Should you buy from Aroma Zone? An honest Aroma Zone review (2024)

The money I have spend with Aroma Zone… I was a frequent visitor to their physical store in Paris, back when I still lived there. Then I circled in and out of their Lyon shop when I was in the city. I got packages delivered home for my DIY projects. I even got them delivered when I was living elsewhere in Europe when buying DIY cosmetic ingredients locally wasn’t available. My goal make myself higher quality skincare and natural remedies for less. Did I succed? Hmm… I’t complicated. This is my honest Aroma Zone review.

Like all other reviews on this website, I cannot promise you will have the same result, since we are all very different. I am also not saying that you should or shouldn’t buy from Aroma Zzone. I’m definitely glad it exists, it changed a lot in the natural/organic skincare industry, made it a whole lot more accessible for a lot of people which is sth. I really appreciate. More details to follow.

The advantages of buying from Aroma Zone for me:

1. gigantic selection of DIY cosmetic ingredients
2. big selection of DIY homemade cosmetics packaging, even the ones hard to get, like DIY lip gloss tubes, mascara tubes, mini travel size reusable small perfume bottles you get the picture
3. big selection of vegan waxes
4. big selection of organic products
5. they have a big selection of plant powders that are hard to get nowadays
6. all of their packagings are made out of recycled materials, and most are recyclable
7. the are switching out their non-recyclable plastic bags with biodegradable paper ones for clay, dry plants, powder emulsifiers, soaps, and waxes
8. not tested on animals (but that is general law)

These are all some very massive pluses for shopping at Aroma Zone, plus their prices range from really cheap to reasonable. Aaaaand, as with everything (overtly) cheap… corners need to be cut.

Aroma Zone carrier oils review

When I first started making my own (basic) skincare, I was so thrilled to find Aroma Zones shelf of carrier oils. It was like walking into a candy store. You name it, even the most -foreign to me-sounding oils and plant-based butters, they had it. Even with my student budget, I could afford to buy several. But the thing was… ALL OF THEM PERFORMED KINDA THE SAME. The viscosity varied a bit sure, but they smelled similar, moisturized kinda the same – I would say very average, kind of like an average to lower quality jojoba oil. None of that rich yummy goodness their fiche produit and DIY cosmetics blogs talk about. So I didn’t re-buy any of their oils.

Several years and tests of extracts, plant powders, and floral waters later, I found a French blog, explaining the quality variation of Aroma Zone’s products. To lower the price and grow the business further, Aroma Zone changed the handing in the supply chain, they, in fact, don’t test the quality of their products until after they are already delivered, and they do not require their suppliers to adhere to a high standard like they used to. So the quality difference between batches can be noticeably big. This is not a small company somewhere in the South of France collecting flowers, it’s a well-oiled machine, optimized for profit.

Another thing Aroma Zone does is offer more and more products, without informing the consumer about the environmental consequences. They sell surfactants that might be better than plain SLS, but some are still pretty harmful to the environment, like SLSA. All these products are legal to sell, for sure, but the implementation of Aroma Zone is that things will be well, less harmful, biodegradable, natural for the lack of a better word… Do your own research, independent of Aroma Zone.

How is the quality of essential oils there?

Essential oil production follows the same business formula as carrier oils. I do not test buy and get only what I know I will use up. Their selection is huge and it’s so easy to just buy everything they have – but knowing the quality may be variable, I started opting for other brands instead if I know I will be putting in on my body.

I still buy essential oils for cleaning (like lemon and orange essential oil) or rarely oils for aromatherapy from them. Since I am not a professional (do not sell skincare or offer aromatherapy services) I do not need top grade quality every time.

Also, when buying essential oils, be careful of chemo-types, so you get the right plant for what you are looking for. They really have a massive selection, though the plants may have a very similar function. Chemotypes are listed for each essential oil in the description box.

Aroma Zone and their recipes

Aroma zone is really generous with giving out free recipes for DIY cosmetics, DIY hair products, shampoos, bar shampoos, styling products, candles, perfumes, and well as DIY cleaning products for home. You name it, they probably have it. Several variations of it. I even got a complimentary booklet of recipes with the order once, they have books and workshops. Are Aroma Zone recipes any good?

With experience, I learned not to trust the recipes blindly. Their recipes are a way to promote their products further, and quality formulations take a lot of time and testing. As it says on their website, they do have a lab and all the recipes are formulated by a professional. On the website, they say recipes are tested for the stability of the formulation. Obviously, they choose ingredients for a particular purpose, but the actual efficacy and concentrations are to be tested at home.
Reviews of actual people that have tried the recipes are the same as for their products, many have 4 or 5 stars, but upon reading the comments, it’s not really so. Often people are also asking for additional guidance or ingredients substitutes in the reviews (with still marking the recipes as 5) – and they rarely get an answer.

I guess, the point I’m trying to make here is that the recipes are very basic. Ingredients need to be in certain concentrations to be visibly effective, and the recipes seem to mimic the store-bought formulations, with lower concentrations of active ingredients, with saves skincare manufacturers money. There hasn’t been one recipe on their website I didn’t modify: substitute ingredients, tamper with quantities, etc. I take the recipes as a good safe baseline, to get ideas from, not the actual recipe I use. I pick ingredients that are backed by science and emit the rest.

I start looking with the mindset, I need this, how do I make it, not what do they have and what do they offer, what is new etc. I do not make/use many of the items they have recipes for.

Aroma zone review: plant extracts, plant actives, plant powders

Comparing these to what my mom used to have (collect and dry herself), I was neutral to disappointed every time… I love ayurvedic plants for my scalp and hair, and these come nowhere near what I’m used to getting from the Indian store. Some of the plant actives I tried from Aroma Zone, did hardly anything (tested over several months). Back when I was bought them, these also came in a non-recyclable plastic bag, which they have changed now.

Aroma Zone review of user experience

First I need to say, people in the store are always busy and helpful when you can get a hold of them.

What I realized pretty early on, their online customer service and reviews at the bottom of the page are nothing to rely on. Their products and recipes often have 5 stars and really bad comments, so I’m wondering if there is something wrong with the review submission process and they never bothered to fix it or what. They offer workshops as an additional service so they might not be willing to dish help for free or maybe they just don’t have enough staff to offer help online after purchase.

Their description of each ingredient (on fiche conseil) is really good, though I just skim the first part. Most ingredients are anti-inflammatory, moisturizing, and suitable for sensitive skin..The second part is a lot more helpful, with recommended quantities and uses. Remember to double-check elsewhere for any contraindications or potential side effects, not all plant ingredients have been tested a lot.

Packaging and shipping

Their package is plastic-free, it’s always a carboard box with more craft paper as padding, plus they ship with Colissimo in France, which has been CO2 neutral for years. Colissimo uses electricity from renewable sources, employ electric vehicles for delivery and they optimized their delivery chain to be more environmentally friendly.

I never had issues with spills or pierced packaging. They wait time is never super long (less than 1 week normally) and as they predict, the only minus is they sometimes use a much bigger box than necessary.

(What) Do I still buy from Aroma Zone?

1. lemon and orange essential oils for laundry and DIY cleaning recipes – I can buy them in bulk (100 or 250 ml) to save packaging
2. essential oils for diffuser sometimes
3. powdered surfactants and emulsifiers
4. vegan waxes – they have a huge selection and they are hard to get elsewhere
5. citric acid
6. xantam gum
7. alum powder for my zero waste deodorant spray (it’s not an Aroma Zone recipe)

Really nice one-off purchases

Years ago, I got a wooden box for essential oils. It is a bit of a splurge item, but it made my life so much easier (and organized). I keep all my small bottles in there, essential oils or not.

I also got pH measuring strips, now years ago, and I still have them. This is essential if you are making any sort of skincare or hair care at home, even just a vinegar hair rinse. The wrong pH can be really detrimental to skin and hair. If you follow their recipes exactly, the pH is already accurate. I’m not sure where else you could buy those, maybe at a pet store, with aquarium equipment?

If you are making bath balls at home a lot, they have metal molds.

Tiny 5ml, 10 ml spray glass bottle for perfume, with a screw top, so they are reusable.

What I’m not buying at Aroma Zone?

1. testing products – they just create more waste (plastic may be recyclable, but it isn’t really recycled in most places)
2. carrier oils
3. butters (the quality varies so much, and I’m not sure they are paying a fair price for butters coming from economically less fortunate countries – none of it is fair trade, though some of at least without palm oil)
4. empty plastic jars – I’m reusing
5. plant powders, ayurvedic powders (I got several of poor quality)
6. mica: it’s unclear if mica is sourced ethically – most of the world’s supply of mica is produced with children mining it, in dangerous circ*mstances, I emailed them, but they have not replied
7. aloe vera products (poor quality compared to what I get when I’m in Canada)
8. measuring spoons – they do not correspond to regular measuring spoons, so you can’t use them for any other recipe

*I have not tasted their bases or soaps. I dabbed a bit in the DIY makeup, (I liked the mascara), but found it too time-consuming to continue testing more.

This is what I do instead to zero waste my makeup bag.

To cut back on waste, I buy ONLY if I need something, I check alternatives, compare prices, etc., I buy in bulk, and only what I really need. I am not subscribed to their newsletter, not do I follow them on social media, so I don’t get sucked into the hype.

I would love to support only small producers, but I’m looking for balance between price, my time available, quality, and availability. And with Aroma Zone, I’m still faithfully buying certain products and repurchasing them over and over again.

How would you review Aroma Zone?