When Natural Isn't Better (And When It Is)

I use both essential oils and fragrance oils in my products, and I'm not conflicted about that at all. 

In the handmade skincare world, that can feel like a confession. There's a strong current of thought that says natural is always better. Many people think if it came from a plant, it's safe and pure and good, and if it came from a lab, it's something to be suspicious of. I understand the instinct. But after years of formulating, I've landed somewhere more nuanced than that.

Here's my actual philosophy: the source matters less than the quality, the safety data, and the honesty behind it.

Poison ivy is natural. So is cinnamon bark essential oil, which can chemically burn skin at surprisingly low concentrations. "Natural" is a description of origin, not a guarantee of safety or quality. And on the flip side, a well-formulated fragrance oil from a supplier I trust (one that's phthalate-free, IFRA compliant, and tested for skin safety) has more documentation behind it than a lot of EOs I've seen floating around online.

That's the thing about cheap essential oils: adulteration is genuinely common. Lavender is one of the most frequently stretched EOs on the market, often cut with lavandin (a hybrid with a harsher scent profile) or synthetic components, with nothing on the label to tell you. A $6 bottle of "pure rose essential oil" is almost certainly not what it claims because real rose absolute costs hundreds of dollars per ounce at wholesale. You'd be paying for a lie, not a genuine product.

So when do I reach for essential oils? When the plant itself has something real to offer. The lavender in my magnesium products isn't just there to smell nice because lavender has a long history of calming properties that fits the whole purpose of a magnesium blend. The tea tree in my shampoo does something functional: the antimicrobial properties are real, and they support the whole point of a clarifying shampoo. Many of my goat's milk soaps are scented entirely with essential oils (lavender, lemon, peppermint, fir, tangerine, etc.) because the cost makes sense and the scent delivers. Those are moments where the essential oil earns its place, where the "natural" part of the story is actually true and meaningful.

And when do I use fragrance oils? When I want a scent that nature can't deliver at a reasonable cost or with reliable consistency. Rose and patchouli are beautiful EOs, but the economics are brutal at production scale. And some scents, like my new Wild Sage, or the warm complexity of a spiced tea soap, simply don't exist in a bottle off a distillation line. I source from a small supplier whose oils are phthalate-free and parabens-free, and I check the safety documentation on every single one before it goes into a product.

Neither choice is simple. Both take knowledge.

I think what I'm really pushing back on is the idea that choosing a fragrance oil means you don't care, that it's the corner-cutting option. In my experience, corner-cutting happens when makers reach for whatever's cheapest and slap "natural" on the label because it tests well in focus groups. That's the thing worth being skeptical of. Not the ingredient itself, but the intention and the transparency behind it.

When I make something for you, I want to be able to tell you exactly what's in it and why. Sometimes that's a plant. Sometimes it's a thoughtfully sourced fragrance compound. Always, it's something I'd put on my own skin first.

And that's the standard I'm working from.