Industry Oils: A Look at Fragrance and Essential

Overview

Within the fragrance industries, both home and cosmetic, there is often much debate over where scents come from, how they’re made and whether they’re good for human health and that of the environment. Scents in products not made for consumption usually come from one of two sources: fragrance oils and essential oils. While on the surface they can appear very similar, particularly when companies advertise ‘natural fragrance oils’, there are key differences that affect their usage and why companies and customers might opt for one over the other.

What are Essential Oils?

The aim of essential oils is to capture the ‘essence’ of naturally occuring scents, primarily from plants. Here, they’ll take a flower with a popular aroma, such as a rose, and try to condense that plant into a product that can easily be transported and added to various retail goods to give the scent of a natural rose. This is typically done by harvesting a large amount of the plant, then crushing and heating it until a concentrated substance is produced. This often requires a massive amount of raw materials to make a comparatively small amount of oil, so essential oils tend to be quite pricey. As nothing is added, they are ‘natural’ in the sense they’re derived from natural ingredients, even though such concentrations of the scent producing substances don’t exist in nature.

What are Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils are synthetic compounds and mixtures that are blended together in a lab in an attempt to recreate a scent found in nature. These can be harvested from natural products and then treated/modified to produce various scents, but more often than not are entirely artificial; being made from various elements being bonded and blended. They are generally much cheaper than essential oils, as they don’t need the masses of raw materials that need to be reduced to create the oil. Though they are often dismissed as ‘smelling artificial’, good quality fragrance oils can be indistinguishable from the natural scent to the average person.

Pros and Cons

Thanks to the rise in popularity of aromatherapy, spa treatments and the general glorification of ‘natural’ and ‘eco’ products, essential oils are often given all the praise and heralded as healthy, with the opposite applied to fragrance oils. This is, however, only the most superficial summary of the two, and disregards the nuance that exists for both types of product.

Essential Oil Pros & Cons:

+ Has the most ‘natural’ scent, so most likely to resemble the plant smell you love

+ Fewer compounds/ingredients than fragrance oils, so less likely to cause irritation/reaction

+ May have health benefits (depends on specific oil and use)

–  Some essential oils are harmful to health when combusted so cannot be used

–  Much higher cost due to the amount of materials needed to create

–  Few scents available, as many natural oils break down he burned/heated

–  Unsustainable, tens or hundreds of kilos of plants needed to make a kilo of scent

Fragrance Oil Pros & Cons:

+ High quality oils can be indistinguishable from natural scent

+ Much cheaper to produce/buy than essential oils

+ Specifically formulated to work well when burned/heated

+ Can be much more sustainable, as lots of natural products aren’t harvested for production

+ Almost infinite variety of scents available, and can combine various scents easily

–  More likely to cause irriation/reactions due to number of ingredients

–  No potential health benefits

–  Does not fit the ‘only from natural sources’ criteria many brands/people have

Conclusion

It used to be that there was much disdain for fragrance oils, and quite rightly. Before thorough regulation and testing, many oils produced could be carcinogenic or potentially harmful to health when used in cosmetics or candles. However, with the growing influence and rigour of the IFRA (International Fragrance Association, the industry’s leading regulator) and other institutions, when made properly they are no more hazardous to health than the approved essential oils they aim to replicate. Now that they’ve improved in quality as well as safety, they can be used in place of essential oils with generally little perceivable change in fragrance. Due to their lower cost, they are also the go-to choice for more affordable brands, as only the most affluent retailers and customers can afford essential oils in usable quantities. Essential oils are, however, the only option when using products for health benefits, as many have been proven to aid various mental and physical ailments. This ultimately comes at the cost of many plants, that could otherwise have been replaced with crops to feed people, or left to be natural habitat for wildlife.

With all this in mind, the choice of oil on the consumer end will most likely come down to price, as products using any significant quantities of essential oil will be far more expensive than their synthetic counterparts. If price is not an issue, then it depends whether you aim for the health benefits of essential oils or their ‘all natural’ creation. If neither of these peak your interest, you may as well go with fragrance oil products as they’ll smell just as great at a much lower cost.

Published: 04/03/2022