Question from Clare
This may be too late to be of help to the person who asked this question back in 2007, but it might help others who are still wondering about Bon Ami. I too have noticed, in the past 3 – 4 years, an odor coming from Bon Ami; it seemed to be a chemical/perfumy smell (I am chemically sensitive, so this was quite disturbing), so I checked the ingredients and went on the website to see if anything had changed – but there was no indication of any change in contents.
I did finally discover the source of the smell. It’s from perfume chemicals(specifically, from the detergent aisle where it’s usually located) in whatever store the Bon Ami is sold in; the very active molecules of the chemical perfumes are absorbed quite readily through the paper seal on top of the canister and then into the powder; it may even get through the cardboard that the canister is made of, but the absorption through the top is more than enough to contaminate the product. I’ve found this problem in nearly every grocery store that I’ve shopped in, even health food stores (from scented candles & soaps). The fragrance chemicals are absorbed and/or coat everything that’s in the same space, including produce (so much for buying organic!)
My solution is to purchase as much as I can from online or order in bulk; I’ve recently found Bon Ami for $1.17 each, or $13.99 for 12, from Ace Hardware, although it remains to be seen (or rather, smelled!) whether or not it is odor-free.
Hope this helps someone!
