Pure is one of those words that might be the most overworked term in the essential oil business. It appears on tiny bottles of lavender, on big jugs of coconut oil, and plenty of skincare products that are basically not entirely natural.
All this leaves shoppers assuming that essential oil and pure oil are two names for the same thing, but in reality, they are not. In fact, mixing them is more than just mixing up two different terms, as one can’t be rubbed straight into your skin while the other needs to be measured in literal drops.
Fortunately for those who are confused about this, we’re here to provide an in-depth explanation of essential oil vs pure oil. Read on to learn everything you need to know.
What Is Essential Oil?
To put it simply, an essential oil is the concentrated aromatic essence of plants. That’s why a drop of lemon essential oil is as bright as many oranges, a drop of lavender essential oil is as calming as more than a handful of lavender, and a drop of peppermint oil is more than enough to call it punchy.
Most essential oils are extracted by steam distillation using plant materials, such as flowers, leaves, bark, or roots, where vapour carries the aromatic molecules. Experts in the essential oil space, like Wholesale Botanics, note that, in order to make high-quality oils, you need to have high-quality ingredients.
Overall, the defining trait between essential and pure oils is concentration. It can take entire fields of plant material to fill a small bottle, which is why essential oils are sold in millilitres and dosed in drops. This concentration is also the reason why you can’t just rub essential oils on your body. They must be treated with respect and used in drops instead.
What Is Pure Oil?
Pure oil, in everyday use, refers to the fatty plant oils pressed from seeds, nuts, and kernels. Some of the most popular pure oils include jojoba, sweet almond, coconut, castor, and even olive oil. In many uses, these oils are referred to as carrier oils or base oils. The name gives away their use, since they carry concentrated essential oils safely onto the skin.
Pure oils are made of lipids and fatty acids, and they don’t evaporate the same way essential oils do. Most carry only a faint scent of their source. That’s why they can be applied generously and daily to the skin without a second thought.
Essential Oil vs Pure Oil: 5 Differences You Should Know
We’ve covered enough about the two; now let’s get to the differences that you should know.
1. How They’re Made
Essential oils have to be made with steam distillation or peel pressing, which concentrates acres of crop into literally ounces. Carrier oils are simply pressed from oily seeds and nuts the way olive oil has been made for millennia, which is also why essential oils yield drops and pure oils yield bottles.
2. Scent and Potency
Due to how they’re made and the amount obtained from each process, essential oils can be noticed from across the room and then gradually evaporate, which is why they’re commonly used in aromatherapy. Pure oils, on the other hand, aren’t as potent and don’t carry their scent the same way essential oils do.
3. What They Do for the Skin
A carrier oil’s main job is to moisturise, soften, and seal the skin by creating a protective barrier with its high fatty acid content. Essential oils, on the other hand, bring scent and plant properties in small amounts, but you can’t rub essential oils the same way you can rub pure oils on the skin. You must mix both in appropriate amounts to get the benefit of both at the same time.
4. The Cost
The concentration sets the price of both essential oils and pure oils. Quality essential oils cost a lot more money per tiny bottle because of the sheer plant material behind each drop. However, you can buy in bulk or shop at places that typically sell in large quantities to save money, such as Wholesale Botanics.
5. Ageing Process
Essential oils don’t go rancid. Instead, they oxidise, fading in scent and becoming harsher on the skin, with most at their best for one to three years when stored properly. Carrier oils fail the opposite way, turning rancid like any fat, with lifespans ranging from months to years. What they share is that they mostly come with an expiration/best before date or a production date.
Essential Oil vs Pure Oil: Now You Know
We’ve covered essential oil vs pure oil and went over everything else you need to know. To summarise everything above, essential oils have potency and fragrance, whereas pure oils have moisturising properties and can be directly used on the skin.
Despite their differences, they work best together, so a well-stocked cabinet needs both essential oils and pure oils. Pick your aromatic drop, then the generous base, and let each one do its job to benefit your skin and overall well-being.
