Essential Oils vs Fragrance Oils
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The scent is the ingredient.
Here's what that actually means.
By Audrey · Founder · Audere Pure, Berkshire
Spring felt like the right moment to write this. Not in a light a candle and relax way. In a what is that actually doing on my skin way. Because there is a real difference between fragrance oils and essential oils, and once you see it you cannot unsee it.
Let's start with a word you have probably scrolled past without thinking: fragrance.
It shows up on labels as 'parfum' or 'fragrance', sitting quietly near the bottom of an ingredients list. It looks harmless. Under UK cosmetics regulation though, that one word is a catch-all. It can legally represent hundreds of undisclosed synthetic chemicals. Manufacturers are not required to tell you what's in it. Any of it. Even when the rest of the product is positioned as natural.
I am not writing this to frighten you. I'm writing it because I think you deserve to know what you are looking at. And because it explains exactly why every Audere Pure product is formulated the way it is.
When you see 'fragrance' on a label, you are looking at a blank space where transparency should be. I made a decision early on: nothing in Audere Pure would be there just to smell nice.— Audrey, Founder of Audere Pure
So what are essential oils, really?
Essential oils are plant extracts. Lavender from lavender flowers. Sweet Orange from orange peel. Frankincense from resin. Each one carries the natural compounds of the plant it came from.
Those compounds do things. They calm, clarify, brighten, renew. The scent you experience is a result of the plant chemistry, not the goal of it. That is what makes essential oils completely different from fragrance oils, which are synthetic and exist only to produce a smell.
When I chose the oils in our range, I was not thinking about which ones smell the nicest. I was thinking about what each one does for your skin, your body, your mind. The scent is a bonus.
The oils in our range and why they are there
Every oil below is plant derived, named in full on our product labels, and safety assessed as part of our UK Cosmetics Regulation compliance.
One of the most prized oils in natural skincare and one of the most expensive to produce. It takes roughly 1,000kg of flowers to yield 1kg of oil. While most oils work at the surface, Helichrysum supports the skin's deeper repair processes: reducing redness, encouraging cell regeneration, building luminosity over time. It is in our Bakuchiol serum because nothing else does what it does.
A grounding, restorative oil that supports cell renewal and helps refine the appearance of pores. It works quietly and consistently, which is exactly what you want from a skincare ingredient. You will find it in two of our products for good reason.
Calming, anti-inflammatory and balancing for all skin types. Not the synthetic lavender that shows up in most high street products. The real thing, chosen for what it does to your skin and your nervous system at the end of a long day.
Brightening and naturally uplifting. Rich in antioxidants and one of the gentlest essential oils in our range, which makes it a good fit for most skin types including sensitive.
Purifying and naturally clarifying. Supports circulation and brings a clean, revitalising quality that works particularly well alongside magnesium for post-activity recovery.
Known for its naturally antibacterial properties. Keeps skin clear and supported, particularly in areas prone to friction. Clean and purposeful with no fuss.
Uplifting and gently clarifying with a citrus quality that lifts the mood as much as it supports the skin. It brings a balance to our Body Butter range that I really love.
How to spot the difference on any label
You do not need to memorise botanical Latin to know what you are looking at. One rule covers most situations.
If the label says fragrance or parfum it is synthetic. One word, no further detail required from the brand.
If it says Lavandula Angustifolia Oil or Helichrysum Italicum Flower Oil you are looking at a real plant extract, named in full. That is the standard we hold every Audere Pure product to.
Any product using genuine essential oils will list each one individually. There is no shorthand and no catch-all. You will always see the plant name.
And for your family
A lot of the women who buy from Audere Pure are mums. They are buying for themselves and they are often buying for their daughters too. That matters to me when I formulate.
Younger skin is more permeable than adult skin. What goes on gets in, and that is worth being thoughtful about. It is one of the reasons our BLOOM range was built fragrance oil free from the start, and why we safety assess every product independently.
I want you to feel confident about what you are choosing. Not because I have told you it is good, but because you can read the label and see it for yourself.
Thank you for reading this far. I hope it is useful the next time you pick up a product and wonder what you are actually looking at.
— Audrey · Founder, Audere Pure · Handmade in BerkshireShop the range
Small batch, safety assessed, fragrance oil free. Every scent from a named plant.