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Refined, unrefined, organic, natural, expeller pressed, what does it all mean? In this blog, we explain the terms so you can make an informed choice for a specific product.
On our website, you will come across various terms: refined, unrefined, organic, natural, expeller pressed… You might be thinking: what should I do with this? All these terms relate to the way they are produced. In this blog, we explain the terms so you can make an informed choice for a specific product.
Refined means that the product has been through a process in the factory in which the scent and colour are removed. As a result, certain vitamins may be lost. In general, however, the product will retain its effect.
When making cosmetics, our customers sometimes prefer to use the refined version of a product because of the scent of the final product. Customers who prefer a scent-free product also often use the refined variant.
Unrefined means that no factory processing has been carried out to remove the scent and colour. The product then still contains all of its original vitamins, scent and colour. But of course this also means that these oils and butters can have a strong scent that you have to love!
Most unrefined oils have an earthy and sometimes nutty scent. If you are used to products with (synthetic) fragrance, this scent can take some getting used to. Some people even find the scent of certain products unpleasant, such as that of Shea Butter or Moringa Oil.
The scent generally disappears fairly quickly on the skin. When you apply it to the skin, the scent is already a lot less strong after a few minutes.
Do you find the scent very unpleasant, but still want the unrefined variant? Then you can add Essential oils to give the product a natural scent. Always pay attention to the maximum dosage of 1% in your final product.
The least processed oils are therefore always cold-pressed and unrefined. This is also the oil that stays closest to its natural form and in which the most nutritional values are preserved.
Cold pressing is a method in which the oil is extracted and separated from the seeds or nuts by means of pressure or friction. The temperature is kept constant so that it never rises too much. The seeds, pits or nuts are therefore pressed cold. Cold-pressed oils or butters retain their flavour, scent and nutrients and can sometimes smell stronger than non-cold-pressed oils.
Expeller pressed is a method in which the nuts or seeds are pressed in a mechanical press to obtain the oil. The oil is literally pressed out of the product through the use of intense force. Because of the friction, more heat may be released than with cold pressing.
Organic oils are oils made from plants and grown by farmers or in areas that do not use pesticides or chemicals.
Organic means that you can be almost certain that the producer has grown the crop without artificial fertilisers and synthetic pesticides. The producer has received a certificate for this, and an authority has checked whether the relevant rules have been followed.
We strive to source as much organically as possible. Unfortunately, this is not always feasible in practice. When a producer does not have an organic certificate, this does not mean that their products do not comply with the rules, tricky, isn't it?!
Officially, an oil can only be classified as organic if the seed was grown organically, the seed grew organically, and the processing meets organic standards. For example, no pesticides may be used in the producer's surroundings, because these can of course drift over. Since these rules are interpreted differently in different countries, it can be difficult to determine whether something is truly organic.
Because a farmer often pays a high price for a certificate, you can imagine that it is difficult to obtain an organic product from some regions. It may be that a producer without an organic certificate also complies with these rules, but does not have a certificate for it.
A farmer may also, for example, buy seeds that have not been grown organically, but still choose to grow the crops and process the oil entirely according to organic standards.
We sell products for which the producer has a certificate to call it organic, but also products that are produced in the right way but do not have this certificate. But that does not mean that the product is not organic.
For every product, we research its origin and how it is produced, in order to guarantee the purity and honesty of the products.
For the non-organic products, you may assume that no solvents such as hexane have been used to extract the oil. The source and producer have been verified.
To make a good choice, you can look at how the source grows and what is needed to arrive at an oil or butter. Sometimes nuts have to be boiled first before they can be processed into a product. In such a case, you can assume that no pesticides are present in a product. For many oils, no pesticides are needed during cultivation either, since it is a relatively easy-growing product (such as lavender). In such a case, an organic label is less important.
100% natural means that no substances have been added. This does not always mean that there are no risks associated with such a product. Essential oils, for example, are 100% natural, but you cannot use them undiluted on the skin as they are so concentrated. All our carrier oils, however, you can use pure on the skin.
Written by: Helena
