People with fragrance sensitivity or fragrance intolerance react to the toxic chemicals found in many mass-produced products such as perfume, cologne, shampoo, bath and skin care, and even air fresheners and candles.
These chemically fragranced products can cause all kinds of irritations when inhaled or applied. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, sneezing, watery, itchy and burning eyes, runny nose, rashes, and even asthma-like reactions such as tightening of the chest and wheezing.
One of the questions often asked at Om Organics is whether our natural skincare products are fragrance free. The answer is yes. However, going fragrance-free doesn't mean you can’t enjoy the subtle, lasting joy of natural scents.
At Om Organics, we offer completely natural skincare products that are naturally scented with plant botanicals derived from herbs, seeds, fruits, and flowers.
Let us take you through the process of how we scent our products — the natural way.
Chemical fragrance vs. natural scent
There are two different ways a product can be scented: Synthetic fragrances can be applied, or plant extracts and essential oils.
When a product comes labelled with fragrance or perfume (or ‘parfum’) it often contains a wordy chemical such as propylene glycol, cyclohexanol, or methyl ethyl ketone. If you start sneezing as soon as applying one of these products, you are likely reacting to one or more of the literally hundreds of toxic chemicals used under the blanket term fragrance.
Unlike a synthetic chemical or compound, when you scent a product naturally, you add droplets of oil extracted from a plant. This organic process gives you the benefits of the plant extract and provides the natural aroma contained within the plant.
The essence of plants
There are also two ways you can extract the natural aroma from a plant:
1. Steam distilled essential oils
Essential oil extraction is a clean process that provides healing and breathtaking scents. Using the steam distillation process, essential oils are extracted from plants' skins, leaves, and petals.
Some examples of traditional essential oils extracted using steam distillation include:
- Sweet orange
- Clary sage
- Spearmint
- Lemongrass
- Lavender
- Wintergreen
- Rose
2. Plant extracts using CO2 extraction
Have you wondered why Om Organics pink coconut products smells like they’ve been freshly picked off the tree (and not like sunscreen), or why our vanilla moon scent gives off a subtle, warm fragrance, like the whisper of vanilla in freshly baked cookies? That's because we use fruit extracts to scent our products.
Blending herbal scents with fruitier and sweeter extracts is possible thanks to a CO2 extraction process, which uses pressurized carbon dioxide to pull phytochemicals out of a plant. The result is pure botanical oils derived from fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as:
- Raspberry
- Vanilla
- Papaya
- Coconut
- Plum
The benefits to your health
Extracted essential oils not only smell like the plants in which they derive from, but they also provide numerous healing benefits.
For example:
- Lavender is an anti-inflammatory and is commonly used in aromatherapy to reduce stress and anxiety.
- CO2 extracted plum is rich in antioxidants, good for bone health, and reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
- Sweet orange is antimicrobial and is also used in aromatherapy to produce calm and as pain relief.
- Wild vanilla is anti-inflammatory and an antioxidant.
Best blends for all your senses
Om Organics is always researching and refining ingredients to find the right blend of essential oil and plant extracts that provide olfactory and health benefits to our customers.
Love the smell of coconut and rose? Imagine them together. You can with Om Organics Coconut Dew Hyaluronic Moisture Cream, which contains coconut fruit extract and rose flower extract for a lightly floral and fruity smell that will wake up your senses.
If citrus is more to your liking, you’ll love our Sunset Nectar Whipped Body Butter, which combines grapefruit and neroli oils with mango and vanilla extracts.
Looking for the best smelling men’s cologne without any chemicals added? Om Organics is bringing back its popular clary sage scented products. Stay tuned...
Do you suffer from fragrance sensitivity? Improve your skincare regime and avoid toxins with Om Organics' naturally scented and botanically derived face, bath, body, and aromatherapy products. Shop online or at our apothecary in Invermere, BC.