When Little Soap Company first began, it was with a passion for all natural soap, and with an ambition to make it more accessible to all. We knew we wanted to create a bar soap that complied with our ethics and that did not compromise our- or your- carbon footprint either. We wanted an eco-friendly, cruelty free product that was kind to the skin and safe for all to use. We think we achieved that pretty well! So why do we use essential oils rather than fragrance oils? Why do we insist on natural ingredients and stringent standards when it comes to our unique and bespoke fragrance blends? Read on to find out what we really think when it comes to essential oils vs fragrance oils.
What is an essential oil?
Put simply, an essential oil is a compound that has been extracted from plants, and one that has captured that plant’s essence- the flavour or scent. We get essential oils through a process of distillation or through cold pressing. Once extracted, they’re combined with a carrier oil and are then ready to use.
What is a fragrance oil?
Conversely, fragrance oils are synthetic- artificially created from chemical compounds that do not occur naturally. Fragrance oils are usually created to last a lot longer than essential oils and are usually classed as either Synthetic fragrance oils or Natural fragrance oils- the latter being somewhat misleading to say the least!
What are the top three benefits of using essential oils?
- essential oils are made up of 100% natural substances, as opposed to fragrance oils which are created in a laboratory.
- essential oils have a myriad of properties that ensure they are able to help with a variety of ailments, including stress reduction, inflammation, mood in-balances, skin irritations and more.
- essential oils are less likely to cause irritation to the skin.
What are the top three benefits of using fragrance oils?
- fragrance oils are useful when a particular scent is required, but the plant does not produce essential oil that can be used safely.
- fragrance oils are cheaper to use, and therefore bring down the price of products that contain them.
- a wider range of scents can be achieved with the use of synthetic fragrance oils
Essential oil vs fragrance oils?
To us here at Little Soap HQ it really is a non-brainer. We want to bring you natural procures that are kind to the skin and that do not pose
potential risks to hormone balancing or other unpleasant side effects. Whilst we do advise that some natural ingredients may still cause reactions in a few people (allergens do occur naturally in plant essential oils and can cause irritation in some circumstances. For such intolerances we have created an un-perfumed range- an Organic ‘Everyday’ bar soap (Unperfumed Sensitive Bar) an Organic Unperfumed Liquid Hand Soap, and two Natural Bar Soaps – packed with Olive Oil or Avocado Oil) the general rule is that natural trumps synthetic any day.
While both essential and fragrance oils have their uses, we stand firm in our belief that only essential oils should be used in our products. With the health benefits they bring, and the aromas they allow us to create, we cannot see any reason why synthetic fragrances would be of any use to us at all! Fragrance oils are designed to mimic a scent and while most do this very well, that is literally all they do. A synthetic lavender oil certainly smells nice, but it won’t do anything to help calm and soothe you ready for a good night’s sleep. It might also bring with it a range of nasty side affects such as skin irritation or hormone in-balances. No thank you!
