FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions about the use of essential oils
Essential oils are highly concentrated botanical extracts. They are usually obtained through a
process of steam distillation.
Carrier oils comes from nuts, seeds, and fruit. Because carrier oils are emollient they soften and
smooth the skin. Carrier oils protect the skin and prevent trans epidermal water loss. Carrier
oils help the skin absorb other active ingredients such as essential oils.
Essential oils should be packaged in dark colored glass, since this filters out the suns ultra-violet
light. Until quite recently, dark amber was always the color of choice in glass bottles as can be
seen from old-style medicine bottles.
No matter what the color of bottle is, you should never leave oils in a place where the sun will shine directly on them – like on a window shelf in the bathroom, for example. Over a period of months this will dramatically speed up the process of oxidation (deterioration) due to them continually heating up and cooling down.
Choose a cool, dark place to keep them safely away from heat and also inquisitive children – safety point number one.
Citrus essential oils are the most prone to oxidation, so to avoid the damage caused by temperature variations you could store them in the refrigerator if you have the space.
No matter what the color of bottle is, you should never leave oils in a place where the sun will shine directly on them – like on a window shelf in the bathroom, for example. Over a period of months this will dramatically speed up the process of oxidation (deterioration) due to them continually heating up and cooling down.
Choose a cool, dark place to keep them safely away from heat and also inquisitive children – safety point number one.
Citrus essential oils are the most prone to oxidation, so to avoid the damage caused by temperature variations you could store them in the refrigerator if you have the space.
Scatters Oils does not recommend the ingestion of any essential oils without advice from a medical practitioner on proper use and dosage.
100% organic essential oils are natural and uncontaminated. Our Indigenous, Conventional, and Organic essential oils are 100% natural, unadulterated, and from a single plant origin.
100% organic essential oils are natural and uncontaminated. Our Indigenous, Conventional, and Organic essential oils are 100% natural, unadulterated, and from a single plant origin.
INCI is the acronym for “International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient”. You’ll find INCI names on all of our product pages. The purpose of an INCI name is to ensure that cosmetic ingredients are consistently listed using the same ingredient name from product to product.
INCI names are assigned to ingredients based on their chemical structure and composition.
Steam distillation is a special type of distillation. This separation process is for temperature sensitive material like natural aromatic compounds.
After distillation the vapors are condensed. Usually the immediate product is a two-phase
system of water and the organic distillate, allowing for separation of the components by
decantation, partitioning, or other suitable methods.
Steam distillation is employed in the isolation of essential oils, for use in perfumes, for example. Eucalyptus oil and orange oil are obtained by this method on the industrial scale.
Steam distillation is employed in the isolation of essential oils, for use in perfumes, for example. Eucalyptus oil and orange oil are obtained by this method on the industrial scale.
“Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils is a Potentially Misleading Claim. No governmental agency or generally accepted organization ‘grades’ or ‘certifies’ essential oils as ‘therapeutic grade,’
‘medicinal grade,’ or ‘aromatherapy grade’ in the U.S.”
A product is considered natural if it is made of naturally-occurring ingredients that are
processed using natural processes such as cold-pressing.
CAS Registry is the most authoritative collection of disclosed chemical substance information,
containing more than 123 million organic and inorganic substances and 66 million sequences.
Each CAS Registry Number is a unique numeric identifier, designates only one substance, has no
chemical significance, and is a link to a wealth of information about a specific chemical
substance. A CAS Registry Number can contain up to 10 digits divided by hyphens into three parts.
Approximately 15,000 new substances are added each day.
A CAS Registry Number, however, is unique and specific to only one substance regardless of how many other ways the substance can be described.
Approximately 15,000 new substances are added each day.
A CAS Registry Number, however, is unique and specific to only one substance regardless of how many other ways the substance can be described.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR) was established in 1976 by the industry trade association.
At the time this organization was known as the Cosmetic, Toiletry, and Fragrance Association
but it is now known as the Personal care Products Council.
The CIR review and assess the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open, unbiased, and expert manner.
The CIR review and assess the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics in an open, unbiased, and expert manner.
A product is considered natural if it is made of naturally-occurring ingredients that are
processed using natural processes such as cold-pressing.
In the essential oil industry concrete is a waxy aromatic compound. Concrete is produced after
plant material has been treated with a solvent.
An absolute is made by taking a concrete and melting it in alcohol. The compound dissolved
into the alcohol and the resulting mixture is distilled in a vacuum to remove the alcohol. The
remaining substance is an absolute.
An absolute is the most concentrated form of fragrance (and the costliest) and is mostly used in the perfume industry.
An absolute is the most concentrated form of fragrance (and the costliest) and is mostly used in the perfume industry.
Hydrosols, also known as “flower waters”, are produced by distilling fresh leaves, fruits,
flowers, and other plant materials. With similar therapeutic properties to essential oils, these
aromatic waters are much less concentrated. Their aromas are often soft and subtle when compared to their essential oil counterpart. These aromatic products usually have a scent similar to their essential oil, but also can have a greener note. This comes from the water-soluble constituents in the plant material that are not present in the essential oil.
A tincture is a type of herbal preparation in which the alkaloids, glycosides, minerals, and
essential oils of a plant are extracted into a solvent. The liquids that are most often used as
solvents are high-proof alcohols such as vodka or brandy, or occasionally apple cider vinegar or
even vegetable glycerin. In terms of efficacy, a single dose of tincture has the same effect as a cup of herbal tea: it’s just concentrated and absorbed more easily into your body via the alcohol (or other solvent). Some of these tinctures have medicinal properties, while others may have nutritional benefits.
The Ylang flower is harvested from the Ylang Tree.
The flowers are steam distilled. The distillation is approximately 4 hours. The very first oil which is distilled over is called Ylang extra. This oil is the lightest fraction.
The oil following oil which comes over from the distillation is called Ylang 1 and then Ylang 2 and then Ylang 3.
These are fractions of the distillation, which have slightly different odor profiles, with Ylang extra being the lightest fraction and most popular in perfumery.
If the oils are distilled for the 4 hours and no fractions are removed, the oil at the end of that distillation will be called Ylang Complete oil.
The flowers are steam distilled. The distillation is approximately 4 hours. The very first oil which is distilled over is called Ylang extra. This oil is the lightest fraction.
The oil following oil which comes over from the distillation is called Ylang 1 and then Ylang 2 and then Ylang 3.
These are fractions of the distillation, which have slightly different odor profiles, with Ylang extra being the lightest fraction and most popular in perfumery.
If the oils are distilled for the 4 hours and no fractions are removed, the oil at the end of that distillation will be called Ylang Complete oil.
Surfactants are compounds that lower the surface tension between two liquids or between a liquid and a solid. Surfactants may act as detergents, wetting agents, emulsifiers, foaming agents, and dispersants.
Emulsifiers are used in creams and lotions to mix water with oils. Since water and oil do not mix
but stay separated, an additional agent (emulsifier) is necessary to form a homogenous mixture
keeping water and oil together.
There are 2 types of emulsifiers. Oil-in-water (o/w) emulsifiers keep oil drops packed in water, while water-in-oil (w/o) emulsifiers keep water drops packed in oil. W/O emulsifiers are used for a fatty feel (e.g. night & sun protection creams). O/W emulsifiers are used more in moisturizing products (e.g. body lotions, day creams).
There are 2 types of emulsifiers. Oil-in-water (o/w) emulsifiers keep oil drops packed in water, while water-in-oil (w/o) emulsifiers keep water drops packed in oil. W/O emulsifiers are used for a fatty feel (e.g. night & sun protection creams). O/W emulsifiers are used more in moisturizing products (e.g. body lotions, day creams).
Basically, emulsifiers are a class of surfactants but the two terms (or even three terms:
emulsifiers, detergents, and surfactants) are often used interchangeably.
Generally, surfactants are used in cleansing products whereas emulsifiers in creams and lotions.
Both ingredients can mix water with oils and thus making an emulsion.
So, theoretically you could make a cream using a surfactant and on the other hand you could make a shampoo using an emulsifier. But even though the molecules of emulsifiers and surfactants are structurally similar, they do have their own characteristics and properties.
So, theoretically you could make a cream using a surfactant and on the other hand you could make a shampoo using an emulsifier. But even though the molecules of emulsifiers and surfactants are structurally similar, they do have their own characteristics and properties.
Water-based products are made up of water but can contain water soluble and oil-based
ingredients.
Moisturizing refers to creating a barrier on the skin to retain the skins water content and
prevent trans epidermal water loss.
Hydrating refers to increasing the water content of the skin.tics in an open, unbiased, and expert manner.
Hydrating refers to increasing the water content of the skin.tics in an open, unbiased, and expert manner.
Oil soluble ingredients dissolve in fats, oils, and lipids.
Water soluble ingredients dissolve in water.
Water soluble ingredients dissolve in water.
