What to Consider When Buying Essential Oils

photo from trailtohealth.com

 Many people wonder how to know if they are buying "good" essential oils. There are lots of products on the market and significant variations in prices from different sources. How do you know when you are getting your money's worth?

Today, 98% of essential oils produced are used in the cosmetic and perfume industries.  The other 2% of oils produced are used for medicinal and therapeutic purposes.  In the United States, labeling and quality control for essential oils are governed by the Perfume Act which is pretty lenient in its standards. In fact, companies are allowed to use the phrase "100% pure essential oil" if only 5% of the contents are 100% pure. In contrast, Europe requires producers to meet standards developed in a French testing lab called AFNOR. Oils that meet these higher standards are labeled by ISO (International Standards Organization) and will have "EC AFNOR" on the label showing that they were tested and met the higher European standards. These designations guarantee that the oil does not contain any synthetic ingredients, is not diluted, and its chemistry was not tampered with during the harvesting and distillation process. 

This is a critical issue, if you want to use your oils therapeutically. You won't get medicinal or therapeutic results if the oils aren't pure, so you have to know what you are buying. When oils aren't pure, they may have harmful additives that can be absorbed through the skin, nose, and lungs. At best, you won't get the results you are looking for. At worst, the additives could be actually dangerous for your body. One woman heard about the benefits of using lavender for healing burns. She purchased something labeled lavender oil from a local health food store and used it on her arm when she spilled boiling water on herself. The pain intensified and the burn worsened. The experience left her with the impression that lavender oil was worthless in healing burns, however, when her "lavender oil" was analyzed it was found to be "lavendin," a hybrid lavender that is chemically different from pure lavandula augustifolia. Lavandin contains high levels of camphor (12-18%) and can itself burn the skin. True lavender contains virtually no camphor and has burn healing agents not found in lavender. (Essential Oils Desk Reference, p. 11). 

So what should you consider when purchasing essential oils?

• What are you using the oil for? If you want to ingest essential oils which is recommended for many medicinal uses, be sure the ingredients list does not include any additives that would make the oil inappropriate for consumption. If the bottle says "not for internal use" or "for aromatic or topical use only" it is likely not pure and should not be ingested.
• What does the label say? Check the bottle. Does it have the ISO or the EC AFNOR seal? Those are therapeutic grade oils.
• Who is selling this product? Most discount, department, chain, and even drug stores rarely sell pure essential oils. They usually carry products that have other ingredients added.
• What type of product is it? Many products sold as aromatherapy products are impostors...usually aerosol air fresheners, bath oils, bath salts, bubble baths, candles, etc. don't contain pure essential oils...they have lots of other ingredients and the amounts of essential oil are likely minuscule.
• What other ingredients are listed on the product label? Therapeutic grade oils' value will be significantly diminished when they are diluted in emulsifiers, stabilizers, propellants, petroleum waxes, and preservatives. 
• What's the price of the product? One ounce of rose oil requires 60,000 fresh-picked roses. Do the math. Consider a bottle of "aromatherapy lotion" selling for $20. Subtract the retailers' mark-up...usually 100%, or about $10. Then subtract the packaging, advertising, and freight...about $5. Let's estimate the manufacturer's profit at about $3. Do you think the remaining $2 that the manufacturer spent on this product could possibly contain a high level of essential oil? (Wilson, 2002) 

You are wiser to invest your money in pure essential oils and make your own blends for skin care, cleaning, and medicinal purposes than to purchase something labeled as "containing" essential oils along with other ingredients. Aromatherapy can enhance the quality of life...but you've got to use the real thing. 

 

1. Essential Science Publishing. Essential Oils Desk Reference - 3rd Edition. 2004, p 11. You can find the Essential Oils Desk Reference updated version at Amazon.

2. Wilson, Roberta. Aromatherapy: Essential Oils for Vibrant Health and Beauty. NY: Avery/Penguin Press, 2002.