What are fragrance oils made of?

What are fragrance oils made of?

Fragrance oils are a mixture composed of essential oils, synthetic aroma chemicals, and aromatic resins.  In order to achieve the scent that a perfumist is trying to achieve, the perfumist has more than 3000 different fragrance ingredients that he may use (natural and synthetic).  These ingredients come in the form of liquid, powder, or crystalline.  In order for a perfumist to be able to dissolve the powder and/or crystalline ingredients into liquid oil, he must use solvents.  A common solvent that has been used for over 50 years is DEP (Di Ethyl Phthalate).  While this solvent has been declared as safe by even the most intense worldwide standards, many companies, such as Natures Garden, decided years ago to only add fragrance oils to our line that were phthalate-free (at the request of many customers).  Additionally, 99% of our old fragrance oils were reformulated phthalate-free years ago; our perfumist used alternative solvents that were phthalate-free.

Although solvents are a necessary component in fragrance oil production, some companies may sell fragrance oils that contain diluents:  cutting agents that ultimately reduce the strength of a fragrance oil.  A common diluent is DPG (Di Propylene Glycol).  Important note to anyone who is using fragrance oils for making or soap making:  Never use food fragrance oils that contain DPG for these applications.  DPG prevents a candle from burning correctly, and is one of the main reasons that Cold Process Soap seizes.  Natures Garden sells concentrated fragrance oils, and we never dilute our fragrance oils.   Although diluents should not be used for candle making or soap making, they are a necessary ingredient to use when making incense/potpourri (cones, sticks, and liquid).  Another example of the need to use diluents is when making candles with essential oils.  Some essential oils may need to be thinned out with a diluent so that they can properly travel up the wick and burn correctly.  Typical diluents added to essential oils for this purpose are:  iso Propyl Myristate, or di-Octyl Adipate.  Neither of these diluents are natural, but are effective for this purpose.  According to our perfumist, in order to create natural candles, fractionated coconut oil may be used as a diluent for essential oils; however, we have not personally tested this.  As stated above:  Never add DPG to essential oils for candle making or soap making.   All of the essential oils sold at Natures Garden are 100% pure and unadulterated.  Therefore, it is up to you to add diluents to them when making candles.