Essential oil vs Fragrance oil

Are you often confused about the choice of oils? You may clear that want the essential oils, but you are put off by the price. Or maybe the prices quoted by different suppliers vary wildly.
Here we try to explain the difference to clear up your confusion.

Aroma element

Let’s start with an overview of aroma elements, they are the material of all oils. According to the source, we can divide them into 3 types:

• Natural fragrance: the aroma substances that are extracted from plants.
• Synthetic fragrance: The aroma substances with the same composition as natural ones, but are chemically synthesized using chemical raw materials(mainly petrochemicals).
• Artificial fragrances: The aroma substances that do not exist in nature, but have a pleasant aroma. Also chemically synthesized using chemical raw materials, such as Calone is the main ingredient in marine-note fragrance.

Currently, synthetic fragrances make up the vast majority of the market.

What is fragrance oil

Fragrance oil is man-made oil, also called synthetic fragrance, it imitates naturally occurring aromas and is manufactured in laboratories. Learn more
Fragrance oil can be classified into two types, depending on the source of the aroma element.

• 100% synthetics: 100% using chemically synthetic fragrance as the raw material, dozens or even hundreds of them are blended to mimic specific scents found in nature.
• Semi-synthetics: from the raw material, there are natural, but also synthetic, and most of them are synthetic, the addition of natural fragrance is more as a base note, to improve the underlying aroma and persistence.

As natural oils are limited by natural conditions, resulting in unstable production and quality, can not meet the market demand. Synthetic oils have the advantages of large yield, variety, and cheap, quickly make up for the shortcomings of natural oils and got long-term development.

What is essential oil

Essential oils are extracted entirely from plants (usually by distillation or pressing), the chemical composition is very complex and difficult to synthesize, smelling like a natural floral or fermented, and the scent is more complex. It can likewise be divided into two types:

• Pure essential oils: pure plant extracts from only one plant, such as rose essential oil, which contains only rose oil. The price varies depending on the type, but is generally high. Pure essential oils should not be used directly on the skin but must be blended and diluted, or used under the guidance of a physician.
• Compound Essential Oil: It is a blend of 2 or more pure essential oils and base oils in a certain ratio, adding a little antioxidant (which can be natural) to prevent rancidity. Several essential oils can dissolve each other, and each has a complementary effect on each other, with an enhanced therapeutic effect. The price is relatively cheap. Can be applied directly to the skin.

Since the concentration of pure essential oils is too high for direct contact with the skin, carrier oils are needed for regulation. A carrier oil is also a pure essential oil and is usually chosen for its more stable composition, which allows the product to extend its shelf life. Grapeseed oil is often used as a carrier oil.

What is the difference

The biggest differences come from the raw material, and the source of that, resulting in other differences in performance, price, and use.

We have prepared the following table so that you can understand the differences at a glance.

Are they safe

Essential oils are often considered safe and are rich in health benefits because they come directly from nature. This is true, but you need to make sure that you dilute the oil to ensure that it is not too strong.

Fragrance oils are not taken directly from nature, but contain chemical elements. Therefore, there should be some precautions when using them.

Of course, we cannot talk about this issue aside from the dosage. Both fragrance and essential oil must be used at safe concentrations to be really safe.

Which one should I use

This depends on the use of your product as well as the market position.

In some cases, fragrance oils are better because they allow for more scent options, and, as the scented function, they can be added to basically any product, and the percentage can be high.

Essential oil is pure oil, requires a more demanding product formulation, for example, it is no problem to add to cream/lotion products, but in the washing, it is difficult to add in.

And when you need to use it for a spa, you can only choose essential oils, which are the only ones that can have a therapeutic effect.

Some essential oil and benefits

Overall, the biggest role of essential oils is to relieve stress, and different oils have different benefits. Here is a list of 10 common essential oils and their benefits.