Many who use essential oils are often intimidated by the hype, advertising, and packaging of essential oils. Aromatherapists know what they want in essential oils. They want high quality, pure, whole natural essential oils that match the plant.
There are no rules or universal standards by which to grade essential oil quality and purity, even though many aromatherapists and their associated organizations have tried. Most companies receive essential oils from at least one of only a few U.S. importers, that is unless the company does its own steam distillation or has direct dealings with growers and distillers. Although the oils produced from these companies are good quality, the bulk of the oils are sold to large perfume companies who require consistency from one batch to the next. In order to provide consistency, natural and synthetic fragrances are often added to essential oils to ensure uniformity. These oil companies are able to provide quality products, but buyers must demand and verify with the manufacturer what they have recieved is unadulterated.
Guarantees by manufacturers for essential oils must be spelled out in a contract. Otherwise, assigning a 100% pure and natural designation has no real meaning. This designation must include the standard Latin and common name for the plant. Also, the contract needs to state that the oils were distilled from a specific plant without the addition of other natural or synthetic substances. Extraction methods and storage conditions need to be verified. The supplier needs to know the requirements of the buyer and be held responsible.
Suppliers should receive Gas Chromatography (GC) and/or Gas Chromatograph with Mass Spectroscopy (GC/MS) test results with essential oils. A GC test is depicted as a linear graph showing the dispersion of volatile constituents of an essential oil. A GC/MS describes the constituents and respective percentages. Scientific testing results help determine quality, but an experienced aromatherapist is invaluable to assess physical properties, action, and aroma. A good aromatherapist should evaluate color, viscosity range, topnote, middlenote, and dry-out aroma over a specific period of time.
When scientific testing methods as well as the intuative speciallization of experienced aromatherapists are emplemented, essential oils can be reliably assessed for quality.
GC/MS with peaks indicating specific components in the essential oil.
To learn more about aromatherapy, click Learn and view topics under Aromatherapy, Essential Oils, & Lavender. Click to view other Aromatherapy Articles.
back to top
