Aroma & Fragrance - Caution!
What do you think about when you hear the word aroma or the word fragrance?
 
  • Beautiful fresh smells
  • Heavenly floral scents
  • Vanilla candles
  • Your favourite skincare & personal care products
  • Your precious perfume
More and more people are becoming aware of the dangers behind the words aroma and fragrance. If you aren’t aware or a little confused,  let me help you understand this a little more deeply. 

I have researched this during the course of the last 12 years due to my child having major personal care product intolerances, and then my own cancer journey. 

In fact, when I asked why I got it the type of cancer I had, when otherwise healthy, no doctor could explain, except the last one I asked - who said go home and look through the personal care, skin care, and makeup products you use. I’m sure you’ll find your answer there. 

She was correct - EVERY SINGLE PRODUCT I had been using had at least 1 ingredient (most had many) linked to cancer, and one ingredient that was throughout all of them - fragrance/parfum/perfume. 

When you use a product that has an ‘aroma’ to it, or the word ‘fragrance’ or even sometimes these days the words ‘made with essential oils’ you really need to do a little more homework.  Gone are the days when we could just blindly trust.  

These ‘aromas' are commonly found in:

  • Skin Care
  • Scented Candles
  • Makeup
  • Scented Soaps and Creams
  • Scented Massage Oils
  • Laundry detergent
  • Room Sprays
  • Perfumes
  • Car air fresheners
  • Shampoos & Conditioners
  • Children’s perfumes
  • Lotions
  • Baby products and so many more
Let’s take a look through some of the most common terms used when it comes to aroma and fragrance relating to essential oils, and in my next few blogs I’ll cover the most toxic ingredients in skin care and makeup. 

Aroma through Essential Oils

You only need to look at your local thrift store, or supermarket, or products made in private homes to see that this type of product has had a resurgence in popularity.

Unfortunately, as with all things that become hugely popular everyone wants a piece of the pie.  Because these are going on and in your body, it is particularly important that you use a company that specialises in their creation. 


In this arena, unfortunately, there are now so many different ways of interpreting:

Fragrance Oils vs Essential Oils vs Pure/Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils vs ‘Certified’  Therapeutic Essential Oils vs ‘Pure’ Essential Oils

Yes, there most definitely is a big difference between all of these!  

DAEsYqXZ3bsFragrance Oils 

Whilst you may be imagining they are coming from beautiful lavender fields, they are actually coming from a lab.  These oils are created because they hold their fragrance longer, and can contain up to 100 chemical ingredients.  This means if you have skin or fragrance sensitivities you are using a chemical cocktail that could cause a reaction, and you will never know which ingredient it is because each ingredient doesn’t have to be listed.  On the labels of your cosmetics and personal care products you will be looking for the words perfume, parfum, fragrance or fragrance oil. 



DAEsYoYsrp8Essential Oils 

Make of natural materials, however, we need to break the different interpretations of these down even further.

  • Essential Oil - the very basic of labelling. Look past the pretty labels, and the basic wording and determine whether they are truly are an essential oil in the true sense of the word.  They usually are fragrance type oils only.
  • Certified Essential Oils - this is a marketing term.  There is no certification body in the essential oil industry. So can’t be used as an indication of purity.  
  • ‘Pure’ Essential Oils - This can be the real deal (see below) or again be ‘greenwashed’ labelling. Meaning a clever way to make us believe it is totally pure. You will need to investigate further and ask the manufacturer questions. 
So what should you look out for? 

  • Pure or Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils - made of natural materials and correctly distilled to receive maximum benefits.  Quality over Quantity. Shelf life should be unlimited if a single oil or the life expectancy of the carrier oil if a blend.  If your essential oil has a ‘use-by’ date and it is a single oil, there is something else in that bottle other than the pure essential oil. 
If you are using a product that contains essential oils, or want the best essential oils to inhale or use, ask questions BEFORE you purchase it. 

  1. Where are they grown? Can I visit?
  2. How are they distilled? 
  3. How are the fields weeded? 
The answers should be:
  1. At ‘xyz’ farm, and yes you can visit!
  2. In food-grade stainless steel distillers, at low temperatures, for the exact time needed for this particular plant to ensure all constituents are present for the best benefits for you. 
  3. By hand.  No chemicals used on or near this farm. Ever. 
Any answers other than these are not showing full transparency, and when you are using something that is going on and in your body - including through inhalation - you need to be so incredibly careful.  The answers can also indicate that the manufacturer is trusting a broker/middle man, someone between the grower and the manufacturer, who may not have accurate information about the quality because they can't see it first hand, they aren't working the land.  

Personally, I prefer to trust the original essential oil company, which is testing while the plants are still in the ground, right up to the bottling stage. Plus one that promises that if at any stage the oils do not reach gold standard, they are discarded. 
DAEsY7HNpCQ
In 12 years of using essential oils, I have never found another company that has the full transparency of the one I originally found.  I have complete peace of mind using it on myself, my children and pets. I can also visit their farms and you can see to the right I am doing just that - I'm at a beautiful Helichrysum farm in Croatia. 

So, my advice, make this whole minefield easy on yourself.  You can either use my 12 years of research and trust my judgement or dig a little deeper yourself.  Whilst it can be overwhelming listening to, and reading all the research, my basic advice is to follow closely the 3 points below and find a company that has totally transparency in these areas:

  1. A company that owns their own farms and has a program to help farmers become partner farms, that work under the same standards required for their own farms.  You also should be able to visit these farms.  
  2. A company with in-house highly trained scientists, and labs you can visit. As well as third party world-class labs verifying the results of the in-house labs. 
  3. A ‘pure’ essential oil company, not another that was formed off the coattails of one, or adding essential oils to their usual product line because they are ‘hot right now.
Why does this matter?
Because you matter. Your family matters. Your pets matter. Your babies matter. Your health matters. 

What if the company is one of ‘those MLM companies', I hear some of you asking.  Well, ALL THE BETTER! Did you know that the original essential oil company, now 25 years old, uses this very model to share its products because people who actually use the products are the best people to learn from AND it means that the company is spending more of the usual money taken up by marketing and sales costs, and putting it back into their farms and products to ensure you have the very best?  

As I've mentioned not all essential oils are the same.  For example lookout for companies with oils specially designed for your pets, or for oils designed for your wellness that have been listed with the Therapeutic Goods Adminstration (TGA) in Australia, or who have over-the-counter products available that are also listed with the FDA in the USA.  Again, whilst you may find some listed with these bodies, you still need to do your own research into how they are planted, grown and distilled because this is the most important element. 

If you would like more information on the brand I choose click here.  I can honestly tell you these changed my daughter's life, my life, and I have 100% faith and peace of mind that they are the purest. I am particularly passionate about this topic and ensuring that people fully understand and receive the most accurate information when it comes to essential oils and essential oil-infused products, natural skincare, and other products, so I also have an exclusive community packed with education and resources too. I don’t want anyone going through what I did, and so offer all of my research and experiences through solid education and guidance in a beautiful community of like-minded people. We would love to welcome you too.  

Ultimately, now you know better, you can choose better.  Remember, you are the gatekeeper of your own home. 

Naomi xo 

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