THE UPDATE
from
DOWN UNDER
August 2023
G’day mate,
Welcome to our August newsletter for 2023!
Australian flora and fauna are disproportionately unique from the rest of the world. The isolation of these plants and animals for over 40 million years has led to their distinctive characteristics.
Much like our marsupials and their identical placental mammal counterparts, some plants in Australia have also developed parallel traits to what is found elsewhere in the world.
This month we bring you the citrus scents from Down Under, each with a unique “twist” in fragrance and function:
Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citridora)
Lemon Scented Tea Tree (Leptospermum petersonii)
Lemon Scented Iron Bark (Eucalyptus staigeriana)
These natural, citrusy oils embrace unique characteristics; many formulators and fragrance specialists are now incorporating these Australian botanicals into their beauty, personal care, and home care products. Formulators are loving that these botanicals offer exotic and long last citrus scents and possess significant functional properties.
On the Regulatory front, rapidly evolving industry and government regulations across the globe are proving challenging for brands and manufacturers alike. With all these changes, now is the time to work closely with trusted suppliers; cooperation can be more beneficial than ever. Shaun Russell, the founder of the B Corp Beauty Coalition often cites an African proverb, “If you want to go fast, go alone. But if you want to go far, go together”.
Read on to learn more:
• Supply chain sustainability declarations
Enjoy!
Phil Prather
FEATURED PRODUCT
Citrus – Aussie Style
In the world of fragrance, citrus scents such as orange, mandarin, lemon, and lime are perfect for invoking summer and sunshine. These zesty fragrances yield a refreshing and uplifting consumer experience throughout the year.
While the scent of citrus can be found in many essential oils, Australian natives offer unique notes, with long-lasting functional benefits.
Fade Away Freshness
Despite their popularity, citrus-derived essential oils are generally not fixative in function. Common citrus peel oils, like lime or grapefruit, contain 60 - 95% limonene, with a quick evaporation rate. While limonene gives citrus peel oil a bright and sweet citrus aroma, the application of citrus peel oils is limited to the top notes in a perfume composition.
Aussie “Citrus” Staying Power
The advantage of Australian lemon-scented essential oils is their longevity. The high citral components in these oils tend to have a much longer-lasting scent than natural citrus oils, especially in skincare and perfumery.
Longer Lasting – A Consumer Priority
With the cost-of-living escalating world-wide, brands are rapidly flexing to meet consumer demand for "Long-lasting", now the 4th most popular beauty and personal care claim, up a whopping 17% in the last 12 months (Mintel, August 2023). The biggest jump of any product claim!
Mintel, August 2023
In addition, consumers are willing to pay more for longer-lasting products, interpreting this as better quality, according to Deloitte research (2022).
Significant opportunities exist for brands to prove their value and quality, with 48% of adults believing that expensive fragrances last longer than cheap fragrances (Mintel, 2019).
Lemon Myrtle
Let's start with Lemon Myrtle (Backhousia citriodora), the highest natural source of citral, and often given the descriptor, “More Lemon than Lemon”.
The scent of Lemon Myrtle is fresh, zesty, and uplifting from its high citral content, with a hint of citronella, and a complex and multifaceted undertone that energizes you. It blends well with other citrus top notes like orange, jasmine, lime as well as heart notes like Eucalyptus, Pine, and Rosemary.
Lemon Myrtle is known to have strong antifungal and antibacterial properties, making it also popular in natural cleaning products. The oil is is purported to offer insect repellent properties and has been used in perfumes and aromatherapy for decades. The high citral content of this oil also makes it a natural antioxidant, aiding in the fight against free radicals and protecting against skin damage. The main constituent of Lemon Myrtle is citral ≥85.
Lemon Myrtle offers excellent antimicrobial properties. Oranges dipped for 120 sec in a Lemon Myrtle solution showed less fungal wastage as compared to the control (Mohammad et al., 2022). A study by Lim et al. published in 2003 demonstrated that 1% Lemon Myrtle Oil inhibited fungi, yeast, and bacterial growth similar to Phenoxyethanol (PE). Research is presently being undertaken to evaluate Lemon Myrtle as a natural preservative with antimicrobial functionality exceeding PE.
LEARN MORE IN OUR BLOG: Lemon Myrtle: An Alternative to Paraben-Based Preservatives?
Lemon Scented Tea Tree
Lemon Scented Tea Tree (Leptospermum petersonii) is another native Australian plant, distinct from the ever-popular Australian Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia).
A fresh citrusy essential oil, Lemon Scented Tea Tree opens with sweet fresh citrus notes, and slowly transitions into fatty and herbal undertones. This aromatic citrus profile cues cleanliness and, at the same time, refreshes your senses. This gentle scent can mask the sharp camphor-like smell of Tea Tree Oil, making it more universally appreciated for use in skincare products.
The oil has strong anti-microbial properties, is particularly useful for treating fungal infections, and has demonstrated efficacy in clinical trials as an insect repellent. Via air vaporization, Lemon Scented Tea Tree Oil can inhibit fungal colonies within 30 mins (Hood et al., 2010). The effectiveness of this Essential Oil has been demonstrated in clinical trials comparable with major antifungal drugs such as micafungin, caspofungin, and voriconazole (Hood et al., 2010).
Click the button to request a sample and formulating tips with Lemon Scented Tea Tree Oil.
Lemon Iron Bark Eucalyptus
The last, but certainly not the least, lemon-scented Essential Oil to review is Lemon Iron Bark (Eucalyptus staigeriana).
This oil has a sweeter open note and less pungent lemon scent compared to Lemon Myrtle and Lemon Scented Tea Tree, with a soft floral finish. It also has powerful antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties, making it useful in skin care products and natural cleaning.
Lemon Iron Bark has a very unique, natural blend of citrals, linalool, and eucalyptol. The natural complexity of this oil is what gives is such unique citrus fixative properties.
Lemon Myrtle, Lemon Scented Tea Tree, and Lemon Scented Iron Bark offer excellent applications in personal care, home care, and perfumery.
These unique “citrus” botanicals are part of Down Under’s broad range of exciting Australian natives. To experience the full range of fragrance options available, DOWNLOAD OUR PERFUMERY BROCHURE.
IN THE NEWS
IFRA 51st Amendment
On 30 June 2023, the International Fragrance Association (IFRA) announced the 51st Amendment to the Standards.
The IFRA 51st amendment has significant implications for formulators as there are newly introduced restrictions and updates to existing compounds based on dermal sensitization, systemic toxicity, genotoxicity, and other potential risks.
Our customers will be pleased to know that Down Under’s Essential Oils range was generally unaffected by this 51st Amendment. Of the 32 new restriction standards for dermal sensitization and system toxicity, only one component, Citronellyl acetate, requires us to amend the restriction percentage in a couple of our oils.
For revised restriction standards based on dermal sensitization and system toxicity, only 2 components are present in any of our entire range of products, Eugenol and Geraniol, but do not affect the upper limits of the use of these oils in finished products.
Taking our “Citrus – Aussie style” range of oils as an example, although Citronellyl acetate is present in Lemon Scented Tea Tree and Geraniol can be found in Lemon Iron Bark Eucalyptus and Lemon Myrtle, only a few categories were involved with less than 0.01% changes of the upper limit in finished products.
Click the links to request our IFRA Certificate and/or Allergen Statement for Lemon Myrtle Oil, Lemon Scented Tea Tree Oil, and Lemon Iron Bark Eucalyptus.
| IFRA 51st Amendment Impact on Select Australian Essential Oils |
||||
| Category 3 Products applied to the face/body using fingertips |
Category 9 Products with body and hand exposure primarily rinse off |
Category 10A Household care excluding aerosol products |
Category10B Household aerosol/spray products |
|
|
Changed from 0.13% to 0.12% |
||||
|
Changed from 1.34% to 1.33% |
Changed from 1.34% to 1.33% |
Changed from 4.68% to 4.66% |
||
|
Eucalyptus Lemon Iron Bark |
No Change |
|||
Some category definitions were also changed or clarified, mainly for home care products, like fabric softeners, pillow sprays, and reed diffusers.
Compliance timelines for the 51st Amendment are based upon the official date of “Notification”, being 30 August 2023. Specific deadlines are based on new versus existing formulations, and whether the formulation contains restricted, specified, and/or prohibited compounds. The table below provides a general overview of these timelines.
| IFRA Standards | NEW CREATIONS Standards enter into force |
EXISTING CREATIONS Standards enter into force |
|
Prohibited compounds |
2 months after the date of Notification |
13 months after the date of Notification |
|
Restricted or Specified compounds |
9 months after the date of Notification |
13 months after the date of Notification |
Next Step
With this 51st Amendment, the clock is ticking to comply within the timeframe. Down Under Enterprises has our updated IFRA Certificates available for each of our products. Don't hesitate to Contact Us or your local Down Under sales representative to assist you in this process. Our Quality team is always at the ready to share our 22+ years of experience working with these unique Australian Essential Oils and botanicals.
New Formulations
Working closely with a knowledgeable essential oil grower/producer like Down Under Enterprises can be beneficial for formulators and your regulatory staff. We provide information on the safety profiles of our essential oils and we are able to help your team make informed decisions about ingredient selection. Explore our interactive, online PRODUCT APPLICATIONS tool to get inspiration for your next product formulation.
Input the key functional, aromatic, or other attributes desired for your formulation and our system will “shortlist” a selection of ingredients which fit that bill. You will then be able to download this listing with their associated technical information in a custom-designed report. Our sales team is then at the ready to support you with any other documentation as well as any sample requirements. Try it out!
TRACEABILITY
Mandatory Supplier Declarations on Sustainability
Regulatory initiatives are underway for mandatory supply chain declarations. The European Union and Australia in particular are implementing humanitarian and sustainability reporting aligned with annual financial reporting standards. These moves will likely lead other countries to follow suit, especially for large-scale multinationals. As early as July 2024, companies in some jurisdictions with revenues in excess of USD500M will be obligated to declare their supply chain sustainability compliance.
European Union
Large companies in the European Union will soon be obliged to actively search for and diminish human rights violations and environmental harm within their supply chains. This new law applies to EU businesses and extends its reach to foreign companies, including those headquartered in North America, which are operating in the EU market.
On June 1, 2023, the European Union parliament voted by a majority in favor of tightening the EU supply chain law. The new EU law obligates companies to carefully manage the social and environmental impacts throughout their supply chain, including their business operations, and it goes far beyond existing legislation at a national level.
Companies operating in the EU with 250 or more employees and an annual turnover of more than €40 million (USD$44.5 million) worldwide will be subject to the law, with transition periods of up to five years, based on EU revenue thresholds. Approximately 13,000 EU companies, including well-known names like L'Oréal, Unilever, and Beiersdorf, and a further 4,000 companies based outside of Europe are expected to be affected.
Small and medium-sized enterprises are not directly affected by the law (at this time) but, as suppliers of larger affected companies, will likely feel the impact as well.
The European Parliament is expected to vote on its formal position later in 2023; then legislative negotiations can begin, a final version that would likely start to be rolled out in phases from around 2030.
Australia
On 27 June 2023, the Australian Treasury released a public consultation paper outlining the proposed implementation of mandatory climate-related disclosures in Australia. The current proposal would require climate-related disclosures for all entities required to prepare annual reports under the Corporations Act beginning as early as 1 July 2024. It is also proposed that these disclosures be formally audited.
Companies must ensure legal compliance with these new regulations, not only for themselves and their subsidiaries, but also for their suppliers along their entire value chain, i.e., all activities related to the production of goods or the provision of services. Effectively this means responsibility for upstream and downstream business relationships.
All Down Under Enterprises products are fully traceable from our farm to your facility.
CONTACT US to speak to your Down Under sales representative to discuss your specific traceability compliance requirements.
SUSTAINABILITY
We are very proud to now be part of the B Corp Beauty Coalition!
The B Corp Beauty Coalition, formed in 2022 by 26 leading B Corps in the beauty industry to work together to improve industry Sustainability standards. In just over a year, the B Beauty Coalition now consists of 70+ members eager to collaborate on improving the global beauty industry for good.
Moving forward, we would love to help more companies make informed decisions in raw material ingredient sourcing and logistics. and share the best practice from our experience, and collectively be the change of the beauty industry.
Subscribe to our Newsletter for more updates.
THE EVIDENCE
Lemon Myrtle Oil – Clinical Efficacy
A recent journal published in the scientific journal Molecules (July 2022 issue) extensively reviewed Lemon Myrtle Oil (Lim et al. 2022).
The research identified 21 compounds in the Essential Oil and found Lemon Myrtle Oil exhibited strong antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria (specifically Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis) as compared with Streptomycin with the minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) value of 6.25 μL/mL. This study also highlighted the potential antioxidant property of Lemon Myrtle with possible application in pharmaceutical and other industries.
Effects of Lemon Myrtle Essential Oil as compared to streptomycin on the eradication of pre-formed biofilms of S. aureus, S. epidermidis, E. coli, and K. pneumoniae, expressed as biofilm eradication (%) at (A) 0.5× MIC, (B) 1.0× MIC, and (C) 2.0× MIC. (Lim et al., 2022)
To learn more, read our blog LEMON MYRTLE, STRONGER THAN ANTIBIOTICS?
EMPLOYEE'S PROFILE
Introduction of Nikki
This month, the spotlight goes to Nikki, our CFO who joined us in May 2023.
What did you do before joining the team at Down Under?
My previous workplace was a hospitality tech startup company, where I was the Global Head of Finance. The Sydney based start-up offered hospitality patrons the opportunity to order and pay at the table using a mobile phone app. The company had operations across Australia, New Zealand, the UK and America.
What attracted you to the natural products industry?
I was attracted to the role at Down Under due to the innovative nature of the business; being a forward thinker in the sustainability space. The importance of this subject cannot be understated and being part of a business that is a thought leader for the global industry is inspiring.
What is it about Down Under that motivated you?
I love that everyone at Down Under is really passionate about the company, our sustainable practices and processes, and our products.
What do you love most about what you do?
I enjoy working in companies where every day is different and there is an opportunity to make a difference.
What’s your favorite way to spend the weekend?
I love spending time outdoors, so enjoying a bike ride, hike or coastal walk with my dog and husband, mixed with good food, wine and company would be the perfect weekend!
