The differentiation of essence types is essentially an evolutionary history of "raw material utilization and technological innovation". From the "past" of a single natural fragrance to the "present" of a diverse category system, the emergence of each essence type corresponds to a technological breakthrough or an upgrade in market demand. Understanding the types of essences requires not only mastering their classification criteria, but also comprehending the underlying technological logic and historical background.

Classified by raw material sources, this is the most logical way to categorize essences according to their evolution from past to present, which can be divided into three types: natural essences, semi-synthetic essences, and synthetic essences.

Natural essence is the "initial form" of essence, directly blended from natural spices - such as rose essential oil extracted from rose petals, combined with jasmine essential oil to create rose jasmine essence. This type of essence has a natural and gentle fragrance, but is greatly limited by raw materials: animal spices like musk and ambergris have been banned due to their scarcity of sources; plant spices are affected by seasons and regions, resulting in high costs.

Semi-synthetic essence is an "intermediate form" in the transition from natural to synthetic fragrances, born in the mid-19th century. Its raw material is a derivative of natural fragrances - such as terpineol synthesized from natural turpentine - which is then compounded with natural fragrances. Semi-synthetic essence retains some of the softness of natural fragrances while reducing costs, marking an important transition in essence technology from "reliance on nature" to "scientific creation".

Synthetic essence is the "mainstream form" of modern essence, born after the maturity of chemical synthesis technology, with its raw materials mostly being petrochemical or coal chemical products. The successful synthesis of vanillin in 1868 marked the beginning of large-scale application of synthetic essence; in the mid-20th century, the emergence of analytical techniques such as gas chromatography and mass spectrometry enabled perfumers to precisely analyze the chemical composition of natural fragrances, thus synthesizing spices that are closer to nature. The advantages of synthetic essence are extremely obvious: rich aroma, low cost, strong stability, and the ability to create complex aromas (such as bubble gum flavor and cola flavor) that natural spices cannot achieve. Nowadays, synthetic essence accounts for more than 80% of essences used in the food industry, serving as the core raw material supporting the large-scale development of the food industry.

In addition to the source of raw materials, classification by purpose and form is more suitable for modern application scenarios. Classified by purpose, it can be divided into food use, daily chemical use, pharmaceutical use, etc. Among them, food essence is further subdivided into baking use (high temperature resistance), beverage use (water solubility), candy use (long-lasting fragrance), etc., which is based on precise adaptation to food processing technology. Classified by form, it can be divided into liquid, powder, and paste. Liquid essence is suitable for beverages and sauces, powder essence for milk powder and biscuits, and paste essence for oil-based foods, which is based on application optimization according to food forms.

From natural to synthetic, from single to multiple, the differentiation of essence types has always revolved around "better meeting application needs". Behind this is the deep evolution of human cognition towards fragrance, from "reverence for nature" to "scientific control".