Touch roll-on or essential oil: which should you buy?
A Touch roll-on and a bottle of essential oil serve different purposes. Compare the ingredients, total volume and directions before choosing your first one.
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Frankincense, two ways to use it
These two bottles show the difference: a prepared skin roll-on and an essential oil you dispense by the drop.
Frankincense Touch
Prepared roll-on · 10 ml
- Inside
- Frankincense essential oil + fractionated coconut oil.
- Application
- Roll-on for skin.
- Choose it for
- Topical use with the carrier already included.
Frankincense
Essential oil · 15 ml
- Inside
- Frankincense essential oil, without a carrier oil.
- Application
- Dispense drops; dilute for skin as directed.
- Choose it for
- Diffusing or topical use, as directed.
The 10 ml Touch volume includes its carrier oil. Product examples checked in the US range; check availability and directions in your own market.
What is already in a Touch roll-on?
Frankincense Touch is a prepared blend of frankincense essential oil and fractionated coconut oil, supplied in a 10 ml roll-on in the US example checked for this guide. The carrier oil is part of the declared formula. It is not evidence of a counterfeit or an undisclosed addition.
Our advice is to open the ingredients panel before comparing two products with the same oil name. The familiar scent does not make their contents interchangeable.
Ten millilitres of what?
The 10 ml refers to the whole blend, including its carrier. A 15 ml bottle of Frankincense essential oil and a 10 ml Frankincense Touch therefore cannot be compared as if both volumes were undiluted frankincense. If a concentration is not disclosed, do not calculate one from the price or fragrance strength.
Nor does a roll across the wrist correspond to a fixed number of drops. The ball controls application; it is not a calibrated dropper.
Choose where you will use it
For convenient topical application, we would consider a prepared roll-on first. For a diffuser, choose an essential oil approved by the device instructions. Do not treat an oil-based skin roll-on as a diffuser refill.
Follow the product’s local directions and warnings even when it is prediluted. Keep away from eyes and sensitive areas. A ready-to-use format does not remove the need to check suitability for the person using it.
Compare the actual local products
Before ordering, check the name, ingredients, size and intended use in your country’s shop. A US example is not a promise of the same range elsewhere. Our label guide explains what to compare. Then browse starter kits or use the enrolment guide to open the correct market.
For Melaleuca, the Tea Tree guide compares the 15 mL essential oil with the 10 mL Touch roll-on and links to the directions for each market.
If lavender is the oil you’re deciding on, see the 15 mL Lavender dropper and 10 mL Lavender Touch side by side.
For the wider On Guard range, compare essential oil, Touch and Cleaner Concentrate. If you are choosing a personal or room fragrance for an evening together, our romantic scent guide starts with preferences and product format.
Questions and answers
Does Touch mean the bottle contains only essential oil?
No. Frankincense Touch, for example, also contains fractionated coconut oil. Read the formula for the particular product.
Is a roll-on always the cheaper choice?
Compare the intended use and the complete product, not just the price per millilitre. The essential-oil concentration may not be disclosed.
Kit or single oils — which costs less for you? Compare in the calculator