supplementary material for:Why People Use Essential Oils in the UK: A Behavioural and Cultural Prospective

Essential oils are natural chemical compounds derived from plants for their aromatic properties; they are extracted using various distillation methods (Sadgrove and Jones 2015). Despite their growing medical and therapeutic use, essential oils remain under-researched in this increasingly valuable market. This study uses Ajzen’s (1991) theory of planned behaviour to explore why people choose to use essential oils, focusing on the social, cultural, and psychological influences shaping their choices. The study draws on 10 semi-structured interviews with essential oil users, using thematic analysis to identify three key themes: rationale for use, information and themes, information sources motivations. Motivations were driven by knowledge shared between friends and family, cultural traditions, and broader community influences, including internet sources and dominant health trends. There is lack of theory-based designed research to examine the behavioural intentions of essential oil users. Further studies are needed, with larger sample sizes and more exploration into the religious and historical roots of essential oils.