Pure essential oils can be costly, but are they worth the added expense when compared to fragrance oils? To answer this question, you have to understand the differences of not only how they are made, but what the intended purpose is.
Fragrance oils are oils that are made specifically for scent. They are created to provide a nice aroma to your environment. They are typically long lasting and can smell very delicious, appealing, or whatever they were formulated for. The molecules of the fragrance oils are larger and tend not to evaporate as readily. If your only concern is sprucing up the environment for your olfactory nerve then fragrance oils are the route you most likely want to take as they last longer, come in hundreds and thousands of scents, and they typically are considerably less expensive.
The latter, on the other hand have many other uses and are created entirely different. They do not use synthetic ingredients. They are the essence of the plant they are obtained from. Typically they are steam distilled, although most of the citrus ones are cold pressed. There are other methods to achieve the Essential oils Manufacturer from the plants but those are the most common.
Pure essential oils are costly because unlike fragrance oils they come from plants in limited quantities. The essential oils are grown in the plant to help it survive. Certain oils are produced to help ward off pesky and hungry insects that would otherwise consume the plant if it did not have the oil. The same oil that protects it, is what we distill and then use as a natural insecticide. The process can take years depending on the plant. The plant needs to be the proper age. If too young, it may not have enough oil, and the same goes with a plant that is aging and not producing nearly as much. Then it has to be harvested and extracted. Then bottled, and shipped often across entire continents since some plants grow better in different climates. Pure essential oils are believed to have therapeutic properties that fragrance oils do not have. They contain phytohormones which can bind to the receptors that humans have and create an actual effect. Certain oils have phytoestrogen that may bind to human estrogen receptors as an example. Although essential oils have potent and powerful scents often, the scents were not created for human enjoyment in a laboratory like fragrance oils can be. They are simply natural. They often are smaller molecules, so they tend to evaporate more quickly. In aromatherapy, essential oils are used extensively due to their therapuetic effects.
In regards to cost, essential oils can be much more expensive. There are certain oils that can cost hundreds of dollars for a 1/3 of an ounce of oil. While that is not the norm and only a tiny percent are that costly, there are still common essential oils such as Sandalwood that retails for $82 for 1/3 of an ounce (10ml) although it can be purchased online for 41.00. Even the lower priced pure essential oils are typically more expensive than average and even high priced fragrance oils. Is it because the quality is better? Not necessarily. Again, what determines if one is better than the other is the purpose you plan to use it for. If you are looking for therapuetic benefits then you would most likely not want the fragrance oils.
