Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils – What’s the Difference?
Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils – What’s the Difference?
Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils – What’s the Difference?
Have you noticed lately that many household cleaning products and deodorizers are scented with “aromatherapy essentials” or with “Jasmine” or some other exotic fragrance like “Calming”? Do they really add essential oils to dishwashing detergent in quantities significant enough to be of any value and are they therapeutic grade? Well, of course not but with a growing popular interest in health and wellness, essential oils and aromatherapy make great marketing even when products only have artificially produced scents “inspired” by aromatherapy plant essences.
Most consumer products use fragrance oils to achieve their scent and although some mimic the scent of well known essential oils they are quite different.
Essential oils are natural and fragrance oils are synthetic
Essential oils are the natural aromatic oils that are extracted from plants. Technically they are not oils at all but complex mixtures of organic compounds that exist within the cells of the plant. Each essential oil is derived from a single plant source and depending on the species is extracted from the flower petals, leaves, stems, roots, rind of the fruit, seeds, or even the wood of trees. It is likely these compounds have evolved over time to aid the plants in survival by providing resistance to disease or by attracting pollinating insects with their fragrance.
Fragrance oils are man-made organic mixtures that are engineered by chemists to produce an attractive scent. This can be anything from “Lilacs” to “New Car” scent. Although fragrance oils may contain essential oils as ingredients they will also contain animal and synthetic fixatives, and synthetic compounds derived from petroleum.
Essential oils are therapeutic and fragrance oils are not
Essential oils are not only fragrant but they are also therapeutic and have been used for centuries, medicinally and cosmetically to improve physical and psychological health and well being. Specific pharmacological effects are produced by essential oils through skin absorption and inhalation, which is the very basis of Aromatherapy, a widely used form of natural alternative medicine.
Fragrance oils are used to scent hundreds of consumer products and their sole purpose is to improve the smell of the product. Although fragrance oils may contain many ingredients, they are biologically less complex than essential oils and provide no therapeutic benefits.
Why do most commercial products use fragrance oils?
With such a profound difference, why do most commercial products use fragrance oils and not essential oils? The main reason is cost but there are issues with supply and the range of scent as well.
The harvesting of plant materials and the production of essential oils can be very
Additional reading on best skin care products:
- Rich Blend of Fragrance Oils
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From anti-aging to reducing stress and inflammation, these are the top 5 reasons to use essential in your skincare routine for beautiful, glowing skin …www.suite101.com/…/5-reasons-to-use-essential-oils-in-your-s… Google Alerts... - How to Select a Fragrance to Suit You
How to Select a Fragrance to Suit You When choosing a new scent two questions will arise. The first is how do we know what perfume will...
