Vanilla Essential Oil, fact or fiction ?

What Are These So-Called “Vanilla Essential Oils?

If you do a quick search for “Vanilla Essential Oil,” unfortunately you will find numerous products labeled that way. Although Vanilla essential oil does not exist, there are vanilla aromatics and flavoring which come from real vanilla beans.

What are these products?

Pure Vanilla Extract

Vanilla extract is the most common form of vanilla used today. There are two types of vanilla extract found in the grocery store, “Pure Vanilla Extract” and “Imitation Vanilla Extract” (discussed later)

Pure Vanilla Extract is made by soaking chopped vanilla beans in an alcohol solution and aging them for several months to “extract” all of their flavour compounds.

Pure vanilla extract is also very expensive. Beware of bargain brands, they are usually adulterated. To get the best high quality vanilla extract read the label. The ingredients should only list vanilla beans alcohol and water, with no additives like sugar or artificial colours or flavours.

Because vanilla extract is made by extracting the vanilla flavour with alcohol, it is very different from an essential oil and should not be used in the same way. Vanilla extract is great for baking, but not for personal care products.

Vanilla Bean Oil Infusion

Steeping vanilla beans in oil produces an excellent aromatic oil. Seeping organic vanilla beans in organic oils for weeks, until the aroma infuses is perfect. Organic whole vanilla beans are very expensive (range between £200,00 to £400,00 a pound). The oil infusions have a rich, warm, sensual aroma that holds up beautifully in lip balms, creams, and scrubs.

Aromatic Vanilla Types

While there is no such thing as vanilla essential oil, there are rich, warm aromatic vanillas used in cosmetics and perfumery such as Vanilla Oleoresin, Vanilla Absolute, and Vanilla CO2 Extract. Each is made in a slightly different way.

Vanilla Oleoresin

Vanilla oleoresin is a semi-solid concentrate made by removing the solvent from pure vanilla extract. It is much thicker than a typical essential oil. Vanilla oleoresin is used in non-food products and unlike essential oils, it does not dissolve properly in carrier oils. It dissolves best in water or alcohol.

Vanilla Absolute

Aromatic, concentrated oils from plants extracted by means of a solvent are referred to as “absolutes.” Common absolutes made from delicate plant matter include jasmine and rose absolute.

Vanilla absolute is the most concentrated form of vanilla. It is very expensive and often used in perfumes and other aromatic products.

Absolutes require the use of a solvent in order to extract the aromatic material. Since the solvents used to produce absolutes are usually synthetic, it is best to check with the supplier to find out what specific solvent was used.

Vanilla CO2 Extract

CO2 oils are extracted using carbon dioxide under high pressure. Although CO2 is technically a solvent, there will be none remaining once it is turned from a liquid back into a gas.

Vanilla Without Vanilla Beans

Vanilla is one of the most popular scents and one of the most expensive. As a result, there are a number of vanilla scents and flavourings that are made with no real vanilla.

Imitation Vanilla extract : 99% of the vanilla we use today is imitation.

So basically only 1% of the vanilla we use actually comes from vanilla beans. Instead, it is made from synthetic vanillin. Vanillin is the compound that naturally occurs in vanilla beans and gives it that distinctive flavor.

Synthetic Fragrance Oil, Some "vanilla essential oils" are nothing more than synthetic fragrance oils. Vanillin can be easily and inexpensively synthesized in a lab.

Vanillin without Vanilla beans, Vanillin naturally occurs in vanilla beans, however we can also make vanillin without using a single bean. Vanillin can be extracted from "natural" sources, like spices that contain eugenol (cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon).

Vanilla is Expensive

Since growing vanilla beans is so labor-intensive, it is the second most expensive spice after Saffron.

The approximate cost of vanilla absolute: Organic Ethyl Alcohol extracted (£350.00 for 1 ounce) Organic Carbon Dioxide (CO2) extracted (£500.00.for 1 ounce) approximately

Looking at the prices above, you have to ask yourself, "How can a company make a product with real vanilla and not charge more?"

Caution should be given to any company that claims to offer Vanilla labelled Pure Essential Oil . Companies selling products claiming to contain "vanilla essential oil" are either intentionally misleading their customers or simply do not understand that "vanilla essential oil" does not exist.

Personally I have chosen to use fragrance oil in small quantities in a few of my butters, they can be fun and some people enjoy them, I never thought I would but I can see their value, and honestly the ingredients that I have used alongside are always 100% Natural so still a hundred miles better than most things on the general market. Also they are used in safe amounts which adhere to all of the safety standards and are of the best quality.

I want to keep the lovely things I am producing affordable and good quality.

Enjoy 😉