Fixing Frozen Fragrance Oils

So you’ve ordered your fragrance oils for your next project, but when they arrive, they’re cold and some (or all) of the oil has solidified. Seeing an unusual or unexpected appearance to products that you’ve ordered online can be upsetting, but don’t worry. There’s a simple explanation.

What are frozen fragrance oils?

In cold weather, oils in transit are exposed to cold temperatures. Fragrance oils contain lots of different components, and each of those components may solidify at different temperatures. So if you see some lumps or bumps or other solids at the bottom of your fragrance oil bottle, don’t panic. It just means that one or more components of the fragrance oil have solidified in the cold. Once they’ve solidified, they’re denser than the surrounding liquid oils and precipitate to the bottom of the container.

The most important thing to know is that oils will solidify when cooled to a low enough temperature. It’s similar to coconut oil, which is solid at room temperature. And like coconut oil, this solidifying doesn’t negatively impact the quality of your fragrance oil.

How to fix frozen fragrance oils

The next thing to know is that this is easy to fix! 

You can fix these solidified fragrance oils using a simple hot water bath. Bring some water to boil on your stove, and then turn off the heat. Remove the cap of your fragrance oil bottle and rest the bottle in the water (don’t let the water get inside the bottle, though!). It can take a while to get your fragrance oil back to normal, sometimes up to an hour. Just be patient. 
Once your fragrance oil is liquid again, just cap the bottle well and give it a good shake to mix the ingredients. Store your bottle at room temperature and it should be just fine.

We work hard to make sure that we provide you with the best fragrance oils available. To learn more about our process for selecting and testing fragrance oils, read about Our Fragrance Oils: Past and Present. You can also check out our fragrance oils and find your favorite today.