Getting Acquainted with Aromatherapy Part 1
By Barbara Bird
Pet groomers are seeing increasing numbers of products touted to have aromatherapeutic value. The growing success of spa grooming and the demand for natural products has resulted in a plethora of products with botanical ingredients. It becomes necessary to make some clear distinctions when thinking about the application of aromatherapy in pet grooming.
Fad Aromatherapy vs. Traditional Aromatherapy
Aromatherapy has become a fad, a popular marketing trend. It is so successful that simply having the word "aromatherapy" on a product label or description guarantees greater sales. Traditional aromatherapy relies on the established healing properties of pure essential oils. The delicate chemical balance of the components of each essential oil determines these properties. Traditional aromatherapy is a rather complex study. Fad aromatherapy has simply taken the concept of "if it smells good, it feels good," or the mood enhancement value of pleasant fragrances, and run with it all the way to the bank. Mood enhancement is praiseworthy, and anything that encourages us to take a moment to take a deep breath is healthy. Fad aromatherapy, however, implies a therapeutic value that is often not present, because the ingredients are not the real deal.
Essential Oils vs. Fragrance Oils
Each essential oil comes from a single plant, usually from a certain part of the plant, such as the flowers, leaves, stems, or roots. Each oil has its own chemical character that it inherits from the plant. Fragrance oils are synthetic fragrances, sometimes utilizing a combination of chemical isolates (fragments of essential oils) to achieve a certain fragrance value. Some fragrance oils contain a combination of some synthesized oils and essential oils. Others are essential oils that have been chemically manipulated for fragrance.
For example, Lavender 40/42 is a blend of inexpensive lavender oils with a nature-identical chemical, linalyl acetate, added to create an aroma that is the same for every batch, regardless of where it is made. Natural lavender will vary in fragrance between crops and geographical location. Lavender 40/42 has superb fragrance value but loses therapeutic value. Totally synthetic fragrance oils have no therapeutic value, no "mojo."
As consumers, groomers need to be wary of clever marketing lingo. There is no such thing as "essential fragrance oil." If any part of an oil is not from a single plant, it cannot be an essential oil; it is simply a fragrance blend. Fruit fragrances, such as peach or cherry, are always fragrances or extracts. Citrus oils are the exception, as these are not derived from the fruit itself but distilled from the plant leaves, stems, or flowers, or cold-pressed from the peel.
What Are Hydrosols?
Hydrosols, also known as distillates, are the natural "plant waters" produced during steam distillation of essential oils. A hydrosol has some of the therapeutic value of the essential oil but is much less potent. The benign nature of hydrosols renders them safe for pets, especially cats. In the recent past, distillate water was considered the by-product of essential oil production and was discarded. More recently, aromatherapists recognize that these pure distillate waters have their own inherent characteristics and qualities. Hydrosols typically contain the water-soluble constituents of the botanical with some of the volatile components of the essential oils. Not only is a hydrosol much less potent than the essential oil from the same plant, the chemical profile is significantly different. The fragrance may be quite different, as well. Hydrosols should not be confused with "floral waters," which are often fragrance oils or essential oils diluted in water.
Infusions and Extracts
The best way to explain herbal infusion is to think of tea. Tea is an infusion in water. Steeping dried plant material in boiling water creates infusions. Depending on the length of brewing, infusions can be mild or strong. There is no way of knowing the strength of infusions in cosmetics, but using a botanical "tea" is a formulating tactic often used to make the consumer think the product has more botanical value and less water.
Extracts are often stronger than infusions but less potent than essential oils. They are made by passing alcohol or an alcohol-water mixture over the botanical material. Extracts used in shampoos and conditioners are much cheaper to make than essential oils. Distillation of essential oil requires much more plant material than simple extraction. Both extracts and infusions are popular with shampoo formulators, because they are water soluble and easy to mix in water-based products. They are used primarily as value-added ingredients. In the perception of the consumer, they add value to the product. The downside to the use of herbal extracts and infusions is that they can reduce the shelf life of a product or require more or stronger chemical preservatives.
Nature's Chemistry - Good News & Bad News
Although we tend to think of a natural substance as being simpler than a synthetic, essential oils used in aromatherapy are complex balances of chemical compounds. Some are so complex that not all of their components have been scientifically identified. According to The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils (Lawless), the chemical compounds that make up essential oils can be divided into two groups: the hydrocarbons, which are made up almost exclusively of terpenes (monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and diterpenes), and the oxygenated compounds, mainly esters, aldehydes, ketones, alcohols, phenols, and oxides. Acids, lactones, sulfur, and nitrogen compounds are sometimes also present. These chemical constituents are what give each essential oil its characteristic properties, including antiseptic, antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties, sedative effects, cell rejuvenation, etc.
Most essential oils have psychological effects as well as physiological effects. For example, ylang-ylang oil has anti-depressant properties, is also effective in lowering high blood pressure and calming tachycardia, and has a history in hair care. Atlas cedarwood (Cedrus atlantica) has sedative effects, is fungicidal, counteracts oily skin, stimulates the circulatory system, and repels fleas and ticks.
The chemical components of essential oils also raise some safety concerns. Most citrus oils are phototoxic. Application to the skin followed by sun exposure can result in severe irritation or burning. Oils that have high contents of phenols or ketones can be hazardous or even toxic. In her book, Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals, Kristen Leigh Bell identifies several essential oils that should not be used on animals, which include the following:
- Clove oil (Syzygium aromaticum) bud or leaf - very high in eugenol, a phenol
- Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) - high in the ketone pulegone
- Wintergreen oil (Gaultheria procumbens) - 98% methyl salicylate, a toxicant
Oil of wintergreen and pennyroyal are no longer recommended for use in aromatherapy for humans because of the potential for toxicity.
Aromatherapy and Felines
The safety of the use of essential oils with cats is a subject of considerable controversy. On the one hand, some using essential oils are traditional aromatherapists and product formulators who claim decades of safe use of essential oils with cats. However, the explosion of popularity of natural products for pets has been accompanied by a disturbing number of adverse reactions, illnesses, and even deaths associated with some essential oil use. Tea tree oil has been implicated in a number of tragedies. A theory has been developed that identifies a liver enzyme that is missing in felines, which is necessary for the metabolism and detoxification of some components of essential oils. This can result in poisoning. Although this theory has yet to be thoroughly tested and scientifically proven, the caution flag has been raised. Some feline advocates are recommending not using essential oils with cats. Hydrosols seem more acceptable, but a few concerned cat experts are questioning even these gentle substances.
Bell, Kristin Leigh. Holistic Aromatherapy for Animals. Findhorn Press, 2002 Lawless, Julia, The Encyclopedia of Essential Oils, Thorsons, 2002
Barbara Bird, CMG, has been using aromatherapy at her business, Transformation Pet Center, in Tucson, Arizona, for 15 years. She is the creator of The Scented Groomer line of aromatherapy products for pets and people, distributed through Show Season Animal Products. Barbara is a two-time winner of the Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award for Grooming Journalist of the Year (2006, 2007) and recipient of the Barkleigh Honors Award for Best Blog 2011.