Nicotine in Tabarome?

Um, not likely. If you get any kind of rush I'm sure its a psychosymatic association with smoking. Even if the tobacco notes in tabarome are actually derived from real tobacco, the idea that the same process that extracts the nice aroma also grabs the nicotine is unlikely. And even then, there really isn't much nicotine in "proper" tobacco. Modern cigarette tobacco is a far cry from the stuff of cigars.

I say enjoy your associations, but don't let it tempt you into smoking again. Although, smoking the occational cigar is really not the worst vice one can have - especially if your cigar smoking is in pursuit of genuine connoisseurship rather than a habitual crutch.

I love Caron's Tabac Blond extrait, but don't wear it much as it makes me crave a cigarette quite badly. I don't expect it is due to nicoteine being absorbed into my skin by any means though.

The Tabarome duo should then come with the surgeon general's warning !

I don't know anything about nicotine, but I'll agree that there is something very stimulating about Tabarome Millesime. I don't wear it often, because though I like it, there's something weird about it that makes me afraid to wear it in public. Whenever I do spray some on, I get this feeling like I'm going slightly hyperactive. My breathing becomes more shallow and I get fidgety.

This is one scent that I don't know when to wear. To me, it strikes me as neither formal nor casual. Really a baffling scent. Maybe I'll wear it to work tonight.

I have noticed that the tobacco note in New Tabarome is different from the one used in the vintage. I am not well versed with the various kinds of tobacco leaves, cigs and cigars, but I do notice that the tobacco note in new Tabarome smells more "raw" and is strangely appealing especially when infused with the ginger and citrus notes.

Perhaps someone here can further comment on the tobacco ingredients used in the two Tabaromes and perfumery in general.

I would have to guess that this may be possible. Perhaps Creed has "enfleuraged" leaf tobacco for Tabarome Milliseme? If so, it would be interesting to learn what type of tobacco, from where, at what stage in the plant's growth it is used, what components are extracted, etc.

Regardless, nicotine is readily absorbed through the skin, though peak achievable blood concentrations are lower than with smoking. At small blood concentrations nicotine acts as a stimulant, while at higher concentrations it (nicotine) then has relaxative effects; pretty much the same as for ethanol.

Jeff

I've smoked a lot of Cubans and worn a lot of both Tabaromes. I think you could drink several ounces of each and have little if any detectable nicotine in your system.The prominent ginger in New Tabarome has a warm, stimulating effect on the skin which could be mistaken for a nicotine rush. The ginger also gives the tobacco the fresh, raw smell, whereas Vintage Tabarome is much drier, leathery. Vintage Tabarome contains green tea but I can't see that being all that stimulating. Many ingedients can cause a stimulating feel on the skin, many florals can. The only floral I know of in Vintage Tabarome is iris, but I know there must be something else. The green tea and pepper could be causing the feeling.

Although cigar tobacco contains a good deal of nicotine, it's generally far less stumulating than that of cigarettes. I smoke neither anymore but when I did and wanted a nicotine buzz, I smoked cigarettes, chewed some Levi Garrett, dipped some Copenhagen etc. Copenhagen's like speed - pure nicotine. Was never addicted to any of it. Got tired of inhaling smoke into my mouth and lungs, or having raw tobacco my mouth.

Watch out for those reactions, that actually means you're sensitive/allergic to something in the fragrance. Changes in breathing are the number one warning flag for fragrance allergy. I'd recommend not wearing it anymore or the symptoms would probably get worse over time.

That said, as far as I know the nicotine has been extracted out of all the tobacco oils used in perfumery. There shouldn't be any in there.

Does this listing indicate that theres some nicotine in this tobacco absolute from Bulgaria ?

http://www.bpg.bg/bulgarianrose/esse...8af6ee6dd885e7

Some more information from osMoz:

http://www.osmoz.com/encyclo/matiere...NGUE=en&ID=139

It seems that if a high concentration of tobacco absolute is used, it can bump up the naturally occurring nicotine content.

My guess would be that the ginger has more to do with it than nicotine. Nicotine is a very deadly poison (the LD/50 is something like 45 or 50 mg/kg). I know that real ginger ale (the spicy kind that is actually ginger ale, not the schweppes crap) can make me feel the way you are describing.

NIcotine is one of those things that I doubt would just be in something without being labelled as such. It would be like putting epinephrine or something in a fragrance- it doesn't add anything to the smell, but it carries a hefty health risk.


I'll have to add another vote for the 'psychosomatic' camp, or provisionally to the allergy camp.


-b

The Tobacco absolutes I have come across were all labeled nicotine free, and I think it's common for the use in perfumery. I can't imagine bigger companies would use it with nicotine, but why not ask them directly? I can imagine that the mere scent of tobacco is already very inviting to an ex smoker.

The tobacco used by Creed comes from Virginia, which is known to us smokers as having the highest nicotine content in the world.

Actually, since the tobacco leaf and flower (Creed uses both) are macerated by hand and infused in ethanol (in this case distilled from sugar beets, so pretty pure stuff) it is possible that some residual nicotine does make it's way through to one's skin if it is a) applied over areas of skin where veins are close enough to the surface and b) the wearer applies quite a bit. It doesn't take much nicotine to affect humans; it's actually a potent neurotoxin, an an eyedropper full of pure nicotine will likely be enough to kill a horse.

CJ

Shirley Jackson wrote "The Lottery" which generated more mail for a short story appearing in the New Yorker than any other. The mail also wasn't all positve. She wrote "The Haunting of Hill House" which is a wonderful novella and has been ada[ted for screen more time than well... that's what IMDB is for.

she also wrote:

"They say if you soak a cigarette in water overnight the water will be almost pure nicotine by morning, and deadly poisonous. You can put it in coffee and it won't taste".
Shirley Jackson

it doesn't surprise me that Virginia has the highest potency tobacco, they also grow another very high potency plant.

Would a fragrance containing nicotine not have to contain a health warning?

This thread may prompt me to fire up my mass spectrometer and have a look-see (I'm a research analytical chemist). I have a reference standard of nicotine, so it should be a fairly straightforward analysis. BTW, the average fatal dose for nicotine in humans is estimated to be 30-60 mg, which is much lower than the 45-40 mg/kg LD50 quoted above. That value is the LD50 in rat, which can differ considerably from the human LD50. Fortunately, one doesn't easily run across pure nicotine. In my lab, we handle it in a Class A fume hood with double nitrile gloves.
All that said, I agree with Dante - it would seem that a nicotine containing consumer product would be regulated in some way. But on the other hand, look what can be sold under the blanket category of "food supplement."

In my opinion, Snafoo, fredericktoo, and Dante are all correct. Sanfoo's spectrometer might actually be useful in this case, if any chemist could figure out how many parts-per-million of nicotine soluble in ethanol could harm a human; personally, I not only think this would be a fascinating study of immense use for the cosmetics industry, but also really cool to know, because I love Tabarome.

But when looking at regulations for what has to be labelled, I think it has a great deal to do with what is being marketted (i.e., something applied to the skin as opposed to something being inhaled or ingested) as well as where it is being produced. Here in the U.S. they pay much more attention to things you eat, drink, or smoke than they do perfume; in fact, nowadays they consider pretty much anything "organic" to be healthy over here, although most toxins are "organic." Hell, I've got hemlock, mandrake, and mistletoe growing wild in the woods behind my residence here in a Washington D.C. suburb.

I suppose the best answer would have to come from either a chemist (in a perfect world it would be our friend and fellow-Basenoter Snafoo) or Olivier Creed himself. Either way, I'm still going to wear the stuff, but now I'm curious as to why I (an occasional smoker)love Tabarome and my wife (a rabid non-smoker) does not.

not unless Congress (USA) mandated it. It wasn't the cigarette company's idea to put warnings, stop advertising on Television etc.

They did think of covering the side of a 10 story building with an unobstructed view for 20 blocks south with a giant pack of Newports though.

The most commonly used "real" tobacco in fragrances is tobacco absolute or concrete, which is the dark syrup resulting from either tincturing or steam distilling tobacco leaves in alcohol and then removing the alcohol from it under vacuum. It is very plausible that this could contain nicotine! Nicotine is water insoluble and alcohol soluble organic compound, so think about adding an alcohol dissolved tincture of tobacco leaf back to an alcohol based perfume!

Today's marketers of the raw materials that go into perfumes actually sell a "nicotine free tobacco blonde absolute," leading me to believe that the nicotine could have been a problem. Also, consider that ex-smokers' nicotine receptors are presensitized to the effect. Never underestimate what is possible.

Sorry, Hirsch; I never followed up with the mass spec analysis I was hoping to perform. I'm now in another group and no longer have access to a mass spec (for extra-curricular activities at least). Perhaps someday the mystery will be revealed...

The new Tabarome contains tobacco from Virginia while the old Tabarome contains tobacco from Havana. The soil would account for the different scent. Hope this helps.