Entrepreneurs Develop Perfume to Benefit Cancer Patients and Survivors

Breast cancer impacts a woman and her family in many ways.  In addition to radical and expensive medical treatments, these families are often faced with the need for support – emotional and financial – that goes beyond clinical considerations.

To meet these needs, Lori Boyd, owner of Body 360, teamed up with Kristie Melnick, a microbiologist, to create Not My Own perfume. 

Melnick, president of Cytolutions, located in the TechColumbus incubator, developed the Not My Own fragrance.  Melnick, a microbiologist has spent most of her career in medical device development and nanotechnology designed for earlier detection of cancerous diseases, as well as therapeutic alternatives for those in late stage disease progression. With the development of Not My Own, Melnick has taken yet another step in serving breast cancer patients. 

She developed the fragrance using citrus, lavender, cedar and jasmine and then tested versions on breast cancer patients – a critical step as those undergoing treatment are often highly sensitive to smells. 

Once Boyd and Melnick found the winning combination, they began bottling and branding the perfume.  The name Not My Own stems from the notion that no woman’s battle with breast cancer is her own but is a journey shared by the entire community.  

The two are now selling their creation online. One third of the proceeds go to The Ohio State University Stefanie Spielman Patient Assistance fund, a fund created to help cover some of the additional costs facing cancer patients.  The fund can pay for anything a patient may need from bus cards to groceries.     

"There are patients who are in need of garments, wigs, monthly incidentals, groceries," says Lori Boyd, co-owner of Not My Own.  

Breast cancer survivors often describe their illness as a journey, one that puts strains on their mind, body and bank accounts, 10TV's Andrea Cambern reported in a recent interview with the partners. 
See the full video interview.

To learn more or to order Not My Own, visit http://www.wefightforpink.com/index.html