I’m seeing less of it these days, but I’m still seeing it: “We give you these perfume oils pure! Undiluted!” Countless Ebay sellers have used this exact phrasing, enticing consumers over to their particular brand of commercial fragrance imitations. These claims of undiluted oils are either false, or for reasons to be discussed, meaningless, so move on to another
seller when listings are earmarked by such hawking.
Dilution is the process by which something is made less concentrated; because this is often described as “weakened” consumers immediately assume that if a substance is diluted, it isn’t as good. This is especially true of North American consumers. The fact of the matter is not only do you not want most of
these fun-smelling goodies at full strength on your skin, having them at full strength with the wrong chemical
could seriously hurt you. Even essential oils that have no history of damage upon skin contact are less than ideal when
undiluted - just ask anyone who has to sit next to you in a car. Given the rampant allergies and asthmas people have these
days, getting into any closed space with heavy perfume on is downright mean. The French take on fine perfume is a good one: a little bit, applied lightly, goes a very, very long way.
The most common dilution-error scent is probably cinnamon. Many, many people enjoy bath and body products with this fragrancing in it, especially during the holidays. It’s warm, and lively, and stimulates lots of memories of past holidays and happiness. Properly diluted, it still gives off a potent and warming scent. But one drop of undiluted oil on your skin and you
will be in pain.1 This needs to be diluted. Even essential oils that do not cause immediate pain need dilution to be worn safely - without it, a host of issues may occur including sensitivity to light, an increased tendency towards allergic reaction, and on the socially responsible side, smelling of something so strongly that you create an aversion to the scent in those around you.
Dilution is, also, a way of making things less affordable more affordable. Here’s where the direct fibbing comes in - sometimes a fragrance oil has the same name as an essential oil. For instance, a woman I know loves the scent of neroli. She swore up and down to me that she bought an ounce of neroli, undiluted, for around $15. Even a low quality neroli is around $115/ounce at the time I write this; if it had been true, undiluted neroli, there’s no way she would have been spreading it around her at the time pregnant belly - the cost would have been far too dear.
So when you see these “undiluted!” ads, be wary. If the owner is not directly fibbing about adding a reasonable proporition of base oil or alcohol to a fragrance mix, then what is more probable is that the “pure” oil is “pure” fragrance oil. In that case, being sold a fragrance “undiluted” means that the seller is really giving you a decant at a slight profit.2
So here’s the truth, undiluted: dilutions are good for you. If you want natural perfume, you want it diluted!
- If this should happen, immediate neutralize it with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar. Do not use soap and water until after you have neutralized it - oil and water, not friends. [↩]
- Decant circles are popular among fans of cult perfume houses because they can increase their collections at low cost by swapping out small amounts of fragrances with one another. [↩]
