Fragrance oil vs. essential oil.
scrub me has a mission, to provide customers with the best natural products that are safe for the skin and body. In my learnings as an esthetician, high-quality essential oils, when used in the correct way can provide benefits beyond just making a product smell good. Artificial fragrance oils used for adding scent to skincare products are what can be irritating to a lot of types of skin and sometimes dangerous. In recent years so many of us have become more aware of what ingredients are in the skincare we buy and what ingredients we should be avoiding. Fragrance or perfume is up at the top of the list of ingredients to avoid in skincare, especially facial care. But, sometimes I see some confusion about the difference between fragrance and essential oil and what’s good or bad for your skin. Let’s break it down!
scrub me secret: the pores on our face are closer together, smaller, and we have more of them vs. on our body. this is why our skin on our face is more easily irritated than the skin on our body. This is why many of us will see the skin on our face react poorly to a product with fragrance oil or harsh ingredients when our body skin handles it just fine. I still suggest trying to avoid artificial fragrances in ALL of your skincare.
Fragrance oil & perfume in skincare:
Fragrance oil or perfume is something that is added to your skincare to make it have a certain smell or even mask the smell of other ingredients used to formulate the product. Fragrance and perfume have no other benefits or properties to treat your skin, they are strictly for enhancing the aroma of the product. Fragrance oils and perfume are made up of a blend of man-made ingredients; there is no real way of knowing exactly how many different components go into making your fragrance. The multiple different ingredients that make up the fragrance or perfume will not be listed on your product label, the FDA and cosmetic label laws only require the listing of the word “fragrance” or “perfume”. This is something that makes it hard to figure out exactly what you're putting on your skin and what ingredients our bodies are absorbing. Many fragrance oils and synthetic scents contain chemicals and ingredients that can be harmful to skin, especially sensitive skin types. Some common ingredients in fragrance oil include acetone, ethanol, and g-Terpinene. These are just a few ingredients among many others that have been known to have harmful effects on the skin and body. Acetone sensitizes skin and causes irritation. Both ethanol and g-Terpinene have been linked to central nervous system disorders. Even though fragrance oils are regulated by the research institute for fragrance materials (RIFM) I still believe perfume and fragrance oils have health risks and cause skin irritation. The FDA does not police cosmetic and fragrance materials as closely as our food and drugs. Long story short, it is my recommendation as an esthetician to avoid products that contain “fragrance” and “perfume” in their ingredients list.
scrub me secret: lavender is such a popular scent. choosing a product with actual lavender essential oil provides exponentially more benefits than a product with fragrance oil. the aroma of lavender essential oil can travel to the central nervous system and aid in a calming and relaxing sensation, lavender fragrance oil will not do this. Lavender essential oil in skincare treats inflamed and sensitive skin while lavender fragrance oil can actually do the opposite.
Essential oils in skincare:
Essential oils are aromatic oils that have been distilled or extracted from plants, fruits, and flowers. Because these oils are extracted directly from the nature-based source they carry both aromatherapy properties and properties that benefit the skin. Essential oils need to be used properly in order to receive these benefits, if overused essential oils can also cause skin sensitivity. A skincare product only needs a small amount of essential oil in the formulation. Essential oils should never be applied directly to the skin on their own. These oils can be blended together to add various benefits to skincare, each has slightly different properties. scrub me soaps and scrubs contain different blends of essential oils to help give your skin the results you are looking for. Since each essential oil has different properties and benefits there are many choices to treat skin concerns like redness, breakouts, dull skin, and aging skin. Sensitive skin types may have reactions to essential oils like peppermint, cinnamon, lemon, or spearmint. If your skin is very sensitive I suggest trying a patch test of skincare with any essential oils under one of your ears before using it on your entire face.
Essential oils also have the ability to relieve headaches, stress, or energize you via their aromatic benefits. In my blog post. “relieving stress, simply” I touch upon how great aromatherapy can be.
scrub me secret: Lavender fragrance oil is approximately $10.00 per lb while lavender essential oil comes in at about $40.00 per lb. With the cost of essential oils being 4x a fragrance oil many companies are drawn to synthetic fragrance over natural. Also because fragrance oils contain more chemicals and preservatives, their scent is stronger for a longer amount of time. These are a couple of reasons skincare companies opt for synthetic fragrances.
As an esthetician, I approve of well-formulated face and body products that contain high-quality essential oils. Essential oils really do help treat skin care concerns such as redness, breakouts, dullness, and aging skin. Just make sure you’re reading your ingredients label and choosing products that are tailored to your skincare needs. For more help with choosing an at-home skincare routine read my blog post “Tips for optimizing your at-home skincare routine.” My philosophy behind skincare is that we should be choosing our products based on their purposeful ingredients, and not because of the way they look or smell. So while I do really enjoy the scents that essential oils give to skincare items I am really only choosing products based on what they will do for my skin health. You would be really surprised in the shift your skin can make when you start eliminating harmful and sensitizing ingredients like fragrance and perfume.