What is going on, an update.
Thank you all for your kind feedback on my products in the past years!
For Nina’s Nature it has been a difficult winter.
Now, with the spring sun peeking in, I’m ready to draw conclusions and to share them with you.
I – or anyone else making or selling cosmetic products within the EU – am not allowed to sell my products before they’ve gone through various laboratory tests (EU legislation).
The tests are expensive and I’ve had trouble in finding the right ‘match’ in order to get them done. I started with local companies, looked abroad, cut down the collection (to reduce costs of the tests) and searched the options of universities and organisations. I got a lot of turn-downs, because “the perfumes are too complex”.
At last I had found a possible match, a freelance toxicologist, who might be the one to help me lift Nina’s Nature back on track again – I was so excited!
But then I encountered this blog article. To summarize: natural perfumery is endangered by this law. Because 1-3% of the EU-residents have ever had, or might get an allergic reaction from some of the essential oils used in natural perfumery, many essential oils would be severely restricted. The law will be made even more strict in the future, and it looks like this trend is going to continue.
To make things more absurd, “the data used to determine the allergen potential of these molecules is scientifically and statistically unsound“.
I have been angry, frustrated, and am VERY angry still.
This adventure in legislation-land has opened my eyes to how politics can be lobby-driven, illogical and absurd.
Natural ingredients – we’re talking plants here – have been in use for food and medicine throughout human history, and they have been used for cosmetics and perfumery for thousands of years.
And now suddenly we should all buy man-made synthetic stuff, just because it fills the pockets of the hotshot at the top of the ladder? No thank you.
So, I’m not allowed to sell my perfumes, because I won’t invest all my savings into lab tests, with an uncertain outcome of the law-developments in the future (and I would probably have to compromise the 100% natural-promise at some point in the future – that would go against the very founding principles of Nina’s Nature) – it doesn’t seem like a good plan to me.
Sadness. It’s my creation I’m letting go of, built from scratch and it bloomed. Unfair.
What comes next?
I have an idea of the direction I want to go in, but am not yet clear about the route. The transition will probably be a bit of a rough ride, but it’s going to be an adventurous journey!
Thank you all for your kind feedback on my products in the past years!
Gratitude
Thank you, dear customers, for having been a customer of Nina’s Nature!! Without you there would have been no business, and you have been so very inspiring – a true joy to communicate and develop new things together!
And thank you, friends and colleagues, for being helpful and supportive in this difficult time.
I was determined to leave no stone unturned in the search for a good way out, with my perfumes. But sometimes even the most stubborn ones (i.e. me) awaken to the realization that perhaps I can spend my time, energy and money better.
In hoping for a beautiful adventure.
Nina
Update January 2017
Greetings from the other side! Life is good again – very good.
I found myself in what I call now “a white void”. A vast empty space, at a new beginning, with a soul-whisper to look within and follow the directions of my Heart.
Practically, this meant taking an online herbal course, studying energy on a meridian-level (5 elements) and on spiritual level (shamanism), and learning Ayurvedic massage.
I’m communicating with Life around me telepathically, tending to my gardens and living at a slower pace – which suits me very well.
When creating food and medicine, I’m doing deep listening first and then get to work.
I’m spiritual but not a saint. I too have my bad days, grumpy days, tired days and sad days. But the core value stays steady like the direction on a compass, and it’s always there to find when I remember to look.
Thank you for reading!
Simperi 
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