At Cosy Owl we supply a wide range of fragrance oils and essential oils, predominantly for use in candle making, as well as soaps and other similar products. Whilst we make every effort to ensure the quality and safety of our products, it is important to understand when handling and using these products that there are some inherent risks.
Speaking about this topic is Managing Director Richard Fewings of Cosy Owl… First, let’s clear up the difference between essential oils and fragrance oils, as there is often a lot of confusion with these terms. Essential Oils are basically pure, pressed plant extracts – such as peppermint oil or tea tree oil, these contain 100% natural pressed ingredients.
Derived essential oil
Fragrance Oils, on the other hand, contain synthetic elements, much more like traditional perfumes or scented products. They often contain some essential oil as part of their ingredients list but are then augmented with synthetic (lab-derived) ingredients.
This often means that people see the more naturally derived essential oil as being healthier
This often means that people see the more naturally derived essential oil as being healthier, less toxic, and generally safer to use but is that true? Whilst we all see the benefits of natural living, essential oils can in fact be more toxic and more dangerous than their synthetic counterparts. This is true with toxicity and flammability. Lab-derived products can be formulated with the safety of the end product in mind and compounds that are known to be hazardous are emitted, whereas with essential oils you simply get everything that is naturally present.
Large carbon footprint
It is also worth pointing out the often labs-created ‘natural identical’ compounds, compounds that are chemically identical to those found in nature but are created in a lab without the large carbon footprint and wastage of growing, transporting, pressing discarding the unused residue. Lastly, lab-derived compounds are also far more consistent than naturally derived, which means that they are more predictable when it comes to strength and therefore risk too.
None of this means that essential oils are bad, they have many good properties, but we need to treat both with caution. The bottom line is that both of these products are oils and as such are flammable, potentially very flammable. In their raw form, they should never be in contact with a naked flame as they will burn and burn well.
Fragrances chemical composition
All our fragrances are designed for use in a candle and once mixed up to the appropriate percentages
You can expect them broadly to burn similarly to petrol when exposed to a naked flame (although different fragrances will burn at different rates), but that should certainly give you cause for caution. That said, when handled properly and stored safely, they are safe to use.
All our fragrances are designed for use in a candle and once mixed up to the appropriate percentages will not cause a fire risk or health risk. This is key, we know that these products are flammable, in fact in a candle this is the whole point but we need them to burn at a safe and steady pace. To ensure this there is important documentation that must be adhered to.
A body called IFRA (the International Fragrance Association) is an industry body that governs the safety of all fragrances on the market. Every legitimate fragrance oil on the market should be registered with this organization and have an IFRA data sheet that gives data on permitted usages based on the fragrances' chemical composition.
Potential danger point
Essential oils and fragrance oils are almost never used without being diluted in some other medium
You should pay attention to this information when using any oil, as it gives maximum safe percentages to use on a per-application basis. Essential oils and fragrance oils are almost never used without being diluted in some other medium and the IFRA sheet will tell you the maximum percentages that you can use. It is important to never exceed these limits, for both fire safety and toxicity reasons.
There are also other significant documents to pay attention to that help to specifically identify risk, such as the SDS (Safety Data Sheet, also sometimes called MSDS or Material Safety Data Sheet). The SDS sheet will show each oil’s flashpoint – this is the lowest temperature at which the oil will vaporize and cause an ignitable mixture with air. This is the potential danger point. The flashpoint does vary quite a lot for different fragrances and essential oils and when working with them you should always consult the SDS sheet to discover the flashpoint.
Taking relevant precautions
The most important thing is to be aware of the danger of flammability and take relevant precautions. Make sure you look up the SDS and IFRA data sheets for the products that you are working with as these will give you the information that you need to store, work with and use your oils.
The most important thing is to be aware of the danger of flammability and take relevant precautions
As fragrance oils are never used at 100% concentration in final products, the most dangerous state is its raw state, when you are storing it. Ensure that you are storing them in cool conditions, not in direct sunlight. Ensure that the containers are suitable and in good condition and consider (especially if you are holding a lot of stock) their location if the building were to be involved in a fire – never store them close to exits or near other flammable goods. It is always best to store flammable liquids in metal, fire-proof containers for this reason.
Sub-Standard products
Always sourced from reputable companies that supply you the full SDS and IFRA sheet and can advise on how best to use the specific products you are interested in.
Reputable companies like Cosy Owl will only source from companies that comply with all the latest regulations and produce reliable, high-quality products.
When making candles with these products, you should always be monitoring the temperature of the wax
If there are issues in production and sub-standard products go to market they could have very different characteristics to the data sheets – consistency is king here. Specifically, when making candles with these products, you should always be monitoring the temperature of the wax with a wax thermometer when melting the wax and you should only ever add fragrance oils when the wax is below the flashpoint of the oil.
Avoiding rapid changes
Otherwise, you will create a fire risk and much of your fragrance will in any case evaporate and not fragrance the candle. You must also never place wax on direct heat as this is far less controllable than using a Baine Marie which uses a water jacket to avoid rapid changes in temperature.
Whilst there is clearly a risk of fire inherent with using anything like essential oils or fragrance oils, it is also true to say that when handled correctly, they are relatively safe. The key, as always is to use caution and common sense and if in doubt speak to an expert like the team at Cosy Owl for advice.
