Fragrance oils are often confused with essential oils. However, they have distinct differences. Essential oils are pure extractions from plants. On the other hand, fragrance oils are artificially produced in laboratories. Different scents are blended together to produce a fragrant aroma.
The two types of fragrance oils are synthetic fragrance oils and natural fragrance oils. Synthetic fragrance oils utilize chemical compounds while natural fragrance oils use natural fragrant components. Some fragrance oils also contain essential oils.
Fragrance oils are evident in most of the things we use in our daily lives. They are present in soaps, shampoos, detergents, cleaners, deodorizers, scented candles and basically anything with fragrance or perfume.
Fragrance oils are generally added to a wide range of products to give a pleasant aroma. They are simply designed to imitate a scent. Although fragrance oils are manmade, it doesn’t mean that they are bad or unsafe. Many synthetic ingredients have long been proven to be perfectly safe. Many products that we have been using on our bodies have fragrance oils. However, natural fragrance oils are perceived to be safer than synthetic fragrance oils.
Nowadays, natural fragrance oils are becoming more popular than alcohol-based perfumes. Contrary to the overpowering scent of alcohol-based perfumes, natural fragrance oils have a clean, rich and true scent. Also, because they do not contain alcohol, they have a longer shelf life.
Natural fragrance oils are more concentrated so they stick to the skin longer. Not only that, but they also nourish and moisturize the skin. Natural fragrance oils are also called “skin scents” because the oils and scents grow stronger as the body temperature increases.
Natural fragrance oils offer a variety of scents. Sometimes, it is difficult to create certain blends of scent with essential oils because some essential oils do not blend well with each other. For natural fragrance oils, the single scent molecule extracted from different plants can be recombined to produce different kinds of scent profiles.
Since natural fragrance oils are produced in laboratories, the factors in production are controlled, therefore the quality and consistency of the products are maintained. Whereas, essential oils are greatly affected by weather conditions and geography. The smell and quality of essential oils may not be exactly the same every time.
Natural fragrance oils are also considered to be cheaper. Extracting pure essential oils is expensive and time-consuming. Also, big amounts of plants need to be used to extract essential oils. This method also requires a high degree of expertise. Thus, making essential oils is relatively costly in the market, compared to natural fragrance oils.
The scent of natural fragrance oils is perceived to last longer since scent-anchoring molecules can be used to prolong the scent.
Natural fragrance oils are different from essential oils but they are not necessarily harmful. Before choosing which one to try, it is better to read and research about these products. It is also advised to test the product first on a small patch of skin to see how the body will react. It is also imperative to always handle these products (and any other products) with care.
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