Essential Oil vs. Fragrance                                 

Greenspace offers two lines of soy candles, one fragranced only with essential oils, called Pure Aromatherapy, and a second fragranced artificially with regular candle fragrance.

It may seem contradictory to offer artificially fragranced candles given the information that follows, but we do try to educate people as to the toxicity and let them make their own educated decision.  We believe that an artificially fragranced soy candle is healthier and much cleaner burning (less soot in your home) than an artificially fragranced paraffin candle.

There are two main types of materials used for aroma: essential oils/plant extracts and fragrant chemicals. (Fragrant chemicals \are usually derived from petroleum and sometimes animal sources.) Essential oils have the longest history, being used for fragrance and medicine for thousands of years. Essential oils are extracted from trees, bushes, flowers, and shrubs from all over the world, and each oil has its own unique chemical makeup. The word 'aromatherapy' literally means 'therapy through aroma or scent,' without specifying the source of the scent. However, in practice, aromatherapy uses only essential oils, and no other form of scent. The oils can be used simply for their fragrance and its effects on mood and emotion, but in professional practice their physiological, or bio-chemical, effect is central.

In the mid 1970's, extremely powerful fragrant chemicals were synthesized, most likely to be able to attain aromas not naturally available in such a usable form, and to be able to duplicate, or copy the real aromas less expensively. These materials began being used at higher and higher levels over the last 20 years, and are the basis for the intense and long lasting characteristics of modern fragrance formulations. In the US, such fragrant chemicals do not have to be tested for safety before being used in fragrance formulas.

Since many lotions, candles, incense, potpourri and other body care items have been made with more and more fragrance over the years, many people have found that they have began to experience negative effects such as headaches, dizziness, or nausea from them. This awareness, along with the desire to naturally prevent illness or heal oneself without using drugs, has spawned a renewed interest in aromatherapy, or use of essential oils. However, essential oils can cause similar reactions in certain people if they are allergic to particular scents, or if they are exposed to too much at one time.

Sometimes candle manufactures will combine artificial fragrances with essential oils, often deceiving the consumer into thinking that there are ONLY essential oils in the candle. Many of the aromatherapy products common on the market, even if they are called "natural", are often diluted with synthetic chemicals to reduce manufacturing cost. Synthetic substances and artificial fragrances may be able to replicate the smell of a botanical fragrance, but it is the complex components of each essential oil, created by nature, that determines its therapeutic and true aromatic qualities. Many synthetic fragrance chemicals pose a wide range of immediate and long-term health hazards.

Toxic Synthetic Fragrances
In 1986, the National Academy of Sciences targeted synthetic fragrances as one of the six categories of chemicals that should be given high priority for neurotoxicity testing. The report states that 95 percent of chemicals used in fragrances are synthetic compounds derived from petroleum. They include benzene derivatives, aldehydes, and many other known toxics and sensitizers, which are capable of causing cancer, birth defects, central nervous system disorders and allergic reactions.  Neurotoxins: At Home and the Workplace (Report by the Committee on Science and Technology. US House of Representatives, Sept. 16, 1986) [Report 99-827]


Chemicals Known to Cause Cancer in Fragrance Products
Methylene chloride, a known carcinogen that also causes autoimmune disease, is listed as one of the 20 most common chemicals found in fragrance products in the 1991 EPA study, even though the FDA banned the chemical in all cosmetic and fragrance products in 1989. Limonene, also listed as one of the 20 most common chemicals, is a known carcinogen. Benzaldehyde, one of the 20 most common chemicals in the EPA's fragrance study, is a sensitizer. According to the Merck Index, it is also a narcotic.