Rose (rosa spp.)
There are some fragrances that are always or almost always fake, despite the natural-sounding names. If someone tries to sell you a "natural essential oil" with any of the following fragrances, be suspicious.
Always fake. Sorry, Virginia. There isn't a pear essential oil either. It is possible that you could run across a rare infusion or enfleurage of some of these flowers but they are not regularly extracted so you would pay dearly for the material.
| Aloe Vera Apple Apple Blossom Apricot Banana Blackberry Blueberry Brown Sugar Cactus Cherry Cherry Blossom Coconut Cucumber Dogwood Fig Frangipani Freesia Gardenia (Except for Monoi de Tiare) Grass Hazelnut Heather Heliotrope Hibiscus Honeysuckle Honeydew Iris (there is Orris root) Kiwi |
Lettuce Lilac Lily of the Valley Lily Magnolia (Southern magnolia, M. grandiflora) Mango Melon Mulberry Musk (if real, it's unethical) Orchid Papaya Peach Pear Pikaki Pineapple Plum Plumeria Primrose Raspberry Rain Sunflower Strawberry Sweet Pea Sweetgrass Violet (there is a real violet leaf absolute) Watermelon |
Usually fake or extended. Some
of these are very expensive, and others are dangerous or difficult to
obtain. For example, an artificially extended hyacinth absolute recently
fooled some very knowledgable AT suppliers.
Agarwood, Oud, Aloeswood
Almond (the real stuff is dangerous)
Amber (if natural, mix of Liquidamber spp. and Styrax benzoin)
Ambergris (if real, it's often from illegally killed whales)
Bayberry
Boronia
Carnation
Hyacinth
Jonquil
Lemon Verbena (the real stuff is dangerous)
Linden Blossom
Lotus
Melissa
Mimosa (Cassie)
Musk (if real, it's an animal product)
Narcissus
Osmanthus
Tuberose
Vanilla
Sometimes fake. Real oils are not too hard to find, but if the price seems to good to be true, it probably is.
Frankincense
Jasmine
Myrrh
Neroli (Orange Blossom)
Orange Blossom Absolute
Rose
Sandalwood
By the way, there's nothing wrong with synthetic aromatics and some are safer than natural fragrances. Just know the going price for them so that you don't get fooled.