The Benefits of Essential Oils vs Fragrances in Soap

Soap describes all kinds of cosmetic products used by both men and women. From bar soaps and shower gels through to bath foam, shampoo and cleanser, we use a lot of soap products every day. 

Usually, one of the things we like best about our soap products is the way they smell. A nice smelling soap is enjoyable to use and leaves you smelling great for hours after use. 

The fragrance used in soap can come from one of three things - essential oils, fragrance oils or perfumes. 

These can both be used to create all kinds of pleasant aromas for soaps, whether you like a floral fragrance, a fresh, herbal smell, or something fruity.

They can also be used to create more unusual smells used in soaps, such as the smell of chocolate. 

Whether you are making your own soap or shopping for soaps that are best for your skin, it is, on the whole, better to opt for essential oils as the fragrant element. 

Most major brands use perfumes or synthetic fragrance oils rather than essential oils, but if you can, you should seek out products that use essential oils instead as they are far better for your hair and skin. 

What Are Essential Oils? 

Essential oils are natural essences from plants. 

They are taken from real plant material via a number of different methods, including pressing and distillation. 

All kinds of plant matter can be used to produce essential oils, so there is an almost endless variety of different scents that can be produced in this way. 

Blending different essential oils can produce even more sophisticated fragrance combinations for use in soap and cosmetics. 

Fragrance oils are synthetic aroma oils which replicate essential oils from things that you can't get an essential oil out of (like banana) or things that do have essential oils, but they are very costly to produce (like sandalwood). Perfumes are wholly artificial aromas. 

Why Are Essential Oils Better Than Fragrance Oils or Perfumes? 

Essential oils are far less likely to cause irritation to the skin, because they are natural rather than artificially produced. 

While fragrance oils used in cosmetics have to be tested and verified as safe for use on normal skin, if you have sensitive skin or suffer from skin problems like acne, eczema or rosacea, you may find that synthetic aromas can irritate your skin and exacerbate your condition. 

Essential oils are also kinder to hair, so if your hair is dry and over processed, using shampoos and conditioners fragranced with essential oils rather than chemical perfumes will give you better results. 

Essential oils tend to be more environmentally friendly, as they are plant extractions rather than a chemical concoction.

If you are careful about the foods you eat and prefer to only put natural, organic things into your body, you may also want to think about how natural the things you use on the outside are, and switch to soaps and cosmetics scented with essential oils.