Best Essential Oils And Their Substitutes: A Complete Guide

Using essential oils for mind and body is an ancient practice that has helped mankind achieve wellness naturally. With hundreds of aromatherapy oils out there, selecting the best ones for your specific needs can be daunting. And fret not if what you need is unavailable because nature has provided us with essential oil substitutes too.

For example, Lavender is one of the best essential oils for skin and meditation. It calms the mind and its floral aroma can wash away the deepest blues.
But if it is unavailable, you can use lavender essential oil substitutes like chamomile, geranium or lavender.

Following are our guidelines for choosing the best essential oils and their substitutes for aroma and scenting. Please note that this essential oil substitution chart is limited to fragrance oil only and does not apply to therapeutic purposes.

1.Cypress Essential Oil Substitutes

Cypress is a popular oil in aromatherapy and is renowned for its fresh aroma and grounding properties. It is usually used in diffuser blend recipes to achieve mental focus.

• What essential oils smell similar to cypress?

Pine, juniper berry, cedarwood, patchouli, vetiver, and agarwood have aroma notes similar to cypress essential oil and hence can be used as its substitutes.
If you are looking for a more cost-effective substitute, you can go for pine or cedarwood whereas if you are looking to make your recipe more luxurious, go for options like sandalwood or agarwood.

2.Sandalwood Essential Oil Substitutes

One of the most luxurious essential oils out there is sandalwood. This revered oil is earthy, woody, rich and everything that shouts opulence. Unfortunately, the production is now banned or severely controlled in most countries which makes it difficult to find pure sandalwood essential oil.

• What essential oils smell similar to sandalwood?

The fragrance of agarwood oil, Amyris oil (also known as West Indian sandalwood), and vetiver oil can be good substitutes for sandalwood essential oil. All these oils offer similar earthy and cooling notes and are great for masculine blends.

3.Vetiver Essential Oil Substitutes

While vetiver essential oil is quite easily available in the market, there could be many scenarios where you would need a substitute for it. Whether you are allergic to it or simply don’t want to invest in yet another oil, our list of vetiver essential oil substitutes will come in handy.

• What essential oils smell like vetiver?

The deep and earthy aroma of patchouli essential oil is a great substitute for vetiver oil. It is a versatile and easily available oil. Palo santo, cedarwood, frankincense, and agarwood are other oils that smell like vetiver.

4. Rosemary Essential Oil Substitutes

Derived from the leaves of Rosmarinus officinalis, rosemary essential oil has a strong medicinal and herbaceous aroma. It is a popular essential oil for hair growth. You can substitute rosemary oil with other fresh smelling oils like eucalyptus, tea tree, basil, thyme and spearmint. Some of these substitute options can smell stronger than others so don’t forget to adjust the quantity depending on the recipe. 

5.Bergamot Essential Oil Substitute

Known for its citrusy and zesty goodness, bergamot essential oil is sunshine packed in a bottle. Its energizing and uplifting aroma is a crowd favorite. Bergamot oil is usually cold-pressed from the peels and can be phototoxic due to the presence of natural Vitamin C.

• What essential oils smell like bergamot?

You can easily replace bergamot oil with any other citrusy essential oils like lemon, lime, grapefruit or even lemongrass. These substitutes can be used for soap making, candle making, perfume and mist making as well as for diffuser blend recipes.

6. Valor Essential Oil Substitute

Valor essential oil is not a single oil but a blend of multiple essential oils like frankincense, geranium, blue tansy, cinnamon etc. It is difficult to suggest a single oil that smells like this blend. You can create a blend of oils that give an aroma similar to valor essential oil using spruce essential oil, frankincense essential oil, geranium essential oil and blue tansy essential oil.

Other Popular Essential Oils And Their Substitutes

Concluding Thoughts

There can be many reasons for searching for essential oil substitutes. Whether you are looking for alternatives due to unavailability or price factors, this substitution chart will come in handy. You don’t have to buy a large no. of essential oils rather the trick is to have the key ones from all aroma families. This will give you the flexibility to try out a wide variety of recipes without filling your entire house with hundreds of oils - unless you are planning to buy essential oils wholesale from aromachology. This will save you money and time because you can get over 400 oils delivered to your doorstep at the click of a button.

FAQs

What can I use to replace essential oils?
This depends on your recipe, but you can use absolute oils, CO2 oils, or dried extracts to replace essential oils.

What can I use instead of clove essential oil?
While its difficult to find the exact match, you can substitute the aroma of clove essential oil with cinnamon, nutmeg or cardamom. They all over a warm and spicy scent.

Can I substitute extract for essential oil?
Yes, you can sometimes substitute extracts for essential oil but you will have to adjust the recipe as per the potency and concentration of the extract.

Can I use olive oil instead of essential oil?
That depends on the essential oil you are planning to substitute. Olive oil is a carrier oil with negligible aroma.

Which is the best place to buy essential oil in bulk?
Always buy wholesale essential oils online from a trusted manufacturer like aromachology oils.