How are Essential Oils Produced?
Most people are surprised to learn that it requires 2,000 kg of rose petals to produce 1kg of Rose essential oil, 6 tons of orange blossom to produce 1kg of Neroli, 400kg of thyme to produce 1kg of pure essential oil, and 4 million jasmine flowers to produce 1kg of Jasmine Absolute. Therefore, many essential oils are very expensive to produce, due to the labor intensive process and the quantity of the plant required to produce the oil.
Essential oils are the pure “essence” of a plant. The oils have been found to provide both psychological and physical benefits when used correctly and safely. There are over 400 essential oils currently available on the market today. Many of these oils are very difficult to find in retail stores.
It is important to note that oils used in perfumery, fragrance oils or “fragrances” are different then essential oils. Most perfumes contain chemically based copies of essential oils. This is done to preserve the scent of the perfume and to increase its shelf life. Most fragrances contain unnatural chemicals and do not provide the therapeutic benefits of essential oils.
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