In aromatherapy the aim, when extracting essential oils, is to end up with a product as near in chemical composition as possible to the oil as it naturally occurs in the plant. Extraction methods which carry the risk of adding chemical contaminants to the oils during the process are normally avoided.

Care must be taken to differentiate essential oils for use in aromatherapy from those in perfumery where the overriding concern centres around the aroma rather than the chemical composition.

The main methods of extraction are:

DISTILLATION       EXPRESSION     SOLVENT EXTRACTION