Our Expertise
Savoir Faire
The story of MYLO is a story of love. A love of mother nature and its healing power. The story of MYLO is a story of exploration. An exploration of distant parts of the world to understand the historical uses of botanical ingredients and their complex chemical properties. The story of MYLO is a story of discipline. A discipline to apply scientific rigor in the formulation of our products and to never entertain the thought of cutting a corner. Love, exploration, and discipline revolve everything we do and is the product of our founders’ more than 20 years of experience in space. Explore the expertise we have developed over this decades-long journey below.
01
Expertise On Managing The Variability of Essential Oils
Essential oils consist predominantly of volatile, low-molecular-weight compounds produced through multiple biosynthetic pathways within the plant. Terpenes and terpenoids are among the most prominent constituents, although the precise composition of an oil can include alcohols, esters, aldehydes, ketones, phenols and other classes of aromatic molecules. Collectively, these constituents form a characteristic chromatographic and sensory profile that can be highly distinctive, yet remains subject to substantial natural variation.
This variability is one of the reasons essential-oil expertise develops through sustained observation rather than through specification sheets alone. Plant metabolism responds dynamically to its environment. Temperature, drought, salinity, light intensity and other environmental pressures can alter the biosynthesis and accumulation of specialized metabolites, including volatile terpenoids. In some aromatic species, differences in rainfall, flowering stage or heat exposure have been associated with measurable changes in both essential-oil yield and the relative concentration of key constituents.
Harvest and processing further influence the material. The stage of plant development at harvest may affect the abundance of particular metabolites, while distillation parameters—including temperature, duration and the physical condition of the botanical material—can influence which volatile fractions are recovered and in what proportions. The essential oil that ultimately enters a formulation is therefore the product of an entire sequence: genotype, environment, cultivation, harvest, handling and extraction.
For more than 20 years, the MYLO founding team has studied this sequence through direct engagement with essential oils and the traditions surrounding their use. Our work has taken us across different parts of the world to understand how aromatic plants are cultivated, how historical knowledge developed around particular botanicals, how distillation practices differ by region and producer, and how those differences are expressed in the finished material.
02
The Intelligence of Plants
The chemistry of aromatic plants is the product of evolutionary adaptation.
Plants exist in continuous chemical interaction with their environment. Unlike mobile organisms, they cannot relocate when exposed to herbivores, pathogens, competition, ultraviolet radiation, drought or temperature extremes. Instead, plants have evolved extensive biochemical systems that enable them to respond to these pressures through the synthesis of compounds commonly described as specialized, or historically as secondary, metabolites.
These metabolites encompass diverse chemical families, including terpenoids, phenolic compounds and alkaloids, and they perform functions that extend far beyond basic growth and energy metabolism. Depending on the species and compound, they may participate in defense against herbivores or microorganisms, protection against abiotic stress, competition with neighboring plants, attraction of pollinators, or communication with other organisms. Modern plant science increasingly regards specialized metabolism not as peripheral chemistry, but as an integral component of how plants adapt to and interact with their ecological environment.
Volatile terpenoids are particularly relevant to aromatic plants. Their volatility allows them to function not only within plant tissues but also as airborne chemical signals. Research has identified roles for volatile terpenes in plant defense, stress response and interactions with insects and other organisms. What humans experience as the characteristic aroma of lavender, citrus peel, rosemary, woods or resins is therefore the sensory expression of compounds that serve complex biological functions for the plant itself.
Plants and human biology
Plant-derived molecules may interact with proteins, enzymes, receptors, ion channels, cellular membranes and intracellular signaling networks. Their biological behavior is influenced by molecular structure, functional groups, lipophilicity, polarity, concentration and metabolism, among other variables. Because many biochemical mechanisms are conserved across living organisms, a compound that evolved as part of a plant’s defense or signaling chemistry may also display measurable biological activity when encountered by mammalian cells. Reviews of plant secondary metabolites describe these substances as capable of acting across multiple molecular targets and pathways rather than through a single generalized mechanism.
Human societies have explored this overlap between plant chemistry and human physiology for thousands of years. Traditional medical systems developed extensive empirical knowledge around certain plants, preparations and methods of application, creating a historical record that continues to guide modern phytochemical and pharmacological research.
03
Aromatic Architecture
The aromatic character of an essential oil emerges from the collective behavior of its volatile constituents. These molecules differ in vapor pressure, molecular mass, functional chemistry and interaction with the surrounding formulation, causing them to volatilize and become perceptible at different rates. What is experienced as the opening, development and persistence of an aroma is therefore not simply a matter of fragrance preference; it is a consequence of molecular composition and volatility.
MYLO approaches this process as aromatic architecture.
A formulation must be considered simultaneously at several levels. There is the chemistry of each botanical material, the relative proportions of its constituents, the interactions among oils within the blend, the rate at which different volatile molecules are released, the characteristics of the carrier system and the manner in which the formula will ultimately be applied to the body.
Because essential oils contain multiple constituents rather than isolated molecules, blending two oils does not merely combine two aromas. It creates a substantially more complex chemical mixture in which dozens—or potentially hundreds—of volatile compounds coexist.
Some constituents may reinforce similar aromatic directions; others provide contrast or extend persistence. Certain materials may soften the sensory impression of a sharper botanical, while others introduce structural depth or improve the coherence of an aromatic accord. These relationships are partly sensory and partly physicochemical, and they cannot be reduced to a simple hierarchy of “active” versus “inactive” ingredients.
The concept of complementarity is therefore central to MYLO formulation.
A botanical is not evaluated only according to what it contributes independently, but according to how it behaves in relation to everything around it. An essential oil that is compelling in isolation may become disproportionate when combined with another material. Conversely, a botanical used at a restrained concentration may play a critical role in shaping the overall aromatic profile without dominating it.
04
Precision In Every Detail
Botanical origin establishes identity. Analytical chemistry helps verify it.
Essential oils are inherently variable natural products, and their commercial value makes them susceptible to dilution, substitution and more sophisticated forms of adulteration. A botanical name on a specification sheet is therefore not, on its own, sufficient evidence of compositional quality.
At MYLO, analytical information forms an important part of how we assess the essential oils we source. In particular, we review gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, or GC–MS, data to examine the volatile chemical profile of the material and determine whether it is consistent with the identity and compositional characteristics expected of that oil.
Gas chromatography and mass spectrometry provide complementary information. In gas chromatography, volatile constituents are separated as they pass through a chromatographic column according to their physicochemical interactions with the analytical system. Mass spectrometry subsequently records fragmentation patterns that can be used, together with chromatographic retention data and appropriate reference information, to support compound identification.
The result is a detailed analytical representation of the volatile composition of the oil.
Establishing a compositional profile
For MYLO, the purpose of reviewing GC–MS information is not merely to confirm the presence of one desirable constituent. Essential oils must be evaluated as profiles.
We examine the relative abundance of major constituents, the presence of characteristic minor compounds and the overall pattern produced by the oil. These data can help determine whether a material is broadly consistent with the expected chemistry of its botanical species and, where relevant, its chemotype or geographical origin.
Authenticity requires more than a chromatogram
GC–MS is an exceptionally useful analytical technique for essential oils, but it is not infallible. Modern adulteration can be sophisticated, particularly when isolated natural or synthetic constituents are introduced in proportions designed to approximate an expected chromatographic profile. We use other proprietary methods to ensure that we are confident in the quality and purity of our raw materials.
05
The MYLO Standard
For more than two decades, MYLO’s founding team has approached essential oils as both natural materials and complex chemical systems.
We study the botanical species and its historical context, but we also examine the conditions under which the plant was cultivated and harvested. We consider geographical origin and production method, while recognizing that neither provenance nor tradition alone can establish quality. We evaluate aromatic character through experience and compositional data through analytical chemistry, understanding that each reveals a different dimension of the same material.
Traditional botanical knowledge gives us a historical record of how plants have been used. Plant science explains how their specialized chemistry developed. Analytical chemistry allows us to characterize that chemistry with increasing precision. Formulation science determines how those materials should be combined, diluted and applied.
Our experience helps connect these disciplines.
Explore Our Creations
Our products are the physical embodiments of our beliefs. Each of them is crafted with meticulous care and a clear purpose. All our products contain only the highest quality ingredients sourced from around the world.