True: there are some synthetic fragrance oils (mostly from India and China) that are not regulated or use lab testing --which are toxic, not safe for the body or use in a home. False: all fragrance oils are made exactly the same and are not safe, and should not be used at all.

The truth is: there are safe synthetic blends of aroma oils blended with essential oils that are all lab-tested and are phthalate-free, toxin-free, mutagen-free, paraben-free, + skin and body safe and are prop-65 compliant. This is how we develop our complex scents for our brand. Each of the oils our brand uses are compliant with International Fragrance Association (IFRA) guidelines. Our oils are also compliant with the strict European Union guidelines. Additionally, none of our oils or lab testing involve the use of animals. All of our custom oil blends adhere to each of these guidelines in combination with essential oil and lab-tested synthetic blends. We work with US owned fragrance and perfumery houses to source our ingredients. The fragrance houses we work with are committed to chemical safety, ingredient transparency, and environmental impact. We do not work with any fragrance that is not lab tested with an SDS (safety data sheet), and IFRA compliant. We do not work with or support any unregulated essential or fragrance oils being manufactured outside the United States (including oils that can be bought + sold on Amazon). 

Environmental impact + sustainability are important.

Not all essential oils are produced with sustainability or environmental impact in mind. Our brand values are heavily aligned with sustainability as a center pillar. We care how we make things + how our brand impacts our environment – not just our own backyard but the global impact of over consumption of limited resources that exploit both nature and culture.

The prime example is Palo Santo. Bulnesia sarmientoi (Palo Santo) is in fear of becoming endangered due to being over harvested. For many years various brands, businesses and essential oil MLMs (see: essential oil pyramid schemes) claim they are “harvesting the wood sustainably” which has been proven time and time again to not be true. It is being heavily forested due to over consumption by American consumers – destroying the forest and creating an economy of over consumption in areas with limited resources, mono-culture cropping, and in areas with other limited economic choices.

To note: others that are over harvested globally include: sandalwood, rosewood, frankincense, agarwood (oud), and spikenard (himalayan). These are some of the United States most popular essential oils + are largely imported through unsustainable practices.

For this very reason we choose to use fragrance oils that can safely, humanely and (truly) sustainably duplicate the natural scent of resins, oils and aromas in lieu of over harvesting. Let’s be clear: this is sustainability – not choosing to over consume natural resources in the making of our product. Instead, choosing to safely use lab-tested + lab-created aromas that adhere to strict health and safety global guidelines. Continuing with Palo Santo as an example: as a brand we can cut our Palo Santo consumption by 80% using lab ingredients vs. pure essential oils.

Candlemaking: essential oils + fragrance oils.

Can you make a candle with 100% pure therapeutic grade essential oil? The simple answer is you cannot simply mix soy candle wax with 100% pure essential oils safely. It is not always safe since certain essential oils are highly volatile + heat sensitive. Certain essential oils (when used at higher concentration levels) are heated in candles unsafely – which can cause harmful aromas or even making the candle unusable. 

Unlike an essential oil diffuser, soy wax candles burning purely essential oils can burn an unpredictable amount of VOCs (volatile organic compounds) while being heated. Flash points (the lowest temperature at which vapors ignite) of essential oils can vary – being higher or lower depending on the specific oil – further unsafely complicating candle making. Often, when using pure essential oils to make soy wax candles – the candle’s hot throw (the scent you get when the candle is lit) has no scent when the candle is burning. This is largely due to the flash point of essential oil’s scent getting “burned up” during the making process. These factors make candle making using pure essentials both unsafe + unpredictable. 

None of the above statements mean you cannot use essential oils – the essential oils just need to be paired with safe carrier oils to formulate a lab-tested fragrance that is suitable for candle making.

Sadly, deceptive marketing over the years (we are looking at you BBW) allows folks to believe candles can be mass produced using soy wax + 100% therapeutic grade essential oils. They simply cannot be made this way with safe and sustainable results. Deceptive marketing from MLMs (focused only on selling essential oils) have led to many health-conscious consumers believing therapeutic grade essential oils can be added into, and onto, many things unsafely. The entire plan is for them to sell more oils globally. Our candles absolutely have essential oils in them but these oils are blended into safe lab-tested fragrance oils at lower loads to safely and adequately burn.

We proudly use safe lab-tested fragrance focusing on our authentic commitment to sustainably while still creating high quality + complex fragrances ✌🏽 

Sources:

(2025 International Fragrance Association): https://ifrafragrance.org/initiatives-positions/environment-health

(2022 EU regulation on fragrances and candlemaking): https://www.compliancegate.com/candle-regulations-european-union/ 

2025 Transforming essential oil extraction Wastes: Sustainable valorization approaches for agricultural, industrial, and cosmetic applications): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0961953425005203