Ever since we human beings realized the power of our noses, scents have been an important factor in our life. Ranging from perfumes to creams and other cosmetics, a wide variety of products have been derived from the essential oils and aroma oils that deliver a soothing effect.
But most people are unaware of the fact that essential oils and aroma/fragrance oils are not the same. For healthy and effective use of scents, one must have an idea about the difference between essential oils and aroma oils, and where and when to use them.
How Are They Different?
The difference between essential oils and aroma oils can be depicted with the help of various aspects like origin, use, health benefits, and cost. Let us have a look at each of them.
Origin
When it comes to origin, essential oils are extracted from the various parts of a plant like a stem, leaf, flower, etc. This extraction is done with the help of steam distillation, in which the complexity of extraction depends upon the type of plant used. These essential oils are 100 percent pure and neat as they are not diluted, mixed, or refined in any way. The natural chemicals found in various plants and plant parts have not yet been identified completely. Thus, essential oils cannot be reproduced synthetically.
But fragrance oils are created in laboratories. They are non-volatile and are more durable than essential oils. There are two types of fragrance oils – synthetic and natural.
Synthetic fragrance oils are made from chemicals that are not present in nature. Most synthetic oils are made from petroleum by-products, which makes them cheaper and versatile for all scented products.
Natural fragrance oils are also prepared in labs, but from chemical components that are extracted from a complex scent. Even though the basic ‘naturality’ of such oils is debatable, natural fragrance oils can be used to create specific scents that cannot be created from the essential oils found in nature. Such artificial scents can be created in the most natural way with the help of natural fragrance oils.
Health benefits
Essential oils have been proven to have many health benefits. They are used in aromatherapy to treat skin problems, ease pain, reduce stress, etc. Essential oils can provide great relief to headaches, migraines, etc, Some essential oils can also be taken orally. They can be applied directly to the skin and can be used during baths. Scent diffuser machines also help in the uniform spreading of these essential oil fragrances.
However, some essential oils do cause allergic reactions to some people. Thus, choosing the one that is healthy for you is the basic idea. You may connect with a trusted supplier of essential oils in Dubai to have an idea about the health benefits of different oils.
But fragrance oils do not possess the health benefits that essential oils offer. They are developed from natural components purely for the scents they offer, which removes the aspect of health benefits. Their oral intake can be dangerous to the boy, as they are treated with external solvents during production. Anyways, fragrance oils provide unique and enduring fragrance to many cosmetics and fabrics.
Price Difference
Essential oils are more costly. Their price varies with the type of essential oil, its availability, and the season of the year. This is because, it takes a lot of effort to plant, grow, maintain, extract, and distill the natural resources to form essential oils. While it takes a huge amount of plants to extract a few drops of some essential oils, there are essential oils that are easy to extract. For example, citrus essential oils can be easily extracted, and thus they are comparatively cheap. But rose essential oils are very expensive as it takes the timely extraction of 1000 rose petals to produce one drop of essential oil.
But fragrance oils are very cheap as it does not undergo the most expensive process – extraction. They can be produced in the laboratory with minimal cost. Thus, the scented products made with fragrance oils are relatively cheap.
Use
Essential oils are an important ingredient in the manufacture of b.a.r.e soaps, lotions, medicinal oils, and creams. All these products involve direct contact with the skin and its inner layers and are destined to provide some health benefits. Thus, only standard-quality essential oils are used in producing them.
Fragrance oils are mostly used in candles and other scented products. You may connect with a trusted supplier of aroma oils in Dubai to have an idea about the health benefits of different oils. Due to their durable scent holding capacity and cheap price, fragrance oils are the best for cost-effective scented products. But some manufacturers use a blend of essential and aroma oils in their scented products, for better efficiency. Anyway, only a minute amount of essential oil is used as it is costly.
As we have seen, essential oils and fragrance oils have their own differences and uniqueness. So the next time you are planning to purchase one of them, make sure you take this difference into consideration.
