We headed to Mesa Arizona last month for the United States
Lavender Conference (USLC) in Mesa AZ with my husband. This was the 3rd
conference put on by the newly founded United States Lavender Growers Association (of which I am a founding member by the way). We had three tracks
of speakers; for beginning growers, experienced growers and for people who may
or may not grow, but do use lavender. Lavender is used extensively in
aromatherapy, cooking and in skin care products as well as for crafts and
availability of US grown lavender is growing.
Lavender can help with stress, anxiety and promoting sleep. These are important applications because
trouble in any one of these areas can lead to a host of other health
problems. Our keynote speaker, Nancy
Baggett just released her cookbook, “Cooking with Lavender” which you can
actually purchase in our store in Longmont now.
During the conference there was much focus on a common
pathogen that is affecting lavender in our country now, Phytophthora. The goal
is to stop the spread by controlling it at the source; small plants that are
purchased for field planting. We learned about making products with lavender,
cooking with lavender and more. We
learned about marketing our products from one of my mentors, Indie Business Network owner, Donna Marie
Johnson.
I gave a talk on cosmetic regulations for people who are
making skin care products with lavender; “Your Product Smells Great, but is it
Compliant?” Maybe not the most stimulating topic there is, but one that indeed
makers need to know about. Here is a brief overview:
Even though we know lavender is wonderful and a valuable
contribution to skin care, the FDA requires that we make no claims, either for
aromatherapy benefits or skin care benefits. Doing so categorizes lavender as a drug and
that is not approved by the FDA.
A cosmetic label has several requirements;
it must contain the name and use of
the product
it must contain the weight of the
product
it must contain the company name
and contact information
it must contain the ingredients of
the product.
I also addressed how to make a safe cosmetic, the use of
preservatives and antioxidants (they are not the same thing) and good
manufacturing practices.
Some of the best moments of the conference were the
unscheduled moments when we learn from each other, by talking and networking. There was a pre-conference farm tour as well
as a farm dinner that we did not make. It would have been interesting to see
farms in such a different climate than ours.
And then of course there was hiking in the Superstition
Mountains. You can read about that on our other blog here.
