Fragrance vs Essential Oil: The Fragrance Effect

This graph shows the comparison of the search term fragrance and essential oil between 2004 and the present day. A search term is the word or phrase people type into a search engine, in this case, Google.

In the graph, the term “fragrance” held at a steady rate, until 2017 where it started to gradually grow. In comparison, the term “essential oil” began to rapidly grow in 2014 and had a peak in 2018, but has since dropped back to a normal rate. And in 2022 the search for essential oil fell below fragrance. This doesn’t mean that the search for essential oil is zero. It simply means that the demand for it is back to normal.

Essential oil is a natural oil typically obtained by distillation and having the characteristic fragrance of the plant or other source from which it is extracted. In 2014 its popularity skyrocketed, surpassing the search for fragrance. It had a steady climb until 2017 but has since drastically declined, falling back behind fragrance in 2022.
So that leaves the question “Who still uses essential oils?”. No, the demand for them has not completely disintegrated, but the demographic has changed, fitting those who have a more health conscious lifestyle. Wholistic brands, spas, massage therapists, and health conscious people will still keep the demand for essential oils alive and well for a long time to come.

Fragrance is a noun for a pleasant sweet smell. However, fragrance is the term used for fragrance oil, which is a synthetic or natural blend of aroma compounds that is used to create scents. According to the graph above, the search for fragrance has been steady and up until 2014 had been more popular than essential oil. The search for it has continued to steadily grow, and in 2022 surpassed the demand for essential oil.
Why Is fragrance growing in popularity? The demand reaches a broader crowd. It has become a form of expression, and people will use it for marking a certain time in their life or occasion.

Most people have heard of “the lipstick effect” which is the economic theory that suggests people buy more affordable luxury items during economic downturns. During the pandemic, lipstick sales plummeted due to the mask mandate. But fragrance saw a boom in sales.

Since then, fragrance has taken over as affordable luxury item. With strides in fragrance oil transparency and cleaner formulations, people have once again taken on fragrance. A bottle of good perfume that makes you feel like a million bucks is much cheaper than a fancy car or designer handbag.

Scent has become a form of self expression and marks a certain time in ones life or a mood. The market isn’t always fragrance vs essential oil. People have a bright body spray for warm summer days. Will slather on a calming lavender lotion after an evening shower to unwind. Or dab on sensual perfume for a date night. People once only wore their signature scent, but now a majority maintain an artillery of scents for every occasion.