One of the most popular ways to use essential oils is in perfume. Perfume is a complex mixture of fragrance ingredients which are designed to last and linger on the skin’s surface. A perfume is made from a blend of top, middle and base notes. It was Septimus Piesse, the 19th century French perfumer who categorized odors based on musical scales and used them to describe the blending of perfume notes in his book The Art of Perfumery (1857). These top, middle and base note perfume ingredients are selected to complement and balance each other as well as provide therapeutic benefits.
A perfume can be applied by spraying, dabbing or rubbing on the wrists. It is best to apply it to pulse points as they emanate more heat and are most effective in releasing the scent [53]. It may be a good idea to carry out patch testing for your particular skin type before using any perfume, including natural ones, especially if you have sensitive skin. You should also do this if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, as some essential oils can be absorbed through the skin and may cause a negative reaction.
The main differences between perfume and essential oil are that fragrance oils are produced in a laboratory by using synthetic chemicals while essential oils come from the extracts of various plant parts. Fragrance oils are often a mixture of several different oils but can also contain synthetic compounds that mimic the aroma and properties of some essential oils [54]. In addition, they can be much cheaper to produce.
Essential oils, on the other hand, are made from plants and can be more expensive as they are harvested and grown in a limited supply. These oils are used to add fragrance, but can also have therapeutic and medicinal properties. They have been known to promote emotional and mental health, aid sleep and relax the mind and body.
Due to the natural and sometimes volatile nature of the ingredients, fragrance oils can change and alter as they age and are subject to seasonal variations in availability. This can impact the quality and price of a product over time.
Lastly, while the FDA requires a list of ingredients in cosmetics, the FDA does not require that a manufacturer disclose whether or not a fragrance contains an essential oil. As such, the safety of a perfume containing essential oil is difficult to determine since it can be difficult to know exactly what was used in its creation.
As mentioned above, both essential and fragrance oils can be toxic if they contain the wrong concentrations of certain ingredients or have not been properly diluted or tested for skin reactivity. This is particularly true of certain essential oils that can be a potential allergen, such as helichrysum and jasmine oils, or may interact with other ingredients to create unwanted side effects. Therefore, it is important to always test your perfume and to only use high-quality fragrances that are free from synthetic oils.
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