Essential Oil vs. Fragrance Oil: Understanding the Differences

While essential oils and fragrance oils are both used for scenting and aroma, they may differ in terms of price, benefits and constituents. Essential oils are natural and offer therapeutic benefits whereas fragrance oils are made using chemicals and are cost effective.

The last couple of years have seen an overwhelming growth in the demand for various aroma oils. Essential oils and fragrance oils are two such examples.

Whether you are into making soaps, candles, wax melts, cosmetics or reed diffusers, using aroma oils is inevitable. But, the availability of so many scenting options like essential oils, fragrance oils, absolute oils, CO2 extract oils etc, has made it daunting to pick the right one for your needs.

While many of us have made the mistake of using essential oils and fragrance oils interchangeably, the fact is that they can’t be more different.

In this article, we will look at essential oil v/s fragrance oil and know the difference.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are aromatic plant extracts that are obtained through steam distillation. They carry bioactive compounds of the plant part they are extracted from. As a result, they are loaded with nature’s goodness and offer many wellness and therapeutic properties. And these are not some new discoveries, rather they have been around since ancient times - healing, soothing and nurturing (wo)mankind. From medicine to relaxation, our ancestors have thoroughly relied on essential oils.

What Are Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils are synthetic aromatic liquids that are crafted in labs and have fragrances similar to natural oils. They are created to mimic the scents of various plant parts like fruits (lemon, orange, apple), flowers ( jasmine, rose, lily), roots and herbs (cinnamon, cloves, ginger) etc.

Fragrance oils may or may not contain natural compounds but they always contain synthetic additives that are used to enhance the smell and make it last for a longer duration.

What Is The Difference Between Essential Oil and Fragrance Oil?

Both Essential oils and fragrance oils have unique properties to offer. Let’s look at their 7 key differences and how they might fit into your business or project needs.

Manufacturing Process

Essential oils and fragrance oils differ in their manufacturing process. While the former is made by steam distilling plant parts, the latter is processed in a lab with synthetic chemicals like alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, and other aromatic compounds.

Key Constituents

The main composition of essential oils includes bioactive compounds like terpenes, phenols, oxides etc whereas fragrance oil constituents are artificial substances that are created in labs.

Therapeutic Properties

Since essential oils are made with natural active compounds, they also have therapeutic properties of the plant. For example, lavender essential oil relaxes the mind and soothes the skin, tea tree oil reduces acne and rosemary oil improves hair growth. On the other hand, fragrance oils have no therapeutic properties.

Price

A key factor in choosing essential oil or fragrance oil for any business is the price of these oils. Given the natural purity and labour intensive extraction process, essential oils are more expensive than fragrance oils. The erratic supply of quality raw materials as well as the fluctuation in the price of the ingredients make essential oils cost more.

However, this challenge can be mitigated if you buy essential oils in bulk or sign up with a wholesale vendor like Aromachology Oils.

Scent Options

Owing to the artificial crafting process, fragrance oils offer a wider range of scent options than essential oils. The evolved manufacturing processes have made it possible to mimic any scent in the lab.

Health Impact and Side Effects

“Nature itself is the best physician” is a famous saying by Hippocrates. This also holds true in the realm of choosing essential oil vs fragrance oil. Diffusing or applying essential oils doesn’t cause harm to our health (in most cases as some might be allergic to natural products as well. Rather, they help improve our mood and wellbeing. On the other hand, burning or diffusing fragrance oils can expose you to a list of harmful chemicals and put you and your family at risk.

As a result, there is a growing awareness about the possible side effects of inhaling fragrance oils and customers are conscious about picking products formulated with natural oils only.

Applications

Essential oils and fragrance oils also differ in terms of their applications and uses. While essential oils are mostly used for aromatherapy, spa, cosmetic, beauty products, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and natural perfumery, fragrance oils are mostly used to make budget friendly candles, soaps, diffusers, and other affordable scenting products.

How To Tell The Difference Between Essential Oils And Fragrance Oils?

Once you have decided to pick one of the two for your needs, it is also important to learn how to tell the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils. You wouldn’t want to pay for essential oils and get fragrance oil in your hand, do you?

If you are someone who is often confused if the chamomile oil you have picked is a natural essential oil or simply a synthetic fragrance oil then the list of following points will save you the trouble.

• Check the Label: As basic as it sounds, simply checking the label properly can tell you a lot about the product. If the product is natural, it will be mentioned as ‘essential oil’ on the label whereas if the product is synthetic, it will be mentioned as ‘fragrance oil or aroma oil’

• Smell Test: Another simple step to check whether your oil is natural is to check the smell. Natural oils have a softer and more genuine aroma compared to the harsh and overwhelming smell of synthetic fragrance oils.

• Read Botanical Name: If the oil is of natural origin, it would have its botanical name mentioned on the packaging. Botanical names are usually made of two words and look something like this: Origanum vulgare

• Ask for Certificate Of Analysis: Most reputable natural oil suppliers - like Aromachology - will provide you with a certificate of analysis for the products. This document will have details about the origin and extraction of the oil.

Concluding Thoughts

Fragrance oil and essential oils can be called distant cousins as they share the same core purpose of scenting. However, essential oils are natural, more expensive and offer health benefits whereas fragrance oils are synthetic, cheap and have no health benefits.

Understanding these differences is crucial for selecting the right oils for your and your business needs. Customers are now more aware and conscious about using natural products hence, it is more critical than ever to pick the right kind of natural oils.

FAQs

Is fragrance oil the same as an essential oil?
No, fragrance oil is not the same as essential oil. Fragrance oils are chemically formulated with no health benefits whereas essential oils are 100% natural.

Which lasts longer essential oil or fragrance oil?
Since fragrance oils are synthetic, they last longer than essential oils.

What is the difference between essence and fragrance oils?
Essence or essential oil are natural extracts whereas fragrance oils are chemically formulated aroma oils.

Is aroma oil and essential oil the same?
No, aroma oils and essential oils are not the same. Aroma oils have chemicals and additives added to them whereas essential oils are plant based.

Which is the best place to buy wholesale essential oil?
Suppliers like Aromachology Oils which provide certified products at bulk prices are usually the best places to buy wholesale essential oil.