It can be difficult to choose between using essential oils or fragrance oils. What’s the difference? Is one better than the other?
They are both used to add fragrance to products, but they are not the same! In fact, they have more differences than similarities.
We’re going to break down what they are, their differences, how to use them and more!
Contents
- What Are Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils?
- How Are They Made?
- Are Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils Natural?
- Are Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils Pure?
- What Are The Different Scents?
- How Expensive Are They?
- Essential Oil and Fragrance Oil Safety
- What Are They Used For?
- Should You Use Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils?
What Are Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils?
Essential oils are natural oils that are extracted from plants. The essential oil can be extracted from the leaves, flowers, or root of the plant.
Fragrance oils are synthetic oils made to recreate popular scents. They have the broadest range of scents as they can be formulated to recreate unique aromas like cupcake and pina colada!
How Are They Made?
Essential oils have a more complicated process than fragrance oils, as most essential oils are extracted through steam distillation.
This process involves placing the plant material into a distiller with heated water. The steam from the water then passes through the plant, releasing the essential oil. As the steam carries the oil, it cools and condenses into a mixture of water and oil. The water and oil are separated and then the essential oil can be collected!
Fragrance oils are made up of synthetic chemicals and are manufactured in a lab. They can be made up of fully synthetic material or contain a mixture of essential oil elements and synthetic components.
Are Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils Natural?
Essential oils are 100% natural! Essential oils can only be found in plants and they cannot be made synthetically, otherwise it is no longer a real essential oil!
Unfortunately, many producers claim they are selling pure essential oils, when in reality they have blended the pure oil with synthetic materials. (Read more about the purity of essential oils here).
On the other hand, fragrance oils are not natural as they are only made from synthetic compounds.
Are Essential Oils and Fragrance Oils Pure?
Essential oils should be 100% pure as they are extracted directly from the plant.
However, it is important to buy essential oils from reputable suppliers as many companies sell adulterated essential oils that have been diluted. They do this to increase the amount of ‘essential oil’ produced, meaning they have more to sell and they can offer them at cheaper prices.
They often dilute essential oils with synthetic components, or with cheaper versions of the essential oils (e.g. lavender is often diluted with lavandin, which is a cheaper variety).
So be careful! If a company is selling an essential oil that is much cheaper than everyone else, there’s a chance it isn’t a pure essential oil.
Fragrance oils are not pure and are made up of a mixture of components. Their composition can vary between producers, but they are generally made up of synthetic aroma chemicals, solvents, and diluents. As fragrance oils are already made up of synthetic materials, you don't need to worry about the oil being adulterated!
What Are The Different Scents?
Essential oils only come in natural scents as they are extracted from plants. But it is important to remember not every plant produces an essential oil!
The main scent profiles essential oils produce are florals, citrus, woodsy, spice, herbal and earthy.
The most popular way to use essential oils is by blending different scents together! Blending essential oils creates unique and more complex aromas that will last longer.
Some of the most popular essential oils include:
However, if you want a wider range of scents, then you need to look at fragrance oils. Synthetic fragrance oils are not produced from natural plants, so more creative scents can be produced.
Some of the most popular fragrance oils are:
- Recreations of essential oil aromas like lemon, lavender, peppermint
- Popular perfumes recreations
- Seasonal scents like pumpkin spice latte and gingerbread
- Aromas for plants that don’t produce essential oils like cherries or apples
How Expensive Are They?
Essential oils are generally more expensive than fragrance oils, but it varies a lot depending on the type of essential oil.
There are often price fluctuations with essential oils due to weather causing bad crop growth or the market can fluctuate over time. There are also some essential oils that require a large amount of plant material to create just 1 litre of pure essential oil. So these oils can get quite expensive!
Some essential oils can be made in European countries, making production and transport of the oil quick and inexpensive. But other essential oil plants only grow on small islands that don’t have many resources to produce the oil, making it much more expensive.
If you want to buy essential oils, you need to be prepared to pay for pure essential oils. Don’t try to find the cheapest oil possible, as you will end up buying fake essential oils!
On the other hand, synthetic fragrance oils are manufactured in many European countries so they are cheaper to produce and transport.
Essential Oil and Fragrance Oil Safety
Both essential oils and fragrance oils must be diluted with a carrier oil before being used on the skin as they can cause irritation in high concentrations.
While they can both cause irritation and reactions on the skin, essential oils generally have more hazards. It is important to know which hazards your oils contain if you are using them in products to sell, as it must be listed on the label!
You must follow the recommended usage rates for both fragrance oils and essential oils before using them. Fragrance oil usage rates are determined by the manufacturer and may vary between manufacturers. You can find the usage rates for essential oils in their IFRA documents.
What Are They Used For?
This is where fragrance oils and essential oils are most similar! They can both be used for mostly the same applications!
Both essential oils and fragrance oils can be used in candle making, soap making and diffusers.
But which one is better for each use? Let’s go into a bit more detail…
Candle Making
In candle making, fragrance oils are mostly the better option.
They are much more popular as they create an amazing scent throw, filling a room with the candle aroma.
Essential oils are great for creating 100% natural scented candles. However, they do make a more subtle scented candle and the scent options are more limited.
Soap Making
In soap making, we prefer essential oils but fragrance oils are also great!
Both fragrance oils and essential oils are great options to provide a beautiful aroma to a soap bar! However, they both can cause some issues at trace.
Some oils (like spice fragrance oils and essential oils) can cause the trace to accelerate. You may also find that some fragrance oils cause discoloration in the soap as well.
Diffusers
Essential oils and fragrance oils are equally great in diffusers!
Both oils bring a strong aroma to a room when diffused! However, if you want any therapeutic benefits from your diffuser (like calming, energising or stress relieving effects), you will need to use essential oils.
Aromatherapy
The only oil for aromatherapy is essential oils!
Only essential oils can be used in aromatherapy as some natural oils, like lavender or peppermint, contain therapeutic properties.
Fragrance oils can mimic these scents, but they will not provide the natural benefits the essential oils bring. So it is important to remember, if you are making a diffuser or candle for relaxing benefits, you have to use essential oils!
Should You Use Essential Oils or Fragrance Oils?
This really depends on what you are using them for and what your preferences are. Here’s a breakdown of the pros and cons of each type to help you decide which oil is best for you:
If you love making natural products, then essential oils are for you! You can use them in anything from scented candles, soaps and diffusers for a light aroma! If you love aromatherapy, use essential oils for their natural therapeutic properties!
If you are not worried about making 100% natural products, then try fragrance oils! They are great at filling a home with a strong aroma with candles and diffusers!
Continue Reading
Now you know more about fragrance oil vs essential oil, why not keep reading?
- Want to try some essential oils with wellness benefits? Read our blog about essential oils for uplifting mood!
- Interested in making your own bath bombs? Try our fun recipe here!
- Make your own candle with our beginners candle recipe!
Do you prefer fragrance oils or essential oils? Let us know in the comments!
