What is the difference between aroamtherapy essential and fragrance oils?

Do you know the difference?

This week at Moon Haven, I was asked to supply a peach essential oil for an Australian  manufacturer to use in his products. Unfortunately there is no such thing.

Essential oils (aromatherapy oils)  are the volatile oils that are extracted from a plant part.  Most fruits comprise of water and no volatile oils in sufficient quantities suitable for extraction.  Therefore there are no naturally occurring peach essential oils.

There are however Peach (and many other fruit) fragrance oils.  These oils are formulated from synthetic and natural ingredients to emulate a particular fruit ‘scent’. They are man made but do not carry any of the therapeutic properties associated with naturally occurring Essential Oils.

The only fruits which we do have an essential oil component are those from the citrus family.  Most of these oils are not derived from the fruit but the rind and sometimes the leaves of the plant.

When you are next peeling and orange – take a closer look at the pores in the rind… these are the essential oil filled sacs…and when you peel the orange these burst and squirt amazing, fresh, essential oils into the air…hence the delicious aroma!

Aromatherapy at its most basic and scrumptious!