How Are Essential Oils Produced?

The most common processes for extracting the essential oils from the plant material after harvesting are:

Distillation – steam from boiling water passes through plants drawing out the oils, then the oils are separated from the cooled, re-condensed water

Expression – (also called cold pressing) heavy pressure squeezes the oils from the materials; used mainly with citrus fruit peels

Maceration/Distillation – the plant material is softened in warm water to release the oils

The amount of essential oil present within the plant material is scarce, more so for some plants than others. It can take up to 60 roses to produce one single drop of rose essential oil.