Why Aromatherapy Is The Missing Part Of Your Wellness Routine
It’s been a long day at the office and all you want to do is head home and crash out, but you’re expected at a friend’s birthday party. The thought of making small talk with all her supremely confident/loved-up/high-net-worth friends is filling you with dread. Do you a) bail and eat cereal; b) go and martini your way to confidence, or c) swipe an aromatherapy rollerball blend over your wrists, take a deep breath and head out to win friends and influence people?
The answer, of course, is c), because you’re a good friend, and also because it turns out that this natural, woo-woo, witchy, hippy stuff of dreams or derision actually works. Aromatherapy – the process that occurs when we inhale via our noses, or absorb by our skin, certain essential oil molecules, stimulating our olfactory system and sending signals to the limbic system in the brain (home of emotional governance, memory and mood) – is everywhere, from handy rollerballs in our handbags to being pillowcase spritzes for the nightstand.
Gone is the dusty bottle of eucalyptus oil lurking at the back of the bathroom cupboard, and in its place is Neom’s new Pod Mini, an essential oil diffuser that is small enough to go everywhere you and your stuffy nose go. Forget blending your own patchouli and lavender concoction to make you smell nice and feel good, you can have a Frank Voelkl (he of Le Labo Santal 33, La Pyae Apothecary and Glossier You fame) perfume powered by essential oils, thanks to The Nue Co and its Functional Fragrance. Want your skincare to deliver all the feels? Try Neuraé’s The Oil, which is powered by the resurrection plant, a newly discovered neuro-ingredient, found in the desert, that promises to help reduce cortisol levels and relax fibroblasts.
“Aromatherapy has moved out of the treatment rooms and into the home as a mainstay in people’s wellness routines,” says Shannon Monteith, head of skincare at Space NK, who has seen its popularity grow by 31 per cent year on year. “People are pushing back on hectic lifestyles, valuing a balance and seeking out moments of calm in their day-to-day.”
In fact, the all too common “but I’d rather stick pins in my eyes” social anxiety scenario described at the top was one of the conundrums cofounders and life partners Daniel Smith and Gregory Allen imagined themselves facing when they created their new aromatherapy brand, Moods. Long-term fans of the power of essential oils (Smith’s first meaningful role was at Aromatherapy Associates back in 2005), Moods aims to make aromatherapy more accessible to a generation that’s discovering it for the first time, with price points from £25. Smith says: “Our rollerballs give ‘main character energy’, in that you can have them with you all the time, apply them to your wrists and then take a deep inhale.”
There are eight “mind-altering” essences, crafted by expert blenders from high-quality essential oils, which promise to optimise your performance. You can expect to be 30 per cent calmer than usual if you apply Charisma before you make that end-of-year report to the board of directors.
Feeling really stressed? Try Chill, which promises to reduce your stress levels by 25 per cent. Need to get down to business? You can, with the Hustle blend, which promises to boost your cognitive processing speeds by five per cent. Each formulation contains up to 20 to 25 per cent of active oils, compared with the three per cent typically found in a bath oil, making them highly potent. “You need at least 12 per cent to have a neurological effect,” explains Allen.
The rollerball percentages come from clinical trials performed by professor Mark Moss at the University of Northumbria’s department of psychology, in what is believed to be the first time a finished essential oil blend (as distinct from an individual oil itself ) has ever been formally tested. “Anyone who didn’t believe as hard as we did would probably have shied away from doing this,” says Smith, who invested more than £150,000 in the trials, “but when the data came back, it was clear that the magic was proven.”
The promise of data is also what’s channelling the growing shift towards natural remedies. Despite the NHS introducing aromatherapy as an approved complementary practice as long ago as 1989, until now there hasn’t been much interest in providing strong science-backed clinical studies. Integrated facialist and brand founder Annee de Mamiel says:“I am seeing far more interest from clients in the benefits that can be gained through incorporating aromatherapy into their daily routines. The data around the effects of essential oils, how they affect the skin and the way we feel, and the fact that they are being researched as an alternative to antibiotics is strong,” she says.
Science was also of the utmost importance to The Nue Co, whose Functional Fragrance is based on the results of a five-year study with the University of Geneva’s Brain and Behaviour Laboratory into the neurological impact of scent, exploring how certain scents impact different parts of the brain. For its new Care Collection, a range of enticing body and bath products inspired by the essential oils that were symbolic to the Romans, Jo Malone London relied on neuro-sensorial research to ensure each product could support positive feelings, whether in treatment or used at home.
For those pioneers in the field, from Clarins (whose Eau Dynamisante is widely considered to be the first ever functional fragrance), and Aromatherapy Associates (which launches its Heritage Collection – a gift set comprised of its classic De-Stress, Revive and Deep Relax blends – this May), to Michelle Roques O’Neil (whose Therapie blends are a must-have) and Kathy Phillips (founder of This Works, one of the pioneering brands to make aromatherapy accessible to those who weren’t experts), the renewed interest is as heartwarming as it is validating.
Phillips first discovered aromatherapy oils when she was pregnant 40 years ago, and went to see the grande dame of aromatherapy, Micheline Arcier, to have a pregnancy massage. Since then, it has been a mainstay of her life, with oils used for baths, dry skin (wheat germ and evening primrose oil) and oils for sleep, cold prevention and flu.
Her advice for anyone coming to it for the first time? Lean into the quality. “When we launched This Works in 2004, there had already been some research into how lavender aided sleep, as recorded in The Lancet,” says Phillips. “There are more than a hundred varieties of lavender, but it’s essential to do some research into sourcing genuinely good oils, otherwise they will not perform.” As for the secret sauce? Phillips is adamant it’s all about the passion of the creator. “If you look at all the brands you really rate, there is probably a really good aromatherapist behind it.”