In Pictures: Making scents at a Quebec lab
Lotus Aroma is facing competition from ersatz products, co-founders say
Essential oils relieve the stresses of everyday life while sharpening mental alertness and enhancing the body’s healing processes. So says Jean Colas, the co-owner of Lotus Aroma, a plant-based aroma brand based in Quebec. Here he sprays a Lotus Aroma “ambiance mist” at a manufacturing facility for Dermolab Pharma Ltd. in Sainte-Julie, near Montreal.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
Dermolab employee Melanie Noguera works at the manufacturing facility. Lotus Aroma, Dermolab’s primary brand, offers home fragrances, massage oils, body washes and face care products, and it has been around since 1991.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
To stand out in an increasingly crowded market has become difficult, though. Lotus Aroma says its products are 100 per cent vegan, GMO-free and contain very little water – if any at all – compared with most other brands. It’s an important point. Many essential oils, Mr. Colas says, are contaminated by the addition of water and other fillers to increase their volume.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
Robert P. Boisvert, company president, left, and Jean Colas talk in their showroom. Some competitors also sell manufactured oils masquerading as natural. “The bad news is that the questionable nature of these essential oils can only be uncovered through lab analysis. Worse, not only is their therapeutic effect non-existent, but they can also be toxic,” Mr. Colas says.Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail
These ersatz oils are giving Mr. Colas a headache. His Lotus Aroma products, he says, are “up against low-cost imitations sold as natural products by several green-washing brands” in a market “often plagued by a total lack of integrity.”Christinne Muschi/The Globe and Mail