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Saturday, August 2, 2008

Weird Product Alert: Play-Doh Is Not For Lovers!

When I was at Whole Foods last night with S I spied this perfume on the shelf with all their other Demeter Fragrances. I couldn't believe it.

"Play-Doh?? Yuck!" I said as I sprayed it all over myself. The Demeter version seemed slightly more almond-y than Play-Doh but all the familiar Play-Doh scent components were there.

I went to find S who was browsing in another part of the store and thrust my wrist out for him to smell. He wrinkled his nose and pushed my arm away.

But...I can't stop thinking about it. It was soothing and I found it amusing. With small kids around the smell of Play-Doh is always in the air...or it would be if I allowed it into the house. The boys eat too many of their art supplies for me to think Play-Doh is a good idea.

But we were recently at a friend's house and the boys grabbed an kneaded the "doh" immediately. It is a classic childhood favorite. And I will at some point let them play with it.

I am such a scent-oriented person. Smells instantly transport me back to another time and place regardless of how long it's been since I was physically there.

I didn't buy the chocolate discs (there just wasn't enough of them in the package to justify the price, I felt like I would have to buy two packages to make one batch of cookies and I just couldn't do it) so I still have my gift card. I will be there in about a week and a half so if I'm still thinking about it, I may just treat myself.

I know I said I had already found my summer fragrance but unfortunately as much as I love everything about that one, it doesn't seem to wear well on me. I find myself catching little whiffs and wondering what it is, but not in a good way.

Ok, I just went and grabbed the shirt I was wearing last night to see if there was any of the perfume lingering on it...there is and it smells even better today. Am I losing my mind??? Does this mean I spend entirely too much time with three year olds? Yes, my sweet boys will be three in less than SIX DAYS!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Play-Doh!

(From the Demeter website:)

Demeter has bottled that fresh, just-out-of-the-can, “eau de PLAY-DOH” aroma as part of a year-long celebration of the beloved modeling compound’s 50th birthday. The 1-ounce, spray bottle fragrance is meant for ‘highly-creative people, who seek a whimsical scent reminiscent of their childhood.’

“One of PLAY-DOH compound’s most notable characteristics is its scent,” said Leigh Anne Cappello, vice president of marketing for the PLAY-DOH brand. “When you open a can of PLAY-DOH compound, you are instantly transported back to childhood. What better way to celebrate the 50th birthday than by bottling the scent for adults everywhere to enjoy as a reminder of their youth.”

PLAY-DOH® brand modeling compound was invented in 1956 at Rainbow Crafts, a Cincinnati-based cleaning company. Scientists there were trying to develop wallpaper cleaner when they discovered the now iconic children’s toy. Realizing the compound’s play potential, the company introduced it at the American International Toy Fair in New York City in 1956. PLAY-DOH compound was first available only in one color and size, an off-white, 1.5 pound can. Now, a half a century later, kids can explore their imaginations and express their creativity with up to 50 colors. The formula for PLAY-DOH compound still remains a closely-guarded secret to this day.

Are Demeter Products “Natural”?

We subscribe to a philosophy that says our products should be as natural and as sustainable as possible. That means:

  • No secondary packaging that you rip apart and then throw out
  • No artificial colors
  • No binders
  • No emulsifiers

Regarding essential oils, the percentage varies by scent between natural and artificial ingredients, with a bias towards using the highest degree of natural ingredients possible. For certain things, however, like Vinyl, for example, no natural ingredients are even available. Our experience is that the binders, emulsifiers, and colorants seem to lead to far more negative reactions than the oils themselves. We believe this is for two reasons (but please, this is our unsubstantiated opinion, not proven scientific fact):

  • The “palette” of materials we use to make a fragrance is very much tried and tested. Most of those that are prone to create allergic or negative reactions have already been screened out, or exist in such small amounts, they are not highly reactive
  • With over 200 different scent formulations, we very rarely hear of negative reactions. The common factor among all our different scents is in what they lack – the colorants, emulsifiers, and binders. Consequently, we draw the conclusion that those are the culprits.

None, of which, unfortunately, guarantees you, as an individual, will not have a reaction to a particular scent.