What are essential oils? Essential oils are highly concentrated, potent, aromatic, volatile liquids obtained from plant material like flowers, fruit peels, leaves, roots, seeds and resin through steam distillation and extraction.
Myth
Pure essential oils of apple, peach, lychee, orchid, raspberry, amber, sea salt, even English Pear and Freesia are available.
Truth
We’ve come across several brands and suppliers, including local ones in Singapore, which claim to offer 100% pure essential oils with the scents mentioned above. However, scents like sea salt cannot exist as essential oils, since they are not derived from plants. The other which are seemingly derived from plants are generally unsuitable for essential oil extraction for the following reasons:
- They lack oil-rich components.
- They are incompatible with traditional distillation methods.
- Their aromatic compounds are too delicate for extraction.
Unfortunately, these essential oils do not exist in their pure form. It's highly likely that these are fragrance oils made with synthetic chemicals. Unlike true essential oils, they do not provide aromatherapeutic benefits and may even contain harmful substances like phthalates, which can pose health risks instead of promoting well-being.
Recommendation
As there are no legal regulations governing the authenticity and quality of essential oils in the market, companies can make various claims about their products without much oversight.
As a consumer, it's essential to be informed about genuine essential oils and what truly exists to avoid purchasing fragrance oils marketed as pure. While there's nothing wrong with buying or selling fragrance oils, transparency from brands is key. If you come across oils falsely labeled as essential oils, it's best to be cautious, as the brand has already compromised trust. More importantly, what you believed to be beneficial could actually be filled with synthetic chemicals that may pose potential harm.
At Eartha, our rituals are formulated with only 100% pure essential oils imported from trusted suppliers from Europe, United States and Australia, with accompanying GCMS reports to ensure the purity of our oils.
