The creation and use of essential oils can be dated back as far as the ancient Egyptians where oils such as cedar wood and lavender were used during mummification processes as well as during religious observance, perfuming and early cosmetics where plant oils were pressed or steeped in fats and oil. The wide use of botanical extracts was so accepted that there was even a god, Nefertem; who was deemed to be born of an exquisite lotus flower and known as the god of perfume and beauty.
Over time, the use of essential oils and plant extracts spread further afield and in pre medieval times it became common to use pleasant scents of plants to cover up odours such as lavender buds added to straw strewn as floor covering, plants such as rosemary in cooking to add flavour and scented body oils and burning incense for aromatic or religious purposes – even as pomanders in an attempt to reduce plague infection. Herbal use of plant extracts in medicine became more common as monasteries cultivated cloister gardens with plants for healing purposes.
In the late 16th century and early 17th century, John Gerard and Nicholas Culpepper published written guides for herbal medicine, including essential oils, poultices, infusions that combined with the conventional medicine practiced in these times.
Aromatherapy as we know it today started in the early 20th century as scientific methods of assessing healing were applied by Rene Gattefosse and Jean Valnet with disease and war providing many patients. Work by these and other individuals contributed to the culmination of aromatherapy research undertaken by Robert Tisserand who published the The Art of Aromatherapy in 1977. More formal training and professional organisation memberships were developed establishing Aromatherapy quite firmly as an alternative medicine.
Within cosmetics, the development of synthetic fragrances grew as did regulation around ingredient safety and manufacturer responsibilities. Use of essential oils in ‘natural’ products for the public to enjoy has grown substantially and can cause a distinct muddling of the claims that can be made about these products.
In a nut shell, unlike aromatherapy use of essential oils, for cosmetic purposes they are included solely for scent purposes as an alternative to synthetic fragrance oils. Neither the cosmetic regulation nor medicinal legislation allow for any health claims in cosmetic products. When it comes to cosmetics, we have to leave any aromatherapy training or experience squarely at the door. It cannot be applied to cosmetic products where addition levels are restricted far more than may be used by aromatherapy practitioners to named clients.
Generally, as a rule of thumb, we can include most essential oils at 3% in rinse off products such as bath bombs, scrubs or soap and 1% in leave on products such as body butter, body massage oils. There are some other product types such as nail oils, pulse point products etc that come under different IFRA categories that may have slightly different allowances but you will be advised during the assessment process if that is the case.
Similarly, some essential oils are restricted to different degrees eg lemongrass, clove bud, rose or basil and some cannot be included eg cinnamon bark (leaf is ok), lemon verbena, wintergreen due to cosmetic restrictions or prohibitions on specific components.
Just remember, while soaking in the bath with a nicely scented bath bomb or a body massage oil may be highly relaxing and even restful before a sleep; it is the experience itself of the bath or massage that can cause this; not the essential oils included in the product!
We hope you enjoyed this little wander through the history of essential oil usage and their development as a regular ingredient in cosmetic products. Please keep an eye out for our blog post with instructions for blending essential oils to create your own finished blends
