A lot of people choose essential oils as a way to relax in their own space. These essential oil products can give you relief from stress, relax your tense nerves, and even help you to have a good quality sleep. But are these scents really safe?
A lot of people choose essential oils as a way to relax in their own space. These essential oil products can give you relief from stress, relax your tense nerves, and even help you to have a good quality sleep. But are these scents really safe?
Generally, the ingredients of thea href="https://www.boneshop.comus/categories/accessory/wooden-diffuser/?utm_source=bonecollection&utm_medium=content_referral&utm_campaign=frank_essence_oil_200610"essential oils and fragrances</a>sold on the market can be divided into "artificial essential oils" and "natural essential oils". What's the difference between the two kinds of essential oils? Natural essential oils, as the name suggests, come from natural plants, while the main components of artificial flavors are almost all from chemical synthesis. Several studies by the US Department of health and public service (HHS) and the American Department of Dermatology Society (AAD) have pointed out that many components of the flavorings are highly correlated with allergens, environmental hormones, asthma-inducing agents and carcinogens. Prolonged exposure to these essences poses significant health risks.
Most of the essential oils and fragrance on the market are labeled as "long lasting fragrance" and use terms like " smell lingers for a long time" and "perfume diffusing bottle". Most of the “fragrance diffusing liquids” in these essential oils and perfuming products are ether, benzene, isopropanol, dipropylene glycol methyl ether (DPM) and other organic solvents, plus chemical flavorings.According to the ‘Wonderful Doctor's Tips for Raising Children between 0 and 12 Years of Age’, the most worrying components of organic solvents, such as ethyl ether and benzene are Grade I carcinogens, which not only make people dizzy, but can also induce leukemia, leading to liver and kidney failure. "Isopropanol", however, affects brain functions and degrades the memory.
So, how can we distinguish between artificial essences and natural essential oils? Dr. Yan Zonghai, director of Clinical Toxicology in the Department of Nephrology at Linkou Chang Gung, an authoritative hospital in Taiwan, said that artificial synthetic flavors contain some environmental hormone components such as plasticizer (phthalates), which can help scents to last for a long time, but can cause health hazards, while real essential oils contain hundreds of natural ingredients that will smell differently as the temperature changes, and won't linger like artificial essences.
Li Chunlian, director of the International Society of Vanilla Essential Oils, also said: “20 drops of artificial perfume is equivalent to 1 cc. of pure essential oil, you may lose the smell from the artificial perfume in 2 hours, however, the essence can maintain it for 2 or 3 days. If you look at them, the synthetic essential oils will be thicker than the natural essential oils, and most of the natural essential oils will drip like tap water. Natural essential oils will also have different colors, according to the plants they are extracted from, while artificial essential oils are chemically synthesized and just mimic the textures of the natural oils. In terms of price, due to the fact that each kind of essential oil has a different market price, depending on the different plant types, different sources of origin, the difficulty of extracting the essential oil and whether it is organic grade. If the price is much cheaper than the market price, or each flavor has the same price, it might not be a bargain, it may just be that the cost of chemical synthesis is lower.
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In short, artificial flavors are chemical blends, which are harmful to the body.Natural essential oils come from natural plants, and appropriate amounts of them can relax the body and mind, and different essential oils have different effects. Consulting a professional aromatherapy doctor can make the use of essential oil safer and healthier. You can choose a favorite flavor of essential oil at home or at your office desk, as long as you follow some simple safety principles and use the natural essential oil you like. Apart from making you feel happy and cozy, it will also stop you from inhaling harmful substances.
References:
* American non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the safe use of cosmetics - Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
- Campaign for Safe Cosmetics
* Steinemann A. Fragranced consumer products: exposures and effects from emissions. Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health. 2016:1-6.
* California Proposition 65. Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, 2015. Available online: http://oehha.ca.gov/prop65/prop65_list/Newlist.html
* Expert on essential oil identification: synthesis has a longer lasting smell / / TVBS news report:
* “Wonderful Doctor's Tips for Raising Children between 0 and 12 Years of Age” / Sancai Culture Publisher 2017 / Reviewer-Ma Kai Children's Hospital Senior Attending Physician Huang Yuanning, MD