Everytime you squash the petal of a flower, a branch or any part of a plant, an essence is exauled and this means that an essential oil has been liberated. The essential oils, also called essences, are volatile etherical oils, represent a mixture of aromatic substances produced by many plants and are present as small drops in the leaves, in the fruit skin, in the resin, in the branches, in the wood. They are present in small quantities compared with the vegetal mass , are fragrant and volatile and they evaporate quickly in the air. They have a complex chemical compound but they generally are a mixture of terpene, alcohol and ester. They are soluble in oils and alchool, they are not soluble in water to which they transmit their parfum.

The composition of a natural essence is much more complex than the sum of its constituents. Chemical experiments have proved that synthetic essences haven’t the same efficacy and effect of the natural ones; The lab reproduction of an essence whose composition is clearly known, creates a substance only apparently like the original.

In fact in nature there aren’t two plants with the same perfume and "the essence" represents, in a certain way, “ the personality” of the plant itself as a living unique being which can not be replicated; the essence has in itself the imprint of the plant it comes from and, if it is purely extracted and in a correct way, it is extremely powerful. Unfortunately the essential oils are often adulterated by alcohol, oil, essences with lower effect and sometimes even by synthetic substances. It is not always easy to identify this forgery. Moreover they are delicate substances and can be altered easily , losing their properties if the are not well kept in closed cases, preferably in dark glass, protected from air and light.