History of Essential Oils

Essential oils have been used around the world by many different cultures for centuries, for spirituality, traditional practices and for their healing and uplifting properties. As we continue to explore and incorporate essential oils into our skincare routines, it’s important to understand their function and how to maximise their benefits and reduce any potential for misuse.

The use of essential oils has been documented throughout all major civilisations, and practices such as Ayurveda and traditional Chinese Medicine which are still very much alive in the present day. However, the true birthplace of essentials has been recorded as Ancient Egypt, dating back to approximately 4500 BC. Customary uses range from religious rituals, food flavouring, incense, medicines, cosmetics and perfumery. These traditional uses have paved the way for how essential oils are used in modern times for aromatherapy, skincare and cosmetics.

Use of Essential Oils in Skincare

The revival of interest in essential oils is mostly due to the increased popularity of aromatherapy, holistic health and demand for natural skincare. Essential oils contain a vast array of healing and skin supporting benefits, assisting the skin in proper function and health. They are rich in antioxidants, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties and offer increased brightening and toning effects on the skin.

An oil is deemed “essential” if it contains the “essence” of the plant’s characteristics, fragrance and phytonutrients. They are whole, complete plant compounds and contain the life force of the plant it is derived from. They can be found and harvested from various different parts of plants: leaves, berries, grasses, flowering tops, petals, roots, fruit, wood, seeds and peels.

Formulations

Although safe for the skin, essential oils must be used in precise concentrations to be beneficial for the skin. The effectiveness of an essential oil relates to the purity, quality, stability and oxidization when being used topically. If essential oils are used at very high concentration it can be incredibly irritating to the skin and cause long term damage. Dilution is the first most important factor to safely using essential oils and can be done through a carrier oil.

In our range of Pure Body Luxe oils and serums, we use a variety of carrier oils to dilute essential oils to a level of concentration that is safe for the skin (around 1%). The main carrier oils we use include Apricot oil, Coconut oil, Castor oil, Almond oil and Organic Sunflower Oil.

Our Body Oils are formulated like a perfume, using the different aromas of the botanical essential oils to create the desirable blend for unique, mood-enhancing fragrances. This product makes for the perfect subtle perfume on the skin whilst gaining the amazing skin enhancing benefits of the essential oils.