Essential Oils vs. Fragrance Oils

You’re probably wondering why we use essential oils rather than fragrance oils, or why we insist on natural ingredients when it comes to scenting our ever popular ChloDough™ . It’s all to do with purity, mainly. We think that the purer something is, the better. 

So why do we insist on essential oils in our ChloDough™ ? Well, that’s what this blog post is all about.

If you’ve visited my Etsy shop, website or come across other businesses selling playdough, you’ll notice that the ingredients are always listed. You might notice ‘essential oils’ mentioned and will rarely see ‘fragrance oils’ listed, however are they genuinely essential oils? For example, there is no such thing as pure essential oil for scents such as ‘fresh cut grass’, strawberry, apple and many many more. That is why we use food flavouring for most of our dough.

Now, when it comes to playdough, other than food flavouring, there are simply two options: essential oils and fragrance oils. 

Here are five reasons why Chloe Rose Creations uses pure essential oils vs fragrance oils.

1. Essential oils are compounds extracted from plants, they capture the plant’s scent and flavour, or “essence.”
   Essential oils are obtained through distillation or mechanical methods, such as cold pressing.
   The way the oils are made is important, as essential oils obtained through chemical processes are not considered true essential oils.
2. Fragrance oils are diluted in a solvent base such as petroleum to make them last longer and give them a stronger aroma. And I just don’t fancy adding petroleum to anything I sell…
3. Pure essential oils have several health benefits. We all know that lavender has a calming effect but did you also know that lemon helps boost mood and peppermint boosts energy levels? Check out our Calming Lavender ChloDough™ here.

4. Due to them being made up of 100% natural substances, essential oils are less likely to cause irritation to the skin as opposed to fragrance oils which are created in a laboratory.
5. We are passionate about using natural ingredients in all of our products, so using synthetic oils that are created in a laboratory just does not sit right with me.

So those are just some of the reasons why we prefer using essential oils over fragrance oils, but in simple terms, it’s down to purity and safety. In most cases, fragrance oils are just that: scents which have been added to the oil so it can be sold for use in perfumes or candles. While fragrance oils can technically be considered safe as they do not contain carcinogenic substances, they have little to no therapeutic value and are usually made with synthetic ingredients.

Our ultimate take on this lies in the philosophy of what we do at Chloe Rose Creations. We make and sell ChloDough™ because being creative is an essential part of who we are. Our aim was first and foremost to create a child-centered, eco-friendly product that didn’t compromise our own values or expectations. We will continue to focus on quality and natural ingredients over profit, which means we use essential oils over fragrance oils because they are safer and of course, kind to little hands.