Nut Free News
We are very happy to announce that, finally, in a phased introduction, we will be taking out the Almond Oil in our Massage Wax and replacing it with premium grade Grapeseed Oil, to go along with the Olive Oil, and we will be completely nut free! When you read this, the factory will be nut free in all respects and in all products.
You will see that the pot in your hand is nut free by this little symbol on the labelling, and the fact that the product will have a new, greener look to it, as opposed to yellow/beige, as the grade of grapeseed oil we are using is a subtle shade of green, not yellow. But do be sure that you are seeing the nut free symbol on the tub, as nut free will be phased in as the old stock runs out.
This means that:
You have no need to worry about nut oil in any of the blends that we produce.
There is no nut oil being used in the factory.
If you have been buying the Vegan version because it is nut free, you can now buy either version - Vegan/plantwax or Beeswax, as they are now both now nut free. Do remember that Vegan/plantwax and Beeswax massage waxes perform slightly differently.
Why are we making the change?
Firstly, we have been asked numerous times to make all of our products, in particular the Massage Waxes, nut free. This has now been actioned.
Secondly, as you may have seen in the media, Olive Oil has become unsustainable and unstable in price due to quite a few factors, which aren’t easily solvable in the short term, so we will be reducing our percentages of Olive Oil in the formulas, or in some cases, switching to Grapeseed. You will have seen many press reports about the insane price of Olive Oil and its volatility. This has been caused by disease and climate related droughts in Spain and Italy, and Turkey closing exports, but is also due to politics and global turmoil.
We were left with a choice of either upping the price of our products considerably, which we really didn’t want to do, or finding another solution. After many months of planning and testing oils, we decided to use Grapeseed EP9 (Pure), and not cosmetic grade in our products, alongside the Olive Oil in some blends, and to take out Almond Oil completely to make us nut free.
What is Grapeseed oil?
Grapeseed oil is a natural by-product of the wine and grape juice industry and is derived from the seeds of the grapes after the liquid has been extracted.
The grapeseed we are using (EP9) is a different grade of oil to the one commonly used in cosmetics and the massage world, which is generally the cosmetic grade. Cosmetic grade grapeseed oil (BP73) is a mix of oils and reconstituted acids, whereas the EP9 variety is pure grapeseed oil, and fits in with the company policy of 100% natural ingredients, which cosmetic grade does not. This works well as an oil in our Massage Waxes, Reflexology Waxes, Balms and Liquiwaxes, and the minor differences are:
- The products will have a spectrum of colour from yellowish to greenish. Depending on the percentage of Olive Oil/Grapeseed Oil in the mix and the variations in the batches from the orchards and vineyards, the green will be more, or less noticeable.
- It has a very slightly drier finish on the skin.
- At the plateau stage of the massage, it tightens a little more than the Olive Oil after a period of working on the plateau. If you are working deeply, it will be beneficial to the final parts of the massage. If you are working more lightly, a tiny re-application will bring up the slide ratio again.
- Finally, and very importantly, it allows us to keep prices stable and not increase them. Grapeseed is much more stable in price than Olive Oil.
The price of Olive Oil has increased massively, and it is likely to continue to be high for a long time. Even with the rain this year in Spain, the drought has not been broken in Olive Oil producing areas such as Andalucia. The pathogen Xlyella fastidiosa is continuing it's decimation of Olive groves in Italy, especially in areas such as Puglia, and continues to put pressure on prices.
These are some of the advantages of using EP9 Grapeseed Oil:
- It has a higher content of Vitamin E than Olive, which is very good for the skin.
- It is a sustainable by-product of the wine industry.
- It is similar to Olive Oil in many respects
- It gives a good grip at the plateau stage of the massage
- It leaves a dry rather than oily finish on the skin
- It’s not a blend like the cosmetic grade, it is 100% pure grapeseed.
Understanding the Olive oil price increase:
If you are interested in furthur reading on this subject, below are some articles we found useful in our research.
BBC - https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20231218-why-olive-oil-prices-are-soaring-and-what-to-do-about-it
BBC - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52234561
GLOBAL NEWS - https://globalnews.ca/news/10392203/olive-oil-price-expensive
NATURE - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41477-022-01339-z
MDPI- https://www.mdpi.com/2673-4931/26/1/69
THE GUARDIAN post - https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/apr/24/plant-apocalypse-how-deadly-imported-diseases-are-destroying-eu-trees-and-crops-aoe
JSTOR DAILY - https://daily.jstor.org/the-a-to-x-of-olive-quick-decline-syndrome/
OLIVE OIL TIMES - https://www.oliveoiltimes.com/business/europe/xylella-may-not-be-responsible-for-olive-tree-devastation-in-puglia-study-finds/129501
SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN - https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/olive-oil-prices-surge-as-persistent-drought-ravages-mediterranean-groves/