Aromatherapy and using essential oils has grown exponentially in recent years. It is an industry that is expected to grow 11% by 2023. The growth has been in large part due to multi-level marketing companies claiming they can be a miracle cure for anything that ails you, but there are dangers when essential oils aren’t used correctly.
This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase any of the products I have recommended, I may receive a commission at no cost to you. For more information, please see my disclosures.
Injuries in the industry are hard to track due to the nature of essential oils being designated a cosmetic product. In the book Unspoken Truth About Essential Oils Stacey Haluka recounts her journey from becoming a wellness advocate to a seriously injured individual. In 2020 Kayla Fioravanti has expanded on this story through a continuing education course available at Ology Essentials.
Issues in the Industry
With the uneducated teachings of wellness advocates many people believe essential oils will not hurt you because they are natural. Unfortunately, this is far from the truth. People are getting injured every year due to uneducated advice.
Because essential oils are a natural product there hasn’t been a lot of scientific research done on humans, yet. Essential oils are a multi-billion-dollar industry so people are using them.
There are several multi-level marketing (MLM) companies providing people an opportunity to build their own business. Which means there are plenty of people ready to tell you how to use your oils and use them a lot. These people may have the best intentions, but not the safest information. Figuring out the right information can be a challenge.
Due to the oversharing of unsafe information injuries are happening each year.
With the injuries happening each year there are industry leaders collecting adverse reaction information to help make the industry safer. By reporting injuries, we can create a clear picture of safety related to humans and not just petri dish or rat studies.
Report Injuries
If you suspect you have experienced an adverse reaction, please report it to the Tisserand Institute.
The Tisserand Institute also has an adverse reaction database. This database provides a detailed account of reactions that can be used for educational purposes. They do ask that you also report to the Atlantic Institute’s database so that a complete picture can be created of the number of reactions. Please file a report at http://tisserandinstitute.org/safety/adverse-reaction-database/
Due to our increased interest in essential oils we are now also seeing animals that are being adversely affected. Ashi Aromatics has put together a reporting link on their Animal Aromatherapy site. If you believe your animal has had a reaction please report it to https://animalaromatherapy.com/educate-empower/safety/safety-intake-questionnaire/.
Aromatherapy United also has a list of reported injuries for several years that you can view at this link: .
Information to Report
When you are putting together your report please try to include the following information.
If you still have the bottle provide information such as lot number, when it was purchased etc.
- What oil or oils used
- Was the oil diluted
- If yes with what and in what dilution
- What type of reaction did you or your pet experience
- Did the reaction happen with the first use or repeated use
- Did you notice a reaction any place other than the application site
- Did you seek medical treatment for the reaction
- Did you use this product due to advice from a company/person/website
- If yes provide that information.
As our interest in essential oils continues to grow make sure you take the time to research from multiple resources. Consider working with an aromatherapist that has at least 200 hours of training. If you do end up experiencing an adverse reaction though no matter the reason report it so we can continue to learn.
*Images courtesy of Stacey Haluka to read more about her story go to this link.
