Carrier oil is also known as base oil, fixed oil, or lipids. The main compounds of fixed oil are different kinds of fatty acids such as Oleic acid (Omega-9), Linoleic acid (Omega-6), gamma-Linolenic acid (GLA, Omega-6), alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA, Omega−3) etc. These oils are often used in foods, supplements, skincare, massage etc. Fixed oils do not vaporize. Fixed oils contain phytonutrients, such as unrefined grapeseed oil contains chlorophyll (hence the green oil), rosehip seed oil contains ß-Carotene (hence the reddish-orange hue), black cumin seed oil contains thymoquinone, millet seed oil contains miliacin and squalene etc. Although these microelements are in small amounts, they are extremely important and beneficial to the skin and overall health. Phytonutrients are usually unsaponifiable, meaning these nourishing elements cannot be decomposed nor broken down into an acid, an alcohol or a salt. 

Carrier oil, indicates that it is frequently used to dilute (carry) essential oils. From a skincare point of view, carrier oils help a lot more than essential oils. Due to the preferences of human sensory and marketing, most people prefer essential oils and underestimate the wonders of carrier oils. Carrier oils are extracted from seeds, nuts, fruit pulps etc. It can be extracted by chemical solvent, cold pressing, expeller pressing, subcritical fluids extraction, or by supercritical fluid CO2 extraction. Among these extractions, CO2 is the most advanced technology employed and also an eco-friendly choice. 

For essential oil, Wikipedia has a straightforward explanation, 

“An essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile (defined as "the tendency of a substance to vaporize") aroma compounds from plants. Essential oils are also known as volatile oils, ethereal oils, aetherolea, or simply as the oil of the plant from which they were extracted, such as oil of clove. An oil is "essential" in the sense that it contains the "essence of" the plant's fragrance—the characteristic fragrance of the plant from which it is derived. The term essential used here does not mean indispensable as with the terms essential amino acid or essential fatty acid which are so called since they are nutritionally required by a given living organism. In contrast to fatty oils, essential oils evaporate completely without leaving a stain (residue) when dabbed onto filter paper.

Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation, often by using steam. Other processes include expression, solvent extraction, absolute oil extraction, resin tapping, and cold pressing. They are used in perfumes, cosmetics, soaps and other products, for flavoring food and drink, and for adding scents to incense and household cleaning products.”

There are no such government organizations or institutional bodies which certify graded essential oils as “Therapeutic grade” or “CPTG”. Unfortunately, these terms have been misleading the general public in benchmarking the quality of other EO companies. This has led companies to feel the need to claim that their EO products are also “Therapeutic grade” or “CPTG” because a majority of consumers strongly believes that quality is associated with these terms.

Vizü ethereal oils are unadulterated and 100% pure essential oils - that’s our promise.

We do not recommend customers to take EO (essential oils) internally. These oils are 100% pure and concentrated, which means their potency could burn and harm you internally.

The International Federation of Aromatherapists also advises against ingesting. Essential oils’ healing abilities go beyond the skin even upon topical use as they are readily absorbed through the skin. You don’t need to ingest them to reap the benefits. For example, the use of juniper and white Birch EO can help to alleviate the pain and inflammation of arthritis when being applied topically onto the site of swelling. At the same time, these EOs also help to purify the body system.

Certain EOs are strong enough to burn your skin. So imagine what could happen if it’s ingested!  It would probably harm you even before you can experience its beneficial effects. Our human nature tends to anticipate quick results, but always remember that safety comes first. 

The aromatic compounds change because our EOs are 100% unadulterated. The smell of the EO is largely dependent on the soil used for the plant, and the demographics (climate, altitude, region, temperature, seasons etc) of the farming process. Even though the plants are harvested from the same farm, it is almost impossible to produce the exact same smell as one cannot control the conditions of nature. 

When we mention unadulterated, it means that our EO is manufactured as it is. The oils are not modified by adding additional synthetic compounds to stabilise or modify it to its “known-for aroma” - which is unfortunately known to be widely employed in this industry. 

Screw the bottle cap back tightly and avoid direct sunlight and heat. Carrier oils are best to keep in the refrigerator as this will extend its shelf life by months. Note that some carrier oils (like oils of coconut, sea buckthorn berry, tamanu, jojoba etc) will become solid at low temperatures, they will return to liquid form when moved back to room temperature. An alternative is to keep these oils in a cool, dark place.

This is for your own safety as certain EOs are known to cause sensitization reaction. Signs of sensitization include itchy skin, raised bumpy rash, eczema, shortness of breath, and tightness in chest. 

In addition, carrier oils are very beneficial for the skin, hence you reap quadruple the benefits from including them. According to Robert Tisserand: “When you use a fixed or vegetable oil with your essential oils for topical application, you are giving yourself a double treat. Most vegetable oils contain vitamins, minerals and other substances not found in essential oils that nourish and protect your skin. There are dozens of vegetable oils to play with. We recommend using more than one to create beneficial mix of therapeutic properties.”

You can read more here on dilution information.

Sensitization is a process whereby an allergic reaction is caused by an adverse reaction of the immune system. The allergy often shows up in other places than where the oil was applied. The first reaction may be unnoticeable, but with subsequent use, an inflammatory reaction will occur regardless of the amount used. This is a good example of sensitization allergy for your understanding. 

Here’s the sad part - Once sensitized to an oil, you may not be able to use it without recurring symptoms. You may also have reactions to oils with a similar chemical make-up. Hence, it is a good practice to always do a dose escalation with dilution first to avoid undesirable consequences.

There is a good write up on irritations and allergic reactions by Tisserand Institute which you can learn more.

It depends on individual essential oil and the skin area where you are intending to apply it on. Different essential oils have different dilution ratios due to their composition make up. Furthermore, some skin areas are more sensitive than others (areas with thinner skin like inner wrist, back of knees and inner elbows); so you will also need to try on yourself and dilute accordingly. 

We have compiled a list for you to refer and will always update accordingly from different reputable sources. 

Carrier oils are mostly vegetal oils. Whether a vegetable oil can be used for cooking, as food or as supplements, it depends on its extraction method, plant properties, and whether the human body is able to digest (e.g. the body cannot digest jojoba oil as it is a type of wax). We can use grapeseed oil, coconut oil, camellia seed oil for cooking; and we also see supplement capsules of sea buckthorn berry oil , black cumin seed oil, evening primrose oil, pomegranate seed oil and the list goes on. Vizü provides a selection of food grade SFE CO2 extracted carrier oils that are often seen in reputable supplement products. 

However, Vizü has not acquire the license for supplement use, hence taking them internally is at your own risk. Furthermore, the ratio used in supplement and food nutrition is not to be taken lightly, please do your own research thoroughly before consuming. You should consult a certified food nutritionist on this matter. 

CO2 extraction is a process that uses pressurized carbon dioxide to pull phytochemicals from a plant. This process pulls all of the essential oils and also additional unique waxes and other constituents out of the plant material which do not exist anywhere else from other methods of extraction. The extraction process creates a darker oil, and sometimes with a thicker viscous consistency as compared to its steam distilled/cold-pressed oil. 

Another benefit of CO2 extraction is that running supercritical liquid CO2 through these raw plant material kills any pesticide residues, microbial bacteria, insect mites, mold, or mildew on the plant. Therefore, CO2 extraction guarantees that your concentrates will not only be cleaner, but significantly healthier for your use. Lastly, it is the most eco-friendly process as it only uses recycled carbon dioxide from our surroundings!

Yes, each essential oil delivers different therapeutic effects, whether by inhalation or application on skin. The benefits vary among different plants, and it is important to note that not every ethereal oil is suitable to be used topically as some inhibit skin irritants. 

Please refer to the product information for a list of the oils’ wide range of aromatherapy and skincare uses.

Generally, CO2 extracted carrier oils are safe for children (unless stated otherwise on our product tabs). However, for the other CO2 extracts, you will need to look under our “safety consideration” tab before using. There are a few exceptions like Ginger CO2 which is too strong for children. Please also take a look at our detailed guide on using essential oils on children. Or you may drop us a message for any other enquiries.

You need to decide on your purpose - do you intend to use it as a face oil, massage oil, or to target certain skin problems? 

If you want a comfortable face oil as a day moisturiser, an oil like red raspberry seed CO2 extract, which is light in color, smell and texture, may be the best for you. If you are looking for anti-ageing benefits, or treatment for scarring and acne marks, then rosehip seed CO2 extract may be best for you; but this oil has a deeper color and stronger scent. If you have gotten a serious sunburn, sea buckthorn berry CO2 extract will help you to recover, but this oil will stain due to its deep orange colour and possesses a strong smell. 

It is difficult for us to answer what is ideal for you as different plants have different unique properties. Based on your needs and wants, you can perform a cocktail concoction of these oils to reap the benefits you desire. We strongly encourage customers to experience the different oils themselves. As all plants and human beings are unique, individuals might react to the oils differently. 

If you are really torn between the choices (happens all the time, doesn’t it?), we would recommend rosehip seed CO2 extract or red raspberry seed CO2 extract to start your skin oil journey. Both have garnered many great reviews from our customers for its excellent results and light weight consistency :) More ever, red raspberry CO2 extract has pretty high percentage of natural SPF too!

As every individual plants and human skins are unique, not every botanical oil is suitable for everyone, especially when it comes to aroma and texture.

As essential oils contain volatile compounds, it is advisable to dilute them in carrier oils before topical application. A dose escalation for dilution test is recommended, in order to prevent allergic and potential sensitization reaction. There are many EOs which we strongly discourage using for the face as they contain strong chemical constituent compounds. E.g. Lemongrass is popular to be used as a slimming massage oil for the body, but it may cause irritation when used on the face; ginger CO2 extract is a great ingredient as part of a natural supplement, and also useful in TCM-based massage oils for cold feet and arthritis-related ailments, but it may irritate the skin on our face. 

It is important to know what you are buying and using. Please read the individual product details carefully, or email us at hello@vizu.co if you have more enquiries.

Yes, we do customise face and massage oils for our customers. We have been crafting formulas for period cramps, osteoarthritis, muscle and joints protection oil for professional dancers and performing artists. Please write in to us at hello@vizu.co with the subject line “CUSTOMISED”.  We will also need you in answering questions with regard to your skin background and other health-related history, also providing us with supporting pictures for our accurate reference. 

Learning about oils is a journey full of surprises. You may come across oils that are not suitable for your skin type, but you may also accidentally chance upon unexpectedly favourable effects. 

This requires experience. It can be tricky to tell as some carrier oils naturally have an unpleasant smell that may lead you to think that it’s rancid when it’s still in good condition.

Our suggestion: when buying new carrier oils, open it and smell, and try to remember this scent. Then transfer 10 drops onto a small dish, leave it in the open air for a week until the smell changes. You may do this a few times for better accuracy. Note that each oil has different properties, and the speed of oxidation is also different. You may start with rosehip seed oil as this is an ultra-sensitive oil that will oxidize quickly when not stored properly. We know that this is an expensive experiment, but it serves as good knowledge to equip yourself with, especially for future oil purchases. This applies to a wide range of oils, from skincare oils to cooking oils, and even oil supplements. Knowing how to differentiate is an important skill. You are what you eat, and you would not want to ingest and apply rancid oils onto your skin.

Carrier oils can be stored in a freezer. It is the ultimate protection for long shelf life, but may be slightly more troublesome as certain oils will solidify and require thawing before use. Storing in the refrigerator is helpful too. In this cold condition, it is most likely that you can continue using it even after its “best before” date. However it is still crucial to judge for yourself. If unsure, please discard. 

Being in a cold climate definitely helps. Simply leave it in a dark storage area, and ensure it avoids direct sunlight.

For essential oils, they generally have a long shelf life between 1.5 - 5 years depending on the plant. For citrus essential oils, they are prone to oxidation so a refrigerator would suffice. If essential oils are not capped properly or are exposed to sunlight, their therapeutic effects and aroma will weaken overtime, and their chemical structure may also change when oxidized. Do not use on skin when this happens.