I finally got around to doing something I've been meaning to do for a while. You will notice that there are two departments added in the tabs, the Future Collection and the Primitive Collection.
In the future collection you will find scents that have been blended using a combination of fine fragrances (and sometimes essential oils). These scents are the ones that I blend to create the more exotic scents that you cannot find naturally. If you have ever tried finding, say, strawberry essential oil or something that smells like autumn fruits, or cake etc you will have noticed that these scents are not available as a natural derivative. These scents can only be made with aroma chemicals, but that's not to say that these chemicals are not safe for use on your skin. They are generally used at such a low concentration and have been lab tested to ensure that they are safe to use externally. There are very strict guidelines that fragrance manufacturers have to follow, and I always buy from reputable suppliers. Just because something is not plant derived does not mean that it isn't safe.
In the Primitive Collection you will only find products that have been made using only pure essential oils for scent and for their therapeutic properties. All of my blends are made by hand, and from my own imagination. It's worth me noting that just because an essential oil is naturally derived from a plant does not automatically make it safe to use. There are many essential oils that should never be used on the skin, and many of them can only be used in very small quantities due to the allergens that they contain. The same applies to fragrances. Many of them also contain those same allergens. So, if you really want to compare the two, the only thing you can say is that one comes from a lab, and one comes from a plant. It's worth mentioning however, that essential oils are processed in a much more labour intensive way, and they require one heck of a lot of plant parts to produce them, which is why some people do not like using them due to the environmental impact.
Over the years I have come to enjoy utilising both fragrance and essential oils. I really don't have a preference. The only thing I am stict on is safety.
So, there you have it. My opinion on both fragrance and essential oils. I hope this has been somewhat helpful.
Tiggy.