Interview with Laurie Denelebongard, Head of quality at Florame

Interview with Laurie Denelebongard, Quality Manager Florame.

Hello Laurie, You are the Head of Quality Laboratories Florame, what path led you to make this vital function?

“A scientific training first. And lots of practice. I am Chemical Engineer Environmentalist, I obtained a Diploma of Technological Research (DRT bac + 6) after a scientific baccalaureate and technical courses. I acquired my skills during 16 years of professional experience in various laboratories, Provence and elsewhere … and I’m even more specialized in aromatic materials in laboratories Florame. ”

What are the requirements you have to manage every day?

“Requirements, you have adopted the right term. Essential oils and cosmetics must meet numerous standards for my service allows marketing: Compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices set by the course law, AFNOR standards, organic certification … but also respecting the specific quality standards that Florame implemented for almost twenty-five years! ”

Given the number of machines in your lab, it is clear that your analysis is not limited to control the naked eye. But what are the investigations which you perform on Florame products?

“You know, naked guard its usefulness eye! As the nose and finger in the organoleptic control to which we proceed systematically. Scentless chamomile should be nicely bluish, Ylang must keep his scent so characteristic citrus a certain viscosity … ”

You mean the machine does not replace human experience?

“It’s just that, nothing can replace human perception whether his senses or experience. But that does not mean that I would separate me happy my two chromatographs and all my other devices. Moreover, the quality of the land to the bottle remains a story of women and men working in the same direction. ”

Concretely, what do you look inside of essential oils?

“My quality control laboratory carries out several analyzes that will help to break down all of the chemical composition of each essential oil sample: with these methods, I can almost identify every molecule and determine what is the proportion. I then compared with what I find what I seek. We seek each time the ideal oil … so many candidates and few winners! ”

You make it sounds like traps exist?

” Of course. And there are many pitfalls: pesticides, heavy metal traces, fraud, comparing with the competition, you really see everything! Including deceptive and dangerous things. ”

Is the scientific analysis the only way to protect themselves?

“Scientific analysis is absolutely ESSENTIAL. Even if all laboratories do not always remember …. Fortunately, we know our fields and our producers, which enables many anticipate and build trusting relationships that often last for decades. ”

You want to say that confidence can sometimes overcome the quality control?

“No nothing overcomes quality control. NOTHING. And the quality is far Florame enable blind trust: our role is to check. Even when everything seems to be perfect. This is our mission. It must be remembered that our products are used by therapists demanding integrated into drugs and even in the daily diet. ”

Apart from fraud or negligence, what blocking issues might you encounter?

“We use all the activities of laboratories Florame natural raw materials, moreover certified organic. This means that they are derived from living and they sometimes have a short life cycle that should be particularly monitored. A vegetable oil, an essential oil or hydrosol are much more “live” products that saturated products parabens, mineral oils and texture agents. ”

But the biological effectiveness at a price is not it?

” Yes. Work with beautiful materials requires constant and rigorous work. In my domain. It is sometimes challenging but I’m closer to the product. Literally as figuratively! “.

Interview by Mireille Miconnet, editor at Florame and passionate for over 20 years by essential oils.