What's the Difference between Essential and Fragrance Oils?

Choosing the perfect soap for your skin goes beyond mere cleansing; it's about indulging your senses while treating your skin to the care it deserves. And with so much to choose from, the scent of your soap becomes a major choice, affecting your everyday experience of your own body.

Fragrance and essential oils are both wonderful, but they have distinct differences. Understanding their unique characteristics and implications is vital in selecting the ideal soap for your individual preferences and needs. So, in this blog, we’re exploring the differences between these oils and how to choose the best soap for you.

"I love the Lavender Peppermint Goat Milk Soap! I have used it in the shower for a few years now, and love the way it makes my skin feel and the fragrance is so special! I rarely use lotion…don’t need to!" - Heather H.

Essential Oils vs Fragrance Oils

As more people continue to uncover the benefits of goat milk soaps and other skincare products, essential oils are commonly confused with fragrance oils. There are several differences between the two. Let's dive into the intricacies that differentiate fragrance and essential oils.

• Mode of Manufacturing: The main difference between essential and fragrance oils is how they are manufactured. The essential oils are sourced from natural materials, while fragrance oils are made in a lab.
• Type of Scent: Common essential oil scents include lavender, grapefruit, and peppermint. On the other hand, fragrance oil scents include lovely fabricated scents like French vanilla and cherry blossom.

"The Ocean Goat Milk Soap is truly a favorite. In addition to all the superb qualities of the goat milk soaps in general, its subtle clean fragrance takes me to the beach when I can't be there in person!" - Linda C.

• Source: The ingredients used to manufacture the two oils differ significantly, and these ingredients come from different sources. For instance, essential oils are made from aromatic plant parts, while fragrance oils are mainly sourced from synthetic components.
• Usage: Essential oils are most often used in soaps, aromatherapy, detergents, and vaporizers, while fragrance oils tend to be used in sprays, perfumes, lotions, and scented candles. However, both types of oils can technically be used in all of these scented products.
• Shelf Life: Another distinctive feature between fragrance oils and essential oils is their shelf life. In this case, essential oils have a long shelf life of 2 to 15 years, while fragrance oils have a shorter shelf life of around 1 year.
• Price Point: Essential oils are generally more expensive than fragrance oils. Essential oils require planting, cultivating, and harvesting plants before extracting their aromatic compounds. You also need many plants or herbs to extract even the smallest quantity of this oil.
• Benefits: The two oil types come in handy with different benefits. Essential oils give aromatherapeutic advantages to their users and are long-lasting. On the other hand, fragrance oils can mimic scents not found in nature, and their cost of production is lower.

Oatmeal Milk and Honey soap, it makes my skin feel so soft and clean. The lather was great. The scent of this soap smells fresh and clean." - Sherry

• Disadvantages: As with most products, these oils do come with their own set of limitations. Essential oils can be on the pricier side, and if using them with pets and babies, it’s important to check their quality. On the other hand, fragrance oils lack any therapeutic properties and tend to have a relatively short shelf life.

Where Do Essential and Fragrance Oils Come From?

To understand where essential and fragrance oils are sourced, we must know how each is produced. Here’s the info:

Essential Oils

Essential oils are liquids or compounds naturally derived from various parts of plants. This oil usually possesses an essence or "flavor" characteristic of the plant from which it is derived. In other words, each plant has its unique aromatic compounds. For instance, citrus essential oils are from citrus fruits like grapefruits, while rose essential oils are from rose petals.

Most of these oils are derived from plants through distillation with steam or water. Nevertheless, some, like citrus oils, are obtained through mechanical methods like cold-pressing.

"I love Thieves Defense soap! It’s one of my all-time favorites! I love the smell from the essential oils and their immune-boosting benefits. Definitely one I will keep in stock at home!" - Noelle M.

Fragrance Oils

On the other hand, fragrance oils are manufactured in labs to imitate a naturally occurring flavor or scent. They are man-made and, as such, do not come from nature. Fragrance oils exist in two categories:

Synthetic Fragrance Oils

They are manufactured from artificial chemical components. Unlike naturally occurring fragrances, these hold their scent for much longer.

"I decided to try Clean Cotton to find out if it smelled like the fresh laundry my mother hung on the clothesline years ago. AND IT DOES!!! How you got that sunshine smell in a bar of soap, I don’t know, but it is wonderful! The soap feels fresh and clean on my skin..." - Joy G.

Natural Fragrance Oils

Despite their name, these fragrance oils are still man-made. They are manufactured by isolating a naturally derived scent from a complex one. For instance, geraniol fragrance is derived from roses, and limonene is from lemons.

Essential Oils in Goat Milk Soap

Are you looking for a naturally scented soap for your morning bath, or do you need help with acne or pimples? Try Goat Milk Stuff products! Goat Milk Soaps scented with essential oils smell great and give off a naturally derived plant fragrance.

"Lemongrass has been one of my favorite Goat Milk Stuff soaps since I began buying their soaps several years ago. It’s such a fresh scent—try it, you won’t be sorry!" - Kathleen L.

Goat Milk Stuff has plenty of essential oils to fit every person's preference and taste. Whichever type of essential oil soap you choose will leave your skin feeling great. Some of the essential oils in goat milk soap include:

Tea Tree Essential Oil Goat Milk Soap

The tea tree scent is derived from the leaves of Melaleuca alternifolia. The Tea Tree Goat Milk Soap has a solid and camphor-like scent similar to the fragrance produced by peppermint and eucalyptus. Thanks to these characteristics, it leaves the skin smooth while helping you feel fresh.

Since tea tree essential oil is believed to have antibacterial and antifungal properties, it comes in handy with many benefits. Some of the benefits of tea tree essential oil include:

1. It can help boost the immune system.
2. It may help with skin issues such as acne and splitting skin.
3. It can enhance the cleaning efficiency of soaps.

"Tea Tree soap is lovely. The scent is not overpowering and you will not walk out of the shower smelling like you dabbed on some essential tea tree oil. It is light and refreshing. Thus far it works well on heat rash and acne. This has become a family favorite." - Cherylynn G.

Lavender Essential Oil Goat Milk Soap

Lavender Oil is extracted from a purple flower from the Lavender plant. The essential oil has a lovely-smelling fragrance that is attractive to many users. Although this sweet aroma has versatile advantages, the calming and relaxing feeling it gives its users is perhaps the best characteristic.

The benefits of the lavender essential oil include:

1. The oil is known to provide a calming and relaxing feeling.
2. It may relieve chest and sinus congestion.
3. Lavender oil may help alleviate acne, pimples, inflammations, and wrinkles.

"I absolutely love the Lavender goat milk soap. The scent is luscious and the lather is so silky. Thank you for continuing to make such a quality product." - Betty W.

Peppermint Goat Milk Soap

Peppermint's sharp and refreshing scent makes it a robust mental stimulant. Apart from its fantastic aroma, it also helps nourish and maintain the skin's natural moisture. Coupled with the vitamins, acids, and minerals naturally occurring in goat milk, this peppermint-scented soap provides superb cleanliness and is an excellent alternative to synthetic soaps.

The benefits of peppermint essential oil include the following:

1. The oil may help relieve stress.
2. It can improve blood circulation and reduce skin inflammation.
3. It can help fight bacteria.
4. It may relieve headaches.

"I really love the smell of the Peppermint soap. So fresh and invigorating!" - Deb T.

At Goat Milk Stuff, it doesn’t end there. We offer a wide collection of essential oil milk soaps, so you can find one that suits your preferences perfectly.

Other Benefits of Essential Oils

• They are frequently used in therapy to help reduce stress and anxiety.
• Essential oils, specifically lavender, can improve sleep and potentially reduce insomnia.
• They have antibiotic and antimicrobial characteristics.
• They are often used for scenting homes or freshening laundry.
• Essential oils like citronella can repel mosquitoes.

"The Almond is my favorite scent. But a close second would be Lavender Peppermint. I love all the essential oil soaps, I can’t tolerate artificial fragrance. My skin is clean, soft and not dry at all." - Lucy K.

Fragrance Oils in Goat Milk Soap

Let's face it! Human beings have developed some really fantastic scents not found in natural essential oils, and as such, these are often the favorite. That’s why we try our best to provide our users with a natural bar soap that is ideal for the skin rather than leaving them to purchase chemical-laden soap bars.

Therefore, in addition to soaps with essential oils, Goat Milk Stuff also offers soaps with fragrance oil. We ensure that our fragrance oils are free from parabens and phthalates so that they’re only beneficial for your skin - none of the bad stuff.

Other ingredients that we do not include in our fragrance oil goat milk soaps are:

• Triclosan
• Chemical Preservatives
• Dyes
• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate
• Propylene

We color our goat milk soaps but avoid artificial colors (Dyes) when doing so. Instead, we use food oxides, ultramarines, or foods like beet powder to color them naturally.

In like manner, Goat Milk Stuff has plenty of fragrance oil options to fit every user's preferences. Some of the fragrance oil soaps here include:

• Black Raspberry Goat Milk Soap – mimics the fresh scent of berries.

"I love the smell of the Black Raspberry soap! As with all the others I’ve tried, my skin feels wonderful! I couldn’t imagine going back to regular soap, goat milk soap is far superior than any other soap I’ve tried for my allergy prone skin. I love it.!" - Sharon F.

• Nautical Goat Milk Soap – a slight aquatic and nautical scent bringing to mind a day of boating.

"This soap (Nautical) is a great scent for me! I love the musky fresh scent that it has, and as a man, it makes me smell fantastic without being overwhelming. It also complements the other colognes or scents that I wear." - Damoni W.

• Evergreen Goat Milk Soap – provides strong and clean scents of balsam fir, cedar, and pine.
• Gardenia Goat Milk Soap – has a light floral scent that mimics the smell of gardenia flowers.
• Vanilla Goat Milk Soap – the soap has a sweet, warm vanilla scent that provokes childhood memories.

"Thank you for such good and healthful soap products. The Vanilla soap is beautiful to handle and has a lovely, soothing fragrance." - Kim F.

How to Choose Between Essential Oils and Fragrance

Now that we have seen the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils, we know that soaps can vary significantly, not just in their makeup but also in their effects on your skin. That said, the ideal soap option for you is best suited to fit your skincare needs.

Many users have various skin conditions and sensitivities to different scents. If you suffer from such conditions, it would be best to choose unscented soaps such as the Purity Goat Milk Soap. "Unscented" soap, as the name suggests, is free from any added scents. When making unscented products, we do not add essential or fragrance oils, keeping them pure and simple for sensitive skin.

"I love the Purity soap. I actually love all the soaps I’ve bought from Goat Milk Stuff. I’ve noticed the difference on my skin since I started using them. My husband uses them as well and it has helped clear up his skin. Won’t be going back to regular soaps or body washes. Give them a try, you won’t regret it!" - Holly H.

Why Choose Unscented Soap

1. If you have known allergies or your skin is sensitive to scents.
2. If you are trying to diagnose the cause of an allergy or skin irritation.
3. If you are struggling with eczema, dry skin, or other severe skin conditions.

Final Verdict on Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils Soap

If you have no underlying skin conditions and are interested in trying the Goat Milk Stuff scented soap, the travel bars are your go-to solution. These smaller bars are great options for trying scents without committing to a larger bar.

"I’m a very seasonal person, and I normally buy products that reflect that particular season. I bought the travel size of the Gardenia scent GMS soap. I was pleasantly surprised with the scent. It was a lovely Gardenia scent that was not overpowering at all." - Cecilia R.

Essential oils, derived from nature, offer a range of therapeutic and aromatic benefits. Fragrance oils, conversely, are crafted in laboratories and open the door to captivating scents not found in nature. But while we maintain a commitment to skin-friendly ingredients, not all soap manufacturers are as careful, and some of these soaps can have chemicals and other ingredients that you don’t want on your skin daily.

The choice between essential and fragrance oils extends beyond mere scent; it's a decision that shapes your daily self-care ritual. So whether you choose the soothing essential oils or alluring fragrance oils, your soap will reflect your individual preferences, enhancing your well-being one lather at a time. Enjoy!