When we think about fragrances we tend to think of the lovely notes playing their part in a wonderfully constructed scent. Behind every enticing scent, however, lies a complicated tale of sourcing, cultivating, and climate impact, especially when you’re talking about essential oils. This blog looks at the complex relationship between climate and fragrance, and how environmental conditions affect the availability and quality of essential oil ingredients. Additionally, we’ll also introduce some of the wonderful offerings from HBNO to demonstrate how these factors play out.
Understanding the Basics of Essential Oils
Concentrated extracts from various parts of plants, including leaves, flowers, bark, and roots, are what makes essential oils so important. These oils are an excellent choice for making fragrances because they bring with them the plant’s ‘essence’, or its natural scent. These oils use very sensitive ingredients to them. Essential oils are also subject to quantity and quality change for reasons of temperature, humidity, and seasonality.
Climate and Ingredient Sourcing
Temperature Fluctuations
Essential oils that are derived from plants are only grown when the temperature is just right. For instance, peppermint and eucalyptus are essential oil ingredients that enjoy warm, sunny climates. That could cause early flowering of these plants, though, and might result in less oil than usual. For instance, colder temperatures can impact the growth of plants; slowing the overall yield.
For example: HBNO’s Peppermint Essential Oil is harvested from peppermint plants that thrive in warm climates. An unexpected cold snap could bring the region out of season and reduce the yield of this invigorating scent, so it isn’t always available.
Humidity Levels
As for ingredient sourcing, it’s also hugely influenced by humidity. The growth of plants that produce essential oils depends upon a specific range of humidity. Mold and other diseases can grow in too much humidity; too little can cause stress to the plant, diminishing oil production. For example, citrus oils, like orange and lemon, the ubiquitous ingredients in fragrances, like to flourish in humid surroundings.
In the Florida and California regions where HBNO sources its citrus essential oils, heat and humidity are perfect growing conditions. But climate change can mess with these weather patterns, potentially driving up the prices of or shortages of the beloved scents.
Environmental Effects on Plant Growth
Drought and Water Availability
It is vital to have water to help plants grow which produces essential oil. Stressed by prolonged droughts, these plants can very stressfully lower the oil yields they produce. When oil production is most important to survival, plants spend a lot less effort producing oil and a whole lot more in staying alive, which sharply degrades oil quality.
Like for example: HBNO’s Tea Tree Essential Oil is a great refreshing and medicinal oil but it only comes from a tree and that tree needs constant moisture to grow. Because the leaves don’t produce the same amount of oil, they may not provide as much supply to the rest of the chain and impact the quality of the final product in drought-stricken areas.
Pests and Diseases
Unfortunately, as climate conditions change so do whether the pests and diseases present are good or bad for the essential oil plant. Higher temperatures and higher humidity can mean more pest infestations and easier spread of diseases for growers.
For example, plants such as lavender can be susceptible to some pests that grow in greener, warmer, wetter conditions. If these pests are allowed to bloom, they will damage crops, reducing the production of products including HBNO’s Lavender Essential Oil.
Sustainable Practices and Climate Resilience
As climate continues to impact important oil ingredients, more and more producers are choosing to implement sustainable practices to reduce the impact of climate. Here are a few strategies being implemented:
- Crop Rotation: By planting different plants all around the same space, growers can keep soil health up and also populate pernicious pests less so assuring better yields.
- Water Conservation: Techniques such as drip irrigation help reduce the waste of water through plants, especially in places where they need water and it’s a dry season.
- Integrated Pest Management: The first approach utilizes natural predators to limit pest population levels whereby chemical pesticides that pose a threat to the environment and plants are not required.
As sourcing essential oils sustainably is at the heart of what we do, we are committed to sourcing only in the most responsible way in order to deliver only the best-smelling products along with the best ecology contribution.
Climate Change and Future Implications
The effects of climate change on essential oil production are only going to increase as global public awareness of climate change intensifies. Growing conditions of regions that are traditionally reliable sources of essential oils may be disrupted, and the industry may experience serious disruptions. Gone are the days when this was only an issue for growers, it’s a problem for consumers as well. But because the availability and cost of must-have scents like citrus and lavender will vary, so will buying patterns and preferences.
On top of that, consumers have become more aware of what sustainability and eco-friendliness mean, and might even require more information about the sourcing and production of the essential oil products they love. Companies who focus on being transparent and critical sourcing, such as HBNO, will most certainly do well in a market where ethical practices count.
Conclusion
While the climate and fragrance relationship is a complex one, it affects everything from plant growth to the very scent we ultimately have in essential oils. Realizing the impact of climate change on our beloved perfumes, we want to encourage brands that place the planet before profits like HBNO. Understanding these dynamics allows us to appreciate the scents we love even more because we know the stories. After all, we know the history, behind each drop of essential oil.
As climates change, being conscious of our decisions and how they affect nature is so important. And the next time you reach for that HBNO essential oil — remember the journey it took to your hands, and took you to the lush fields and fragrant groves from which it came, and when you smell it, transport yourself to the places it has come from. Let’s make informed choices so that we can use our fragrances and also work to protect the health of our planet. It’s time we celebrate the beautiful relationship between climate and fragrances and ensure that these natural wonders stay preserved for the next generations.
