Essential Oils in Skincare : Are they sensitizing your skin?

There is a heated debate going on about the usage of essential oils in skincare and whether or not it sensitizes skin. 

Our founder, Liah Yoo, has released a video on her findings after thorough research and some help from our dearest chemist friends who are involved in formulating our products. Please watch the video for more information.

At KraveBeauty, we consciously decided to eliminate essential oils and fragrance specifically because of its controversial nature. As a product developer, it's hard to know the exact chemical composition of each essential oil we would want to use. In fact, it's even hard for an essential oil provider to know the full composition, as well!

There are a few compounds in essential oils that can cause allergic reactions, but as every chemical compound of a natural ingredient varies from producer to producer, from year to year, from country to country, etc. it is nearly impossible to differentiate which may or may not cause irritation. To put it into perspective, just because two apples grow from the same tree it doesn't mean they are the same apple.

We're not saying all essential oils will be sensitizing but some can be. And to minimize the risk of irritation from our products, you won't see essential oils in our formulations until we clearly know what we're playing with. 

How do you feel about essential oils in your skincare?