Beware of the ‘smell this perfume’ scam
September 11, 2001 | 12:00am
A concerned consumer, Louie Reyes of Mitsubishi Corp., has sent this frantic note of warning via e-mail to all her friends so that they will likewise pass it on to their friends, who can pass it along to their friends (and the chain goes on). Luckily, it found its way into our computer. Louie writes:
I was approached yesterday afternoon, at around 3:30 p.m. at the Megamall parking lot by two males and a lady who asked me what kind of perfume I was wearing. They then asked if I would like to sample some fabulous scent they were willing to sell me at a very reasonable price. I probably would have agreed had I not received an e-mail some weeks ago warning of a "wanna smell this neat perfume" scam.
The men continued to stand between parked cars, I guess waiting for someone else to hit on. I stopped a lady going towards them, pointed at them and told her about how I was sent an e-mail at work about someone walking up to you at the malls or in parking lots, and asking you to sniff some perfume that they’re selling at a cheap price. THIS IS NOT PERFUME – IT IS ETHER!
When you sniff it, you will pass out. And then they’ll take your wallet, your valuables, and heaven knows what else.
If it were not for this e-mail, I probably would have sniffed this "perfume." But thanks to the thoughtfulness of an e-mailing friend, I was spared of whatever might have happened to me. Now, I want to do the same for you. Pass this along to all your women friends, and please be alert and aware!
Danger may be just a smell away.
Beauty and the best: A rejoinder |
Dear Consumerline:
I read your article Beauty and the Best Consumer Products for You (28 Aug.) with interest. I thought that you might have included some commentary on squalene, which has been called "skin food." I’d like to contribute some information that may help those interested in nurturing good skin.
Squalene is a lipid in the skin as well as other parts of the human anatomy. It plays a very important role as an emollient and a lubricant for the human body. It is secreted by the sebaceous gland and works like a natural cream, keeping the skin from getting dry and protecting it from external irritants. The skin contains about 11-17% of the body’s squalene content. This amount of squalene in the skin decreases with age: In males, from 11% in teenage to 5% in adulthood; in females, the amount is more and peaks around the age of 20. As the skin loses squalene, it also loses elasticity, luster and beauty. (It should be apparent here that a young woman hardly needs makeup.)
True, cosmetics may give the appearance of beautiful skin, but only fleetingly, because when the makeup is removed, the skin underneath is the same deteriorating skin. The cosmetic product only provides a mask; it does not do what a good cosmetic should: protect the skin from external stimulation and replenish its nutritional needs.
What cosmetic product then should a woman use to nurture her skin? Obviously, it is one that will replenish what the skin loses because of the slowing down of its metabolism. In other words, one that replenishes squalene. The key question therefore is: Are the cosmetic products I am using able to enhance my skin’s squalene?
The book The Miracle of Squalene states that the more expensive cosmetic products contain squalene, which has osmotic, activational, metabolic, and germicidal functions.
Squalene is found in many vegetable and meat products, among the notable ones being olive oil, cod liver oil and corn oil. Of these, olive oil contains the most – about 6855 micrograms per gram of oil. But more than any other source, shark liver oil contains the highest concentration of squalene. Vis-a-vis olive oil, shark liver oil contains over a hundred times more squalene per unit measure. But only the deep-sea-dwelling sharks contain squalene in their liver. Of these, it is notably the dogfish shark, which lives 500-1000 m or more on the sea bed, that contains the largest amount of squalene.
May I emphasize that squalene is primarily a food supplement whose amazing benefits have been realized by users. A local book entitled The Precious Oil of the Deep-Sea Shark – A Gift to Ailing Mankind by Conrado Venzon gives anecdotal information from sufferers of almost a hundred different ailments.
Thanks and more power to you!
– Manuel P. Navarro
Greenview, Las Piñas
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