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Essential Oils in Toronto?

post #1 of 7
10/21/08 at 2:10pm
Thread Starter 
The other day I was browsing through Kensington market, and I found a store called 'Courage, my Love' that mostly sells vintage clothing. They have a small counter at the back where they sell 'perfume oils.' I am not sure whether they are essential oils or fragrance oils, however, and the bottles are mostly from India and reveal little information.
If this would help to identify them, the bottles were incredibly small (barely enough to fill an eyedropper) and the prices ranged from about $3 for the florals to $7 for the musk. Considering the size, I thought that the musk might be genuine, though I understand that $7 is cheap for any animal derivative.

Anyway, do you guys think I've struck gold, here? If not, where else in the city can I find decent essential oils? I'd love to find a place that sells real civet.
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post #2 of 7
10/21/08 at 7:14pm
By what you have described it sounds like you have come across some Indian Attar. More then likely synthetic. From the prices you have described they are probably not natural or at least very little. Most of the purist forms of essential oils can be found easily on the internet or certain specialty shops here in the west. For instance the musk you have described, Agarscents sells the purist form of Musk I have ever smelled as He claims it is pure, and it goes for around $600 US. But I myself have seen and sold many attars called musk for the same price you have mentioned but they were for sure synthetic or vegetable based.
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post #3 of 7
10/21/08 at 10:11pm
Thread Starter 
oh, thanks!
Maybe if I could read Hindi I could see for sure

I'll at least acknowledge that their lavender smelled very realistic.
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post #4 of 7
10/22/08 at 7:00am
^ Oils like lavender and patchouli and relatively cheap, so they're likely natural (with possible additives), but the animal musks are for sure synthetic.

Check out Little India for great oils too. There's also a tiny place in Kensington that blasts raggae (across from the mexican restaurant I think...not the one across form the cheese shops) that sells oils.
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post #5 of 7
10/22/08 at 8:56am
Finding a good priced essential oil seller would sure be nice. I have not looked to hard here in Toronto but i am sure that Wholefoods carries them, though probably way over priced. I have found a good way to shop for essential oils is just buy the small samples off the net to try them out first and I sure here on basenotes you could find alot of recommendations.
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post #6 of 7
1/20/10 at 10:33pm
You neglected to mention the most crucial part. That being the fact that located next to this booth of oils is a hat rack absolutely LOADED with assorted Luchador masks ranging from 12-20 dollars. Quite the deal, if I do say so myself. And it seems I just did. So I guess I do.

They're great masks...
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post #7 of 7
3/22/11 at 7:43am
I went to Courage to check this out and found natural perfume oil. Very cheap, $3 and $6 bottles. They are made in India, very powerful, but seem to be blends, not individual essential oils. I bought some jasmine, musk and poppy. Were there other essential oils? I asked at the counter at the back and this was all they showed me.

If you go here, bring some paper to test them on. They may be intended for the skin but I was scrubbing them off my hand an hour later. The smell was overpowering, and I am not usually that sensitive to smells.

Loved the masks but couldn't resist the bone earrings.
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