Understanding the Body’s Response
The Physiology of Aromatherapy
Many women are drawn to aromatherapy intuitively — it smells good, it feels nurturing, it helps us pause. But what’s often missing from the conversation is this: essential oils aren’t just pleasant — they’re pharmacologically active.
In other words, they interact with your body on a physiological level. They affect systems like the nervous system, endocrine (hormone) system, and even immune response — not through force, but through subtle, intelligent chemistry.
Here’s how they work — both through the skin and through inhalation — and why your body oil is more than just a surface ritual, especially during perimenopause and menopause.
Through the Skin
When you apply essential oils to your skin (especially in a well-crafted body oil), the tiny, fat-soluble molecules pass through the outermost layer of skin — the stratum corneum — and move into the deeper layers, where they meet the blood vessels in the dermis.
From there, they enter your bloodstream and begin circulating through your body.
Importantly, this route bypasses first-pass metabolism in the liver — a process that breaks down substances taken by mouth before they enter systemic circulation. Because essential oils are absorbed through the skin, they remain more intact and available to your body before being gradually metabolized.
Factors that enhance absorption:
- The lipophilic (fat-loving) nature of essential oils
- Warmth (such as from massage or bathing)
- Areas with more blood flow (inner arms, lower belly, chest, back of the neck)
This means that the oil you smooth over your skin isn’t just a topical treatment — it’s a full-body experience. Over the course of several hours, the active components circulate, are metabolized by the liver, and eventually excreted through breath, urine, or sweat.
Through Inhalation
Inhalation is the fastest way essential oils affect the body — particularly the nervous system. Here’s how:
When you inhale an essential oil, aromatic molecules travel up the nose and bind to olfactory receptors at the top of the nasal cavity. These receptors send signals directly to the olfactory bulb, which is part of the brain’s limbic system — the center of memory, emotion, mood, and behavior.
This is why scent can instantly:
- Calm a racing heart
- Bring tears or comfort
- Shift you out of stress and into presence
What’s more, many essential oil compounds can actually cross the blood-brain barrier — a protective filter that keeps most substances out of the brain. Because essential oils are made of small, volatile, fat-soluble molecules, many can pass through and influence the brain’s chemistry directly.
Research has shown that inhaled essential oils can:
- Influence levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA
- Modulate cortisol, the primary stress hormone
- Affect heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rhythm
In short, essential oils don’t just smell good — they create measurable changes in the body, especially when used consistently and with care.
Why This Matters
Stress, anxiety, and hormonal shifts aren’t just emotional — they are physiological. And essential oils offer a bridge between the two.
Used daily, a well-formulated body oil:
- Delivers therapeutic compounds through the skin
- Allows the breath to anchor you back into your body
- Supports your hormones and nervous system gently over time
