I have written in my earlier article about how to use Essential Oil and tips on what EO to bring when you travel. Here’s some recommendation where you can buy EO and its derivative product locally in the country and abroad.
Before we start you need to know the difference between EO (Essential Oil) and FO (Fragrance Oil). Don’t be mistaken on buying FO. Fragrance oils are created in a laboratory and they are non-volatile and generally last longer than essential oils. Most fragrance oils don’t provide the same health benefits as essential oils, as they’re designed purely for the purpose of mimicking a scent. Fragrance oil doesn’t have the potential benefits like Essential Oil. Its functions is to enhance the aroma of many cosmetics and perfume products, as well as candles (they hold a better scent in hot temperatures). In general Essential Oil is more pricey Vs Fragrance Oil.
Now where to buy. I will start withe EOs you can buy locally in the country
1. Young Living
Young Living is world leader in Essential Oil, has the widest range of Essential oil which you can think of and they are easy to get as they have a lot of branches set up in various countries. They have a high quality standard which they called “Seed to Seal” from Sourcing, Science, and Standards.
Young Living sell their product in a multi level marketing (MLM) platform which makes me hesitant at first because I really don’t like the concept of MLM. However I find that I can just signed up to be a member and buy the products straight from their website. There are two types of member; ER member and regular member. If you are an ER member, you have a minimum spend each you have to fulfill each month but in return you get points for your purchases which you can convert into free products. You can convert your ER membership to regular anytime.
What I also like about Young Living is how they have introduced EO for Baby, kids, pets and specific EO for flavoring which you can ingest. That way we can use Essential oil in a safe way.
2. Utama Spice
Utama Spice is a 100% natural skin care company based in Ubud, Bali. They focus on applying traditional herbal knowledge to create products that not only enhance skin’s natural beauty but also inspire its customer with the raw power of nature. Utama Spice also sell their own EO Blend in a 10ml size and a diluted version in roller form.
They have shop in various places in Bali (Ubud, Berawa, Sanur and Batu Belig) and also in Jakarta in Plaza Senayan, Plaza Indonesia and Supermall Karawachi. If you live in Jakarta you can send whatsapp message to their store in Jakarta and have the products delivered to your home.
Utama Shop doesn’t only sell EO and skincare but they also sell a range of Hygiene product such as Hand Sanitizer (which I swear on for eczema patient like me), Bug Spray (Another favourite Vs conventional bug spray which smells like chemical), Yoga mat spray, and Clean Home products.
3. Sensatia Botanical
Another Bali brand, Sensatia Botanical founded in the small fishing village of Jasri, Karangasem, Bali in 2000. The brand started from the desire to create healthy skincare products that contain pure, natural ingredients. It began with just a small crew creating handmade, cold-pressed coconut oil soaps, and it wasn’t long before the company was receiving requests for other products. Thus, began Sensatia Botanicals’ evolution into the internationally renowned brand it is today. What I like about this brand is their objective when they started as a profit-sharing cooperation with the goals of empowering the local community and siphoning a small portion of the world’s affluence into a much-deserving village on the east coast of Bali. To this day, 20% of revenues still go directly to employees. Sensatia also aims to maintain sustainability and have as little impact on the environment as possible.
Sensatia doesn’t have much EO collections now Vs Utama Spice as the are now more focused on their skincare line. I no longer buy EO from Sensatia but I remain a loyal customer as I have expanded to buying their skincare and bath products. My article on how I live with my eczema featured a lot of Sensatia products.
Sensatia has shops in Bali (Canggu, Denpasar, Kuta, Seminyak, Ubud, Nusa Dua, Jimbaran), Bandung, Yogyakarta, Bekasi and Jakarta (Central Park, Grand Indonesia East Mall, Kota Kasablanka, Lotte Avenue, Mall Kelapa Gading and Pondok Indah Mall 1). Similar like Utama Spice, you can send whatsapp message to their store in Jakarta and have their products delivered to your home.
If you happen to go to France or UK or you live outside Indonesia where you can import skincare products for personal use the following 2 brands are my personal favourite.
4. Aroma Zone
Aroma Zone is a french company and leading in “do it yourself” skincare and cosmetic. It is recognized for their quality and wide range of essential oils. Aroma Zone was borne in 1999 by Anne Vauselin and her family with a simple idea to share their knowledge and passion for essential oils. In 2005 they set up their premise in Provence, famous of its lavender field and an idea was born to offer their customers everything they needed to make their own homemade, healthy, effective and of course 100% natural cosmetics !
Coming to Aroma Zone store is a mecca for anyone into natural skincare and cosmetics.
The have shops in Paris (des Halles, Odeon and Haussman), Strasbourg, Montpellier, Marseille, Aix en Provence, Lille- spring and Toulouse.
On top of their EOs I also love their carrier oil, hydrosol and all their DIY skincare stuff.
5. Neal’s Yard Remedies
Neal’s Yard Remedies starts life in Covent Garden in 1981, founded by natural health advocate, Romy Fraser. Later another Organic advocates, the Kindersleys, bought Neal’s Yard Remedies in 2006 and reinforced their holistic approach to health and beauty. Nowadays Neal’s Yard has its Eco Factory in the countryside of Dorset, set in acres of organic gardens, fields and meadows. They grow their own plants such as organic calendula, St. John’s wort, verbena and lemon balm used in many of their favourite products. Neal’s yard is also proud of their sustainable design thru energy efficient air management, rainwater and grey water recycling in their bathrooms, air-source heat pump systems and solar panels, their award-winning building design ensures their carbon footprint is kept to a minimum.
What differentiates Neal’s Yard is they have their own line for wellbeing which consist of a collection of effective, easy-to-use natural and organic herbal remedies to help with sleep problem, allergy relief, stress remedy, digestion & bloating remedy (my common issue), energy booster, concentration and skin health.
They have shops all around UK but my favourite is in Covent Garden. Neal’s yard also have shop in USA, Australia, China, Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand, Phillipines, Israel, Swedem, Greece, Canada and Singapore (Nge Ann City and Tangs Pop Up Store).
Where do you usually buy your EO from? Let’s share!
