All-Natural Essential Oils vs Synthetic Perfume Oils

By Luna, our summer intern!

Essential oils are organic compounds extracted from plants that have healing properties. This is very often called aromatherapy, which is a holistic treatment seeking to improve physical, mental, and emotional health. Fragrance oils and essential oils are very different and really not comparable.

Fragrance (or "perfume") oils are synthetic, they are manmade and they try to duplicate the aroma that essential oils do. Essential oils have tons of benefits that perfume oils don't. One of the negatives of synthetic fragrance oils is the scent they duplicate does not have the therapeutic properties that essential oils do. For example one drop of lavender perfume oil does that have the natural benefits as a drop of lavender essential oil does.

One important difference is that many people are allergic to perfume oils; this is one of the reasons why Heliotrope products have no perfumes added (you can always add many of the essential oils on offer). Also, perfume oils dry out skin - and shouldn't be in your moisturizers!

A great NEW way to enjoy essential oils is Heliotrope's Roll-on Aromatherapy Oils. We use pure, undiluted oils and use jojoba oil as a great "carrier oil." Using our convenient roll-on glass vial makes it easy to apply & store in pocket or pocketbook.

Jojoba oil is extracted from simmondsia chinensis (jojoba) seeds. This oil is beneficial to many things, including controlling oily skin. Because jojoba oil is the closest thing to human sebum (sebum is the oil that your skin creates on its own), it's very important to skin health. Jojoba oil also has anti-inflammatory benefits, and has vitamins A and E.

One mysterious quality of jojoba is that is never goes bad. Most every natural (vegetable-based) oil will eventually turn rancid. But not jojoba! Therefore, this oil doesn't have any preservatives - an added bonus!

Thanks, Luna!