1.1 Definition and presentation

Aromatherapy refers to the use of essential oils for medicinal purposes. Thus, this market operates at the intersection of the essential oils market and phytotherapy, a discipline that consists of the practice of medicine based on the natural active ingredients of plants.

Undoubtedly fashionable, the global aromatherapy market is growing rapidly and is expected to follow a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2026 of 7.7%, driven by increased interest and experimentation on both the demand and supply sides of alternative medical remedies - in which essential oils themselves are included, some of which are used for lack of sleep, digestive problems or respiratory disorders, for example.

The European market has developed in recent years thanks to the birth and entry into the market of some large operators, who are gaining ground in international territories, including Italy. The Italian market seems to be slowly entering the growth phase, but remains a small area in the broader context of healthcare and medicine. However, the supply side is gearing up to meet a growing consumer demand, placing the country in 2017 among the top 5 producers of the main market-defining raw material: essential oils. These are gradually becoming available in the various distribution channels (e.g. pharmacies, para pharmacies, supermarkets), and as a result are increasingly revealing themselves to consumers as a common good not limited to specialty stores.

In addition, the research and development expenditures allocated to the sector by both multinationals, professionals and small, innovative start-ups represent the driving force behind the expected market potential.

1.2 The world market

According to a new report byGrand View Research, the global aromatherapy market was worth *.* billion in **** and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (***) of **.*% from **** to ****. This growth can be attributed to increased awareness of the therapeutic benefits of essential oils and the growing preference towards natural ...

1.3 The Italian market

In order to establish the value of the aromatherapy market in Italy, it may be useful to analyze the turnover of ateco code **.** "production of essential oils".

Given the difficulty of estimating the value of the aromatherapy market, it is interesting to note the trend of the production of essential oils ...

2.1 Natural Medicine and Phytotherapy

Phytotherapeutic products are experiencing an increasing demand. According to the analysis of Iqvia, in the last two years the sector has grown by *.*% and is now worth *.* billion euros, representing **% of the total turnover of the pharmaceutical market in Italy and **% of Otc drugs.[***].

More than one Italian in * (***) uses unconventional ...

2.2 An increasingly common trend: Aromatherapy in the home

More and more Italians have decided to try the benefits of aromatherapy in their homes through the use of essential oils to create an intimate and relaxing atmosphere or liven up an evening with friends, stimulate sleep, or recover energy.

In the use in the home is preferred the use of ...

2.3 Geographical Distribution of Demand

In order to have an idea of the distribution of the demand for aromatherapy in the Italian peninsula, in the absence of exhaustive data about it, it is useful to look at the spreading in the various regions of non conventional therapies among which, as already mentioned, there is also ...

3.1 Supply Chain Organization

The aromatherapy industry is part of the essential oils industry and more specifically the healthcare use of these products

Most aromatherapy products are sold wholesale todealers who then forward them to distributorsbefore reaching the hands of end customers

The essential oil production sector is highly concentrated, ** companies as of ****(***)

Regarding the ...

3.2 Focus on the essential oil production sector

In Italy,based on ATECO code **.**, which refers to the production of essential oils, the total number of companies operating amounts to ** (***). In the graph below, it is possible to deduce that the total number of companies in the sector compared to the Italian production system is small and, over the ...

3.3 Production and distribution channels

Manufacturers of essential oils can produce their own raw material or can use farmers, to subsequently sell their products to wholesalers. At the same time, they can also interact directly with producers of plant extracts, with user industries or even with the final consumer (***).

While some companies in the market specialize ...

3.3 Aromatherapy fruition in Italy

As aromatherapy is a holistic therapy, it can be used in different contexts and accompany the daily life of consumers. The use of it depends on the type of administration of the therapy: the benefits of aromatherapy can in fact be obtained both by air, then through the scenting of rooms, ...

4.1 Average prices per aromatepia

It is difficult to estimate the costs of aromatherapy because there are different types and the use is possible in very different contexts. To best estimate this data, we can distinguish two market segments that best represent the price of the private use of this service: estimate price of a holistic ...

4.2 The main essential oils used in aromatherapy

The clinical use of essential oils (***) is defined as aromatherapy. Essential oils are obtained from flowers, leaves and fruits with very different methods. The substances that are obtained by natural methods, such as extraction with water vapor or extraction by cold pressure, are preferred because they do not alter the basic ...

4.3 New trends in the offer: aromatherapy and sensory marketing

An important and quite effective method of using essential oils are aroma diffusers; they are characterized by being efficient and having a great coverage in terms of space. The operation of diffusers is not complicated and neither is their technical structure. Normally, diffusers are provided with a tank which is to ...

5.1 Regulatory framework

Essential oils in their "raw material" state are subject to the CLP* and REACH* Regulations, i.e. the rules governing the production and marketing of substances and preparations.

EC Regulation n.****/**** of December **, ****, called CLP Regulation (***)[***].

Regulation (***) No.****/****, known as REACH, is an integrated regulation for the registration, evaluation and authorization ...