What’s the difference between natural fragrance and essential oils?

Whether it’s the lemony scent of a supermarket dishwashing liquid or the light floral aroma of lavender in a body cream, the scents of nature often appear in home and personal care products. So what’s the difference between conventional soaps and detergents that feature citrus scents and the Koala Eco range of natural home and personal care products?

The answer lies in the ingredient list. Flip over the lemony dishwashing liquid or lavender body cream and you’ll find the scent isn’t lemon or lavender itself but contained in the words ‘natural fragrance’ or simply ‘fragrance.’ Regulations surrounding fragrance labelling don’t require each individual ingredient to be listed, with the word ‘fragrance’ able to house hundreds of potentially harmful ingredients. Meanwhile, Koala Eco products are powered by essential oils, which provide them with not only their refreshing and invigorating scents, but also add to their cleaning prowess and provide additional therapeutic benefits.

Here’s why the difference is so important.

What is a fragrance or natural fragrance oil?

Fragrance oils can be natural or synthetic, with both varieties produced in a laboratory. Despite their name, natural fragrance oils also contain synthetic compounds (sometimes including benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and toluene), however, these are paired with aromatic plant parts or even a small amount of essential oils. Cheaper to produce than essential oils, fragrance and natural fragrance oils boast the scent of the plant or flower they’re replicating (e.g., rose, lavender, peppermint), but do not contain any of the therapeutic or medicinal properties found in these plants. When cleaning products include natural fragrance oils, these oils do not contribute to the cleaning ability of the product; this is produced by surfactants and chemicals.

What are essential oils?

Essential oils are concentrated extracts of plants. Derived from the aromatic portion of plants (including flowers, stems, bark, and leaves), essential oils boast a scent stronger than the plant they came from, due to the high level of active ingredients in each drop. Essential oils are produced through either cold-pressing or through steam or water distillation. Unlike fragrance oils, essential oils retain the therapeutic benefits of the plant they came from. So, products with peppermint essential oil work to alleviate headaches, while those with eucalyptus essential oil aid in clearing the airways.

Every Koala Eco product is powered by botanical essential oils which provide both cleaning action and therapeutic benefits. Safe for the entire family, each product is effective without being harsh, harnessing the wild and wondrous power of nature within each bottle.

Explore our range of essential oil-powered cleaning and home care products here.