Terpenes & Base Oils

This category contains the raw materials: carrier oils and terpenes. These are not end products but building blocks, intended for those who mix their own or are looking for a neutral base. Below you'll read what a carrier oil is, how the common types differ from each other and what terpenes are.

Why a carrier oil

A plant extract is concentrated and usually too thick to measure per drop. By diluting it with a carrier oil it becomes pourable and divisible, and the composition stays the same from bottle to bottle. The carrier oil also determines the thickness, the colour, the taste and how long the whole keeps. A thin, neutral oil gives a different product than a thick oil with its own taste, even if the extract is the same.

The common carrier oils

• MCT oil C8. Derived from coconut. MCT stands for medium-chain triglycerides. The designation C8 refers to caprylic acid, a fatty acid with eight carbon atoms. This oil is thin, clear and almost tasteless and stays liquid even when cold.
• Hemp seed oil. Cold-pressed from the seed. Green in colour, nutty in taste, and more sensitive to light and air than MCT.
• Olive oil. Thicker and greenish-yellow, with a herbaceous taste of its own that comes back in the end product.
• Coconut oil. In its unfractionated form solid below about 24 degrees and liquid above, with a light coconut scent.

What terpenes are

Terpenes are aromatic substances found in almost all plants. They determine why a pine forest smells different from a lemon peel. They are volatile compounds: they evaporate at room temperature and disappear faster the warmer it gets. A few well-known ones:

• Limonene is in the peel of citrus fruits and smells fresh and citrusy.
• Pinene occurs in conifers and rosemary and smells resinous and pine-like.
• Myrcene is found in hops, thyme and bay laurel among others and has an earthy, herbaceous scent.
• Linalool is known from lavender and coriander and smells floral.

Storage

Store oils and terpenes cool, dark and well closed. Light and heat accelerate oxidation, in which an oil starts to smell rancid. Terpenes also evaporate from a bottle that is often open, weakening the scent. So screw caps closed straight away and stand bottles upright. An oil that smells sharp or sour instead of neutral or nutty is past its shelf life.

We have a laboratory analysis made of every batch. There is a batch number on the packaging. Give us that number and we'll send the corresponding report.