SHOP TALK: PATCH WORK

12/28/05

By FRANK NELSON
NEWS-PRESS STAFF WRITER

Local company's products provide on-the-go aromatherapy

Healthwave Inc., a Santa Barbara-based company, has found a way to tap into the growing worldwide demand for aromatherapy -- the power of scent -- without all the usual paraphernalia of oils, massages, candles and so on. The answer is the AROMAPatch.

Wearing patches has become widely accepted by consumers. However, Healthwave's founder, president and chief executive officer, Art Williams, says AROMAPatches are different because they are not a drug, nothing goes through the skin, and there are no side effects.

Instead, each small self-adhesive patch, best worn on the hand, wrist or chest, is primed with a range of essential oils to release a specific smell that lasts for about one day and, clinical trials have shown, can influence the mood and emotions of the wearer.

So far the company has released four patches: a blend of grapefruit, lemon, lime, orange, corn mint, rosemary and lavender for energy; orange, bergamot, clary sage, rose, ylang ylang, chamomile and lavender for stress relief; and chamomile, jasmine, sandalwood, honeysuckle and lavender for sleep therapy. The fourth patch, for dietary management, blends tropical orchid vanilla, coconut and vanilla bean for a sensation that aims to beat cravings, break eating habits and support a healthy long-term weight-loss program.

Mr. Williams, who works out of a home office at East Beach, plans to add an insect-repellent patch based on citronella and a "breathe easy" patch before the summer. Further studies are under way on a patch to help women cope with premenstrual symptoms.

Eventually, Mr. Williams wants to offer about a dozen patches. Healthwave is also working on natural perfume patches that would appeal especially to women who have experienced any sort of adverse reaction to regular perfumes.

The patches, made in Fort Worth, Texas, are primarily available through the company Web site, www.aromapatches.com, though Mr. Williams says consumers will increasingly find them in outlets such as health food stores and spas.

The dietary management patches, which come in boxes of 28 for a month's supply, cost $15.95; boxes each containing 10 of the other patches cost $7.95.

Predicting 2006 sales of slightly more than $1 million, Mr. Williams says the patches have already caught on overseas where the company has distributors in the U.K., Russia and parts of Eastern Europe, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand.

And he says the patches are starting to take off in this country at a time when Americans are becoming more aware of the benefits of natural remedies: "Consumers want to take more control of their own health and wellness issues."

Mr. Williams says using the latest patch technology to deliver the benefits of aromatherapy -- benefits that have been known for thousands of years-- has the potential to "positively enhance people's lives."

e-mail: fnelson@newspress.com

RAFAEL MALDONADO / NEWS-PRESS PHOTOS

Art Williams, the Santa Barbara entrepreneur behind AROMAPatches, says the little adhesive aromatherapy devices can help improve people's quality of life by promoting better sleep, less stress, increased energy or weight control.

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