ESSENTIAL OILS VS FRAGRANCE OILS

I've always liked pretty scents. When I started making soaps in my parents' kitchen, I experimented with both fragrance oils and essential oils. I knew I wanted to use essential oils in my products because of their health benefits. As for fragrance oils, I wasn't sure if they fit my brand. After some extensive research and lots of fun experiments, I concluded that, though fragrance oils are less expensive and have infinite scents, they didn't fit what I wanted for The Sunny Pineapple. 

Many people have asked me, "What's the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils?" They're often mistaken as similar and interchangeable, which couldn't be farther from the truth. Though both add fragrance to products and goods, essential oils differ from fragrance oils in many ways. Not only are they priced differently, but their creation process, chemical structure, and overall properties couldn't be more different. I want to share what I've learnt through my research and what prompted my decision to use essential oils in my products solely.

What Are Essential oils? 

Essential oils are natural oils obtained from various plants and plant parts. The most common elements used are the leaves, petals, roots, peels, bark, and resin. There are two methods to extracting essential oils, the cold press method and steam distillation. Both extraction methods allow the natural oils to be captured while retaining their source's fragrance and therapeutic benefits. Thus, making them highly effective in managing many health conditions ranging from menstrual cramps, muscle pains, insomnia, and much more.

Aromatherapy is the most common use for essential oils. By definition, aromatherapy is a holistic healing practice using essential oils to enhance one's psychological and physical well-being. If appropriately used, quality oils can help with psychological, neurological, mental and skin disorders. Please note, they aren't replacements to treatments your doctor has put in place for you. Though they aren't cures, they do help reduce and treat unwanted symptoms. 

Like everything found in nature, essential oils are a limited resource. Sustainable harvesting practices are crucial to continue the production of quality oils. Unfortunately, a finite resource usually means a higher price tag. In my opinion, the health benefit they provide and their natural state make it worth the extra cost.

For more information on essentials oils and their health benefits, I recommend Essential Oils For Hormone Bliss and The Essential Oil Healing Deck by Dr. Michelle Schoffro Cook. She is a celebrity nutritionist and International best-selling & 24-time author. She has dedicated her writing to helping people live their healthiest lives. Her blogs are featured regularly in popular publications such as Huffington Post, Mother Earth Living, Woman's World magazine, Closer Weekly, Glow, and many other publication sites.  

What Are Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils are manufactured in laboratories to emit a pleasant aroma. They don't have the healing properties of essentials oils. The scent possibilities are endless, making fragrance oils a virtually unlimited resource by manipulating the synthetic chemicals and adjusting their levels.  

The endless choices of aromas and inexpensiveness of fragrance oils make them very popular in the manufacturing industry. Lower costs equal higher profits. Synthetic fragrance oils are almost impossible to stay away from since they're in most commercial products such as:

• cleaning products
• personal care products
• room fresheners
• perfumes
• toilet paper
• feminine hygiene products
• toys
• food
• candy
• drinks
• laundry care
• clothing
• hand sanitizer
• and the list goes on!

Is the lower cost of fragrance oils worth the potentially harmful side effects these synthetic chemicals can cause? The ambiguous substances used to create fragrance oils contain up to 200 undisclosed ingredients. Side effects include but aren't limited to:

• headaches
• dizziness
• rash
• hyperpigmentation
• nausea
• vomiting
• violent coughing
• trouble breathing
• skin irritation
• and much more.

Before You Buy

Before purchasing products, you should read the ingredients list and inform yourself. Do your research! Most of the ingredients you'll encounter have long, complicated names you likely won't recognize. Labelling laws and regulations require companies to use INCI name (the scientific name) for every ingredient used. Still, with a bit of research, you can quickly discover whether they are using simple ingredients or synthetic chemicals. By familiarizing yourself with the INCI names found on ingredient lists, you can make informed decisions on your purchases and live a cleaner, healthier lifestyle.

The Sunny Pineapple And Essential Oils

At The Sunny Pineapple, I only use quality essential oils in my products. It's not enough for me to create beautiful and unique looking soaps and bath fizzies. I want my product to be natural and safe for me to make, for my customers to use, and for the earth to absorb. TSP products make for unique gifts with therapeutic properties. Check out our products and support young dancer in achieving their dreams! 

xoxo- TSP