Okay - I just can't stand it any more.
Last night I saw it again. Glade candles, "made with essential oils". This makes my blood boil. It is a blatant, intentionally misleading statement. Someone on a forum I frequent contacted the company about it, and was told something like - the term "essential oils" doesn't have a real definition, so it can be used anyway they like.
Well let's just talk about that for a minute, shall we? For all of the years that my sister and I had the shop, and all the years since, it has been a constant teaching of that definition that we've been struggling to share with the consumer. Essential oils are derived from plant sources. They are obtained through steam distillation, cold pressing, or solvent extraction. Essential oils are NOT a combination of chemicals blended to approximate the scent of RAIN!!!
It is important to define the difference between Essential oils and Fragrance oils because while fragrance oils may smell wonderful, they will not have the same (or any, for that matter) effects as essential oils in aromatherapy. Plant oils can heal the skin, change the way we feel, and do a myriad of wonderful things. Fragrance oils just smell good.
The makers of these candles are doing the consumer an enormous disservice by muddying the waters. I believe that would be Johnson & Johnson - a Family Company. So keep that in mind when you purchase their products for your baby. The lavender or chamomile "essential oils" in their products may or may NOT be anything more than a conglomeration of chemicals - and they really don't care if you're confused or not. In fact, since the fragrance oils are so much cheaper than the essentials, they most likely hope you are confused.
