Making soaps naturally has been a hobby of many. To make the best homemade soap, it is the fragrance that counts the most. For making soaps, both fragrance and essential oils are used. But which one’s better? Many consider fragrance oil for soap and essential oil as synonymous. However, differences between the two exist.
The points of difference between fragrance oil for soap and essential oil has been discussed below:
- Making
All the substances of essential oil are 100% natural. This means that they are extracted from the various parts, herbs, flowers, etc. To obtain the essential oils, the process of steam distillation is performed or are simply extracted without the presence of any carrier oil intruding in the whole process. However, the extraction process largely depends on the type of plant used.
The essential oils are completely organic and pure, meaning they have not been processed by any artificial component or manipulated under the presence of a solvent. It is impossible to produce essential oils artificially as they can be manufactured from 50 to 500 different natural plants and herbs. The chemical components present naturally in these essential oils vary according to the season, climate and growing condition.
On the other hand, the fragrance oils for soaps are manufactured at the laboratory. Compared to essential oils, fragrance oil lasts longer and are non-resilient. Fragrance oils can be divided into synthetic fragrance oils and natural fragrance oil. The synthetic fragrance oils are generated artificially from chemical components and have got no connection with natural elements. On the other hand, synthetic fragrance oils by extracting the natural aromatic component from the whole scent. Although they are extracted from a natural source, they are processed under human supervision.
- Health benefits
In aromatherapy, natural oils treat various health conditions like headaches, muscle pain, skin rashes, etc. Further, one of the essential reasons essential oils are so popular these days is that they moisturize the skin and provide relief to people suffering from eczema. Besides, essential oils make the hair soft. Moreover, unlike fragrance oils, essential oils can be taken internally.
On the contrary, the number of benefits of fragrance oils is less compared to essential oils. This is because creating fragrance oils is only to mimic a particular type of scent and not as a cure for diseases and related health conditions.
- Price
Compared to the fragrance oils, the essential oils are a bit expensive. However, the price depends on the type of essential oil that one buys. The way the essential oils are prepared from plant and flower extracts is sure to make them a bit pricey. Also, many plants, flowers, and herb extracts are required to make a small amount of essential oil.
Conclusion
Now the million-dollar question arises – which is better? Well, both fragrance oil and essential oil have their own set of purposes, advantages and disadvantages. It is entirely up to the soap maker to choose the type of oil he wants to make the soap.