very sad for the Japanese, Tom. Thanks for the info on donations. Had an interesting training session on disaster preparedness recently: also very important to have one’s “go bag” ready and even more so to download key docs and info needed to access bank accounts, etc. onto a thumb drive.

    Equally important to seize the day and stroll down Beverly Drive or one’s local equivalent and sniff the frags while one can. The bottles of these scents do look nice!

    • tmp00 says:

      nozknoz-

      That’s a good point! Most local copy places now have Xerox machines that can email of one doesn’t have a home scanner.

      But yes indeed, seize the day, stroll down your street and sniff away. Have a nosh. Do it with your friends. Life’s short. Live it.