Wholesale vs Retail: Which is Best for Aromatherapy Practitioners?

If you're an aromatherapist, massage therapist or holistic practitioner, your relationship with essential oils goes far beyond just a few drops in a diffuser. Oils are the tools of your trade — and how you buy them can directly affect your costs, product consistency and even your client outcomes.

In this guide, we’ll compare wholesale essential oils vs retail bottles, helping you decide which option makes the most sense for your therapy practice or wellness business.

What’s the Difference Between Wholesale and Retail Oils?

• Retail essential oils are typically sold in small 10ml or 15ml bottles, often with higher per-ml pricing, attractive retail packaging, and targeted at general consumers.

• Wholesale essential oils, on the other hand, are supplied in larger volumes (typically 500ml or 1kg), designed for professionals and businesses that need oils in higher quantities, often with reduced packaging and lower cost per ml.

At Mood Essential Oils, all our wholesale oils are supplied in 1kg bottles, freshly packed to order in the UK.

Why Aromatherapists Should Consider Buying Wholesale

Here are five reasons why many UK therapists are now switching to wholesale essential oils:

1. Cost Efficiency

Buying oils like Lavender, Tea Tree, or Eucalyptus in 10ml bottles can quickly get expensive — especially if you're using them every day in client treatments.

With 1kg wholesale bottles, your price per ml drops dramatically, improving your profit margin or reducing session costs.

2. Consistency in Treatments

Using the same batch or supplier across all sessions ensures that your blends, massage oils, or diffuser use remain consistent — which can be important when clients are sensitive to scent changes or respond well to certain formulas.

3. Less Waste & Fewer Reorders

No more fiddling with 10ml bottles or running out halfway through a client week. One 1kg bottle of Peppermint, Orange, or Frankincense can last for months.

4. Supports In-House Product Making

Many aromatherapists now create their own rollerballs, bath blends or sprays for resale. Buying wholesale means you can formulate with confidence, knowing your oil supply won’t run out.

5. Grows With Your Business

If you're running a busy practice or developing your own product line, switching to wholesale is an investment in your future growth. You'll gain access to better supply chains, professional pricing, and scalable options.

You can explore your options on our Wholesale Essential Oils UK page or browse the available oils now on our main product listing:
👉 Shop 1kg Essential Oils

When Retail Still Makes Sense

Retail-size oils may still be the right choice if:

• You're just starting out and trying new oils in small batches

• You only use oils occasionally

• You need specific oils you don’t use often (and wouldn’t finish a 1kg bottle)

• You’re creating personalised client kits with small bottles

That said, once you find your go-to oils — like Geranium, Bergamot FCF, or Clary Sage — it’s worth making the switch to bulk sizes.

How to Order Wholesale Essential Oils

At Mood Essential Oils, we’ve made it easy to shop wholesale online, with no trade accounts or minimum order values.

✔ All oils are available in 1kg quantities
✔ Freshly packed and shipped from our UK base
✔ No middlemen, no confusing forms

You can read more about the process here:
👉 Wholesale Info & FAQs

Or go straight to the main page to place your order:
👉 Order 1kg Essential Oils Online

Summary

If you're serious about your aromatherapy practice or ready to grow, switching to wholesale may be one of the most cost-effective changes you can make.