FIR VS PINE OIL
A quick look at these two raw materials ('tis the season):
If you're a fan of decorating a real tree for the jolly season, you probably make an outing of it each year, either to a nursery or inland tree farm, to select your fir/pine/spruce tree. Whether the tree in your living room is real or not, pine is one of the scents we associate with the season, even more so for those in the northern hemisphere who experience a white winter. The evergreens represent the more leafy, earthy side of the holiday season, which balances out the sweet aromas of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and citrus that hang happily in the atmosphere of homes and cafes dedicated to traditional festive gastronomy.
Just as the trees in the evergreen family are similar in appearance but also quite different, so too are the scent profiles of their oils. Fir needle oil is different to pine needle and considered a bit more precious in the world of perfumery; it carries a heftier price tag. Fir carries a bit more of a landscaped scent profile in that it's evocative of the forest as a collective entity (balsamic woody, forest, green and dry). Its oil is extracted from the needles only. Pine oil is extracted from the needles and twigs and is more sharp and crisp than fir (herbal, woody, hay, green).
Emotionally, fir can be helpful with fatigue, anxiety and lifting the spirit.