When the Climate Changes, Does the Oil Change Too?

Each plant tells a story of the seasons it has already been through.

When we hear the words climate change, we may picture melting ice, fierce storms, or forests burning somewhere far away. But climate change is also reaching into fields, orchards, and forests where aromatic plants grow. It may even affect the essential oils we use every day.

Every essential oil begins with a living plant. Lavender needs sunshine, but it also needs enough water to grow and flower. Citrus trees need warmth, yet extreme heat can damage their blossoms and fruit. Frankincense trees have learned to survive in hot, dry places, but even these hardy trees have their limits.

Plants are shaped by the conditions around them. Rainfall, temperature, soil, wind, and the length of the growing season all influence how a plant develops. These conditions can affect how much essential oil the plant produces, as well as the natural substances that give the oil its scent and character.

A small amount of stress is not always harmful to an aromatic plant. A dry spell may cause it to produce more of certain substances that help protect it. This can sometimes create a stronger or slightly different oil. However, when the heat is too intense, or the drought lasts too long, the plant may struggle to grow, produce fewer flowers, or yield less oil.

Lavender grown through a hot, dry summer may not produce exactly the same oil as lavender grown during a cooler, wetter year. Drought can change the balance of its familiar floral and herbal notes. Sage may also change when faced with heat, dry soil, or too much salt in the ground. Citrus growers must contend with drought, violent storms, and insects or diseases that may spread into new areas as growing conditions change.

Frankincense trees face an even more complicated situation. Changing rainfall and rising temperatures are part of the problem, but they are not the whole story. Overharvesting, grazing animals, fire, and the loss of young trees also affect the survival of frankincense forests. It would not be accurate to blame climate change for everything that is happening to them.

None of this means that our familiar essential oils are about to disappear or become untrustworthy. Nature has never followed an exact factory recipe. An oil may vary slightly from one harvest to the next, just as garden tomatoes may taste different after a hot, dry summer than they do after a cool, rainy one. As growing conditions become less predictable, those natural differences may become more noticeable.

Farmers and distillers are not just standing by and watching. They are improving their soil so that it holds more water, choosing stronger varieties, changing planting and harvest dates, and finding better ways to protect young plants. In some places, plants once taken only from the wild are now being grown as crops, helping to protect the remaining wild populations.

For Casaroma, this makes careful sourcing even more important. We need to know the botanical name of the plant, where it was grown, and, when necessary, what the finished oil contains. The name on the bottle tells us which plant it came from, but it does not tell us the whole story.

Every little bottle carries a memory of the place where its plant grew—the richness of the soil, the warmth of the sun, the rain that came or did not come, and the season through which it lived. As the climate changes, the plants will respond. Our task is to pay attention, support responsible growers, and continue learning what the oils themselves are telling us.