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Essential Oils

In recent years, essential oils have come to the fore due to various factors – and thanks to their versatile application possibilities, they have developed into a lucrative market.

Essential oils with oranges and pipette

Essential oils – Market analysis

Essential oils are also referred to as ethereal oils. The word “ethereal” means fragrant, feather-light and volatile – the name of these oils, consisting of vegetable distillates, could not be more appropriate. They have been used in medicine and cosmetics for centuries. In recent years, essential oils have come to the fore due to various factors – and thanks to their versatile application possibilities, they have developed into a lucrative market.

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What are essential oils and what are they used for?

Essential oils are plant fragrances that are usually extracted from components such as resin, bark, flowers or leaves by steam distillation. They are characterized by their oily consistency, are volatile and hardly soluble in water.

Some positive effects of essential oils on well-being, that have been handed down for centuries, have since been scientifically confirmed. This makes essential oils popular home remedies for various physical and psychological ailments. Essential oils are also used in cosmetics, as well as for the production of perfumes, room fragrances, etc.

Pure essential oils can be utilized in various different ways. In addition to being used in fragrance lamps and diffusers, they are suitable as bath additives, for inhalations, poultices and more.

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Essential oils dropped into wooden bowl
Roller ball bottle in use

Demand and market analysis

While essential oils have been used by followers of natural medicine for centuries, there has also been a noticeable increase in demand outside of this specific consumer group in recent years. In 2020, the market was valued at USD 8.74 billion and is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 7.5% until 2027. The increasing demand for essential oils can be traced back to the following drivers:

  • Changed health awareness among the general public due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
  • Significant increase in demand for aromatherapy, benefiting greatly from the general trend towards alternative medicine in recent years. This branch of naturopathy specializes in the use of essential oils to relieve pain and cure diseases.
  • Great interest in organic products and an increased awareness of sustainability among end consumers.

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Market shares of essential oils

The ingredients citrus fruits, eucalyptus, lavender, rosemary and tea tree hold the largest market shares. In 2020, demand for essential oils from citrus fruits such as lemon or orange dominated the market in global demand, followed by lavender in second place. Both can be accounted to the fact that the food industry uses them to naturally extend the shelf life of food and beverages, thanks to these oils’ antimicrobial properties. It can be expected that the food industry will continue to hold the largest share of the essential oil market in the coming years, closely followed by the cosmetics industry.

Major essential oils markets

Europe has been one of the strongest markets in recent years and, according to studies, will continue to expand this lead. In particular, the fact that the European Union has officially recognized some oils as food flavourings, leads to expect a further increase in demand in its member countries. The markets of North America, South Africa and Asia-Pacific are also forecast to experience significant growth in the coming years.

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Essential oils on wooden table with Lavender
Woman holding dropper bottle with pipette

The role of packaging of essential oils

Essential oils are volatile and therefore very sensitive to oxygen and light. They must thus be sealed tightly, UV-protected, and stored in a cool and dry place. Only in this way can the valuable, health-promoting effects of the products be fully preserved. Amber glass is proving to be an ideal packaging material for essential oils. This is mainly due to its light-filtering properties, which protect the sensitive products from the harmful effects of UV rays. Furthermore, glass – both amber and white – does not interact with the product, which means that no material particles are released into the contents. This preserves the purity of essential oils, which is a crucial quality criterion on the market.

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Glass packaging is the sustainable choice

Not to be forgotten, especially for the environmentally conscious target group of essential oils: Glass is recyclable and therefore sustainable. Thanks to particularly resource-saving glass production, which is based on the processing of waste glass, Stoelzle creates processes that save electricity and CO2-emissions in the manufacturing of all glass packaging. Due to responsibility for our environment.

Which glass containers are suitable for essential oils?

The following bottles from Stoelzle’s extensive range are particularly suitable for packaging essential oils:

With 10, 15 and 30ml dropper bottles are preferred for this purpose. They can either have the standard GL18 thread, or other thread types adapted to your wishes and needs.

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Closures as quality criteria

Not only the bottle itself, but also its closure, plays a major role in the longevity and stability of essential oils. For protection from the effects of CO2, which causes the sensitive oils to evaporate, the following types of closures are particularly suitable:

  • Dropper systems
  • Pump systems
  • Roller-ball closures

However, screw caps and pipette assemblies, optionally with or without child resistant closures, can also be used with stable oils.

All Stoelzle products are manufactured in compliance with the ISO 15378 standards, thus meet the principles of GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices). Hence, the highest quality purification and protection of contents can be guaranteed.

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Individual solutions by Stoelzle

In addition to its protection and storage, a product’s packaging has another important role: it’s part of the market communication and creates recognition value. Thanks to innovative decoration techniques such as embossing, effect coating or digital printing, glass packaging from Stoelzle allows you to create lasting impressions of the highest quality, both haptically and visually.

Our product development experts are glad to advise you on individual packaging solutions that will make your product unique!

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Group of decorated Glass bottles
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