Are all Fragrance Oils Safe for Topical Use?
Fragrance oils, flavor oils, essential oils, aromatic oils, aroma oils, so many oils! Are they all the same? Are they all interchangeable? Are they all safe? There are two main oils that need to be considered to answer the questions. Essential oils and fragrance oils are found in almost all products meant for topical use, the rest are interchangeable with fragrance oils. To understand what is safe and what is not, you must first understand the difference in the oils.
There are 3 different types of cosmetic products: unscented products, products with fragrance oils, products with essential oils. Unfortunately, the labels themselves will not actually tell you what type of product you are buying. While all ingredients are required to be reported on the label, with fragrances there are 2 large loopholes preventing this actually happening.
Fragrance formulations are considered “trade secrets”. So, companies are not required to list their composition.
When a scent is added to a product to “mask” (cover up) the odor of other ingredients, it does not have to be listed. So, if a product would offensive smelling without the additional chemical, the chemical used to cover the offensive smell does not have to be listed on the label.
Also by law if the label says essential oils, this doesn’t guarantee the product does not also contain synthetic fragrance oils. This means it is important to buy your product from a company you can trust and know what you should be looking for in a product.
What are Essential Oils?
An essential oil is a highly concentrated and potent extract from plants, leaves, flowers, roots, buds, twigs, rhizomes, heartwood, bark, resin, seeds and/or fruits. Essential oils should be extracted by distillation using either steam or water or by mechanical processing of citrus rinds or dry distillation of natural materials. These methods yield the most pure essential oils.
What are Fragrance Oils?
Fragrance oils are lab created oils using both natural and man-made compounds. There are two main types of Fragrance oils:
Synthetic Fragrance Oils - Synthetic fragrance oils are artificially created from chemical compounds that do not exist in nature. These are the types of fragrances to avoid when reading a label, especially if you have skin sensitivities. Many times, they are composed of petroleum by-products, making them much cheaper but versatile.
Natural Fragrance Oils - Natural Fragrance oils are also made in a lab but are created by isolating natural aromatic components from a complex scent. While they are derived from a natural source, they are still man-made products. This should be your choice between the two when reading labels.
So, Are they Safe for your skin?
As you may have gathered, this is not a simple answer. Where fragrance oils are concerned, the products you definitely want to avoid contain synthetic fragrance oils. If the label includes terms like perfume, fragrance, fragrance oil, parfum, or phthalates this usually means it is a synthetic fragrance. Be sure to thoroughly read the label and when using a product topically, start with a small area of your skin to ensure there is no reaction. Price is a big indicator in the quality of the product as well, cheap topicals will more than likely contain ingredients that you typically want to avoid. Essential oils are all natural, and it seems like this is what you would want to use topically. Unfortunately, that is not exactly the case. Essential oils are medicinal and like any other medication using them in high quantities or frequently can result in over exposure. Any essential oil being applied to the skin should always be placed in a carrier oil, such as olive, coconut, grapeseed, or other skin safe oils, before being applied. All in all, this means essential oils are natural, but extremely concentrated, so a product made from essential oils is safe and the most natural option as long as it is diluted by another natural oil.
When searching for a product for topical use, the most important thing you can do as a consumer is to research the product and don’t be afraid to ask questions. It is always suggested to apply the new product to a small area of the skin as a test before using. Stay away from synthetic oils! There are reputable companies out there that ensure their products really are natural and safe. Not only that, but they will smell divine for topical applications.
