The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word NUTRIENTS
N
U
T
R
I
E
N
T
S
Buddy explains!
The straight part
We know that "Some of life’s essentials" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case some of life’s essentials = nutrients.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does NUTRIENTS mean?
NUTRIENTS noun- A source of nourishment, such as food, that can be metabolized by an organism to give energy and build tissue.