Most essential oils are extracted from plants by steam distillation.

Tapping is another method used on some trees, like the commiphora tree, the laurel of Guyana, or the camphor tree of Borneo.

Another method is to use heat to separate various essential oils from raw resin.

The "enfleurage" method is to use a fatty substance to absorb the essential oil, which is then separated from the substance. This method is suitable for cosmetic products since the fats can be processed into ointments, creams etc.

The powers of aromatic plants are stored in the essential oils in a highly concentrated form. For example, when 100 kgs of fresh plants are distilled they yield the following amounts of essential oil:

Thus pure, unadulterated essential oils are high in concentration and should be chosen, used and stored with care.