Ask someone what aromatherapy is, and they might say, “It’s about calming scents” or “It’s something relaxing with essential oils”. And while that’s partly true, it’s far from the whole story. Beneath the beauty of every aroma is something far more intricate: a complex world of chemistry, biology, and science.

Aromatherapy isn’t just about how something smells. It’s about how that scent interacts...

Aromatherapy can be overwhelming! Educated aromatherapists use terms such as Latin binomials, chemotypes, and isomers. They discuss safety considerations; in fact, they often debate safety considerations! How can someone new to aromatherapy determine right from wrong? The easy answer would be to take an aromatherapy program, but not everyone interested in aromatherapy has the desire to be a certif...

You have probably been inundated with advertisements from companies declaring their products to be chemical free. You may have even purchased products based upon these claims.

What if I were to tell you that nothing is chemical free? Our bodies are composed of approximately 60% oxygen (O), which is a chemical element. Other chemical elements that comprise the human body are carbon (CO2), nitrogen...

If you’ve used essential oils, you most likely have come across the term chemotypes. But do you really know what they are, and why it is important information to know? Let’s dive into the topic of essential oil chemotypes.

What are chemotypes?

Chemotype (noun): Essential oils that are from the same plant species, but whose dominant constituents differ in their chemical composition.

To put i...

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I have a secret to tell you. It is actually a pretty shocking secret!

When I took my aromatherapy certification program, chemistry wasn’t even part of the curriculum. Can you imagine an aromatherapy program without this foundational piece of the puzzle?

As a newly graduated aromatherapist, I tho...

It’s a question we hear a lot. 

“Why did you choose a honeycomb as your logo?”

The easy answer: “Because it represents everything we believe in.”

The deeper answer: “Let us tell you about the benzene ring.” 

The Benzene Ring

As the story has it, in 1865, the discovery of the benzene ring came to Friedrich Kekulé, a German organic chemist, in a waking dream. In his dream, he supposedly saw row...

Cedrol

Cedrol is a tricyclic sesquiterpene alcohol commonly occurring in the essential oils of conifer trees, especially those belonging to the Cupressus and Juniperus genera. It occurs in essential oil of Juniperus virginiana (Virginian, red or Eastern red cedarwood) (Figure 1) at proportions of approximately 24-32% (ter Heide et al, 1988; Kitchens et al, 1971). The compound presents minimal ris...