Essential oils make skincare products smell great, but did you know that they have many other benefits? From feeding your skin with nutrients to uplifting your mood, these powerful ingredients take your skincare routine to the next level.
Essential oils do more than just smell good
Many natural skincare companies add essential oils for fragrance alone. Everyone loves products that smell nice, but essential oils offer incredible benefits for your skin and mood. Since they are extracted from natural botanicals, they are a match made in heaven for people who are sensitive to synthetic fragrances. This is the power of nature at its best.
How are essential oils different from fragrance oils?
Essential oils are extracted from plants, flowers, and herbs using steam distillation. After selecting a botanical ingredient, it is carefully heated which allows the plant’s natural gases to be released. The fragrant natural gases are then condensed into liquid form so they can be added to skincare products. This gentle extraction process leaves you with a 100% pure essential oil, free of any synthetic fillers.
Meanwhile, fragrance oils are quite different. They are made in a lab using a mix of natural ingredients that are blended with man-made compounds. Skilled chemists can mimic natural scents using aromatic chemicals, resins, and extracts to recreate the smell of anything from oranges to fruit punch. While they might smell nice, fragrances may contain hundreds of chemicals and synthetic ingredients.
Fragrance oils can be toxic
The problem is that many of these chemical ingredients are harmful to skin. Fragrance oils are often loaded with phthalates, which are harsh chemicals that can seep into skin and wreak havoc on your body. Research links phthalates to dangerous neurological, hormonal and reproductive disorders that can make you sick with longterm exposure.
Unfortunately, fragrance oils are found in everything from soaps to perfumes to hair care and skin products. Most people slather dozens of chemicals all over their bodies every day without realizing it. The danger is that these toxins can build up in the body over time, resulting in serious health problems. If you see ‘fragrance’ on the ingredients list of any beauty products, run the other way.
Essential oils are a safer way to enjoy natural scents in your personal care products. Here are three of Botanical Republic’s favorites:
Bergamot Essential Oil
Extracted from Italian bergamot fruit, this essential oil has amazing benefits. The secret is flavonoids, which are natural compounds that nourish and calm skin. Bergamot essential oil also contains Linalyl acetate, pinene, and linalool. These ingredients have disinfectant and anti-inflammation properties that are excellent for keeping skin clean and clear. The intoxicating scent of bergamot fruit is also said to reduce stress, which is one of the many reasons Regenerate Reviving Serum makes your day (and your skin!) a lot brighter.
Grapefruit Essential Oil
Who doesn’t love grapefruit? They’re tart and sweet at the same time. Adding grapefruit essential oil to skincare products gives a fresh, energizing aroma that plays well with the other natural scents in our favorite cleanser, Nourish Hydrating Essential Oil. Not only do they smell great, but the peel contains beneficial compounds that can have a dramatic effect on your skin. Grapefruit is packed with antioxidants that help cleanse and protect. It also has natural antibacterial activity that fights bacteria to support a blemish-free complexion.
Frankincense Essential Oil
Straight from the distilled and dried resin found inside tree bark, this exotic essential oil contains anti-inflammatory compounds like pinene and limonene to soothe skin and reduce the appearance of redness. It’s one of the key ingredients in Regenerate Reviving Serum for this reason. This hydrating serum is perfect for calming dry, sensitive skin while infusing it with healing botanicals that work like magic to transform your complexion overnight. Frankincense has a rich, comforting aroma layered with musk, wood, and spices that makes it perfect for winding down after a busy day.
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