Heroes or Villains? The Truth About Fragrance Oils and Essential Oils

If you’ve ever wandered over to a skincare aisle or scrolled a soap blog, you’ve probably seen it: fragrance oils portrayed as villains and essential oils as heroes. But is it really that simple?

As makers, this topic hits close to home for us at Douglas-Smith Soap Co. We handle these ingredients in their most concentrated forms, so we take safety seriously — for ourselves and for the people who use what we make.

In this blog, we’ll separate the myths from the reality, exploring how both fragrance oils and essential oils can delight your senses — or irritate your skin. From safety and stability to longevity and scent impact, you’ll learn how to choose and balance them in the bath and candle products you purchase with confidence.

What Are Fragrance Oils?

Fragrance oils are aromatic blends formulated in a lab to smell amazing and stay consistent from batch to batch. They’re created with a mix of aroma compounds and natural ingredients like essential oils, extracts, and resins.

They may include:

• Natural isolates (single scent molecules taken from plants, like vanillin from vanilla beans)

• Synthetic aromatics (lab-made versions of natural scents or completely new ones)

• Stabilizers (to make the scent last in soap or lotion)

They don’t come directly from a plant the way essential oils do, but evidence shows that doesn't automatically make them “bad”. Today’s cosmetic-grade fragrance oils are more carefully formulated than ever before and tested for safe use on skin (de Groot & Schmidt, 2022).

Why Do People Worry About Them?

1. Labeling rules – In the U.S., “fragrance” can be listed as one single ingredient on a label, even though it may contain dozens of components. That lack of transparency makes people uneasy.

2. Skin sensitivity – Fragrance ingredients are among the most common triggers of skin irritation and contact dermatitis in cosmetic products. Even though they’re meant to smell good, they can irritate skin or trigger allergic responses — (please note: this is true whether they come from essential oils or synthetic blends)(Johansen, 2015). If you’ve got sensitive skin, you may have to patch-test.

3. Outdated ingredients – Some older fragrance oils used phthalates and other ingredients now linked to health or environmental concerns. Today, most suppliers and makers have moved to phthalate-free formulas that follow IFRA (International Fragrance Association) safety standards.

What About Essential Oils?

Essential oils are extracted in a lab from herbs, flowers, and plants, most often through steam distillation. That involves heating the components until a gas is released, then condensing the gas back into a liquid. It’s a gentle process that ensures the sensitive compounds don’t break down. Despite this carefully controlled, distillation process, essential oils are considered to be "natural" but “natural” doesn’t mean risk-free.

Why do so many people think essential oils are always the safer choice?

1. “Natural” feels safe — but nature can be potent. 🌿

People often assume that because essential oils come from plants, they’re automatically gentle. But natural doesn’t always mean mild — peppermint, cinnamon, clove, and citrus oils, for example, can irritate or even burn skin when used at high concentrations. Certain essential oils can’t be used in leave-on products, others can’t be used with certain health conditions. Mother Nature makes strong stuff!

2. They forget that oils are concentrated chemistry. ⚗️

It takes pounds of raw plant material to make a few drops of essential oil. That means every drop is highly concentrated — far more powerful than the plant itself. Even “natural” essential oils can trigger allergic reactions or irritation in sensitive individuals (Hagen et al., 2016). Without proper dilution, essential oils can overwhelm skin or trigger sensitization over time.

3. Label confusion and “clean” marketing blur the facts. 🧴

Terms like “pure,” “therapeutic-grade,” or “clean” make essential oils sound safer than formulated fragrance oils. But, like the term “fragrance”, these aren’t regulated terms either— they’re just marketing language. Without understanding usage rates or safety data, even a “pure” oil can be misused.

Heroes, Villains, and the Truth in Between

Many people automatically worry about fragrance oils and trust essential oils — but reality is rarely so simple. While marketing and popular opinion often cast fragrances as villains and essential oils as heroes, the truth is more nuanced. Both can cause skin reactions in sensitive individuals (Johansen, 2015; Hagen et al., 2016), and each has its strengths and limitations when it comes to stability, longevity, and safety.

So before picking a side, let’s separate myth from fact. Here’s the science we actually have:

• Allergens — Proven: Both fragrance oils and essential oils can cause reactions in sensitive people (Hagen et al., 2016).

  
  

• Hormone disruption — Mixed evidence: Mainly linked to phthalates, which are much less common today (Kunz, Fuchs, & Weisshaar, 2021).

  
  

• General safety: Cosmetic-grade fragrance oils are designed and tested for safe use on skin (de Groot & Schmidt, 2022).

  
  

Finding the Perfect Balance

So how do you actually pick the right scents for your bath, candle, or soap products? The truth is, it’s not about heroes versus villains — it’s about knowing what each one does best. Here’s how to think about the strengths of fragrance oils vs. essential oils when choosing products:

• Long-lasting vs. pure aroma: Fragrance oils are your go-to for scents that stick around. While essential oils give that fresh, botanical smell, they are sometimes a little delicate under heat or light and can fade in cold process soap and candles.

  
  

• Skin-friendly choices: Both types of oils can cause reactions in sensitive skin, so it’s smart to start simple and see what works for you (Johansen, 2015). For example, if you know you have a sensitive nose and skin, but you want to try a hand made soap, start with something unscented, then use your nose and brain to guide you as you try scented options. Your brain is a pretty good guardian to your needs and if you listen to it, it will usually tell you right away if it’s not for you.

  
  

• A little preference in every product: if you’re looking for something that lasts, think of fragrance oils as trusty sidekicks that carry the scent all the way to the last candle burn or soak. If you’re drawn to products derived from roots in nature — essential oils can be your heroes that bring authenticity, aromatherapy perks, and that “wow” factor for your senses (Tisserand & Young, 2014).

  
  

When you understand their strengths, you can lean into your preferences to pick and combine scents for bath and candle products that are safe, enjoyable, long lasting and wonderfully aromatic — without worrying about who’s a hero or villain.

When shopping, the key is quality and transparency. Look for makers who use phthalate-free, IFRA-compliant fragrance oils, have access to allergen and safety notes, and follow IFRA guidelines in their formulations. This is key for both fragrance oils and essential oils. Always patch-test if you’ve got sensitive skin.

Note: We exclusively use www.brambleberry.com for our fragrance oils because of their quality, extensive testing, notes for use and easy open access to their safety data and allergen testing. Their essential oils are also fairly priced, distilled specifically for what we do and they have a fragrance calculator for responsible usage rates. We also source essential oils from www.newdirections.com and www.naturepackaged.com

The Final Plot Twist

At Douglas-Smith Soap Co., we’ve done the work for you, with safety at the heart of everything we make; not only for you, but for ourselves! All you have to do is explore our website and shop.

We’ve proudly curated something for everyone — safely scented (according to IFRA guidelines) with options that contain essential oils as well as options that contain phthalate and paraben free fragrance oils (more on parabens in an upcoming blog). We have unscented options, and even customizable ones. We invite you to stop by our store for a sample to patch-test, or, if you’re shopping online, send us a message to find your perfect match. Your nose and your skin will thank you.

Now that you know the difference, we invite you to let your inclinations come forward! We hope this inspires you to explore a variety of scents with curiosity and joy — to find aromas that make your everyday feel a little more intentional and a little more beautiful. From our hands to yours, happy shopping!

Check out our website! Enter DREAMY in the promo code at check out and get 15% off each item.

SHOP HERE

If you made it THIS far, THANK YOU for reading!

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Have a topic you'd like to learn more about? We invite you to make your suggestions in the comments below!

Treat Yourself and Your Skin Well,

Michael and Kevin

References

Bramble Berry. (n.d.). Essential oils vs. fragrance oils. https://www.brambleberry.com/fragrance-and-essential-oils/essential-oils-vs-fragrance-oils.htm

Corsini, E., Galli, C. L., & Pesatori, A. (2019). Contact allergy to fragrances: In vitro opportunities for quantitative risk assessment. Cosmetics, 6(1), 3. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/6/1/3

de Groot, A. C. (2020). Fragrances: Contact allergy and other adverse effects. Dermatitis, 31(3), 109‑117. https://www.contactderm.org/UserFiles/file/Fragrances__Contact_Allergy_and_Other_Adverse.3-1.pdf

de Groot, A. C., & Schmidt, E. (2022). Essential oils – Natural products not necessarily safe. Contact Dermatitis, 87(3), 179‑188. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8243157/

Ghasemi, H., & Gharajeh, K. (2023). The therapeutic potential of essential oils in managing skin conditions: A scoping review. Pharmaceuticals, 17(5), 571. https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/17/5/571

Hagen, S., Warshaw, E. M., Belsito, D. V., Fowler, J. F., Taylor, J. S., & DeKoven, J. G. (2016). Allergic contact dermatitis to essential oils. DermNet NZ. https://dermnetnz.org/topics/allergic-contact-dermatitis-to-essential-oils

Johansen, J. D. (2015). Fragrances: Contact allergy and other adverse effects. Dermatitis, 26(3), 109‑117. https://www.contactderm.org/UserFiles/file/Fragrances__Contact_Allergy_and_Other_Adverse.3-1.pdf

Kunz, S., Fuchs, M., & Weisshaar, E. (2021). Ubiquity, hazardous effects, and risk assessment of fragrances in consumer products. Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology, 60(2), 217‑232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40521-020-00275-7

Rahmi, D., Yunilawati, R., Jati, B. N., Setiawati, I., Riyanto, A., Batubara, I., & Astuti, R. I. (2021). Antiaging and skin irritation potential of four main Indonesian essential oils. Cosmetics, 8(4), 94. https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9284/8/4/94

Schaefer, L., & Holtman, G. (2012). Adverse effects of aromatherapy: A systematic review of case reports. Wiener Medizinische Wochenschrift, 162(19‑20), 406‑410. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22936057/

Stanford Medicine. (2022, December). Are “natural” skin products irritating your skin? https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2022/12/are-natural-skin-products-irritating-your-skin.html