How do you recognize quality?
Essential oils as defined by Tisserand and Young in Essential Oil Safety 2nd Edition are “mixtures of volatile, organic compounds originating from a single botanical source”(pg. 5). When the compound is extracted from a plant it is lipophilic, it will not disperse in water. Understand what an essential oil is can be important to keep yourself safe.
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The Basics
The aromatherapy world is changing rapidly. There are now several different products used in aromatherapy. These include essential oils, absolutes, CO2 extracts and hydrosols. For the purpose of this article we will focus on essential oils. If an essential oil doesn’t have a plant name such as lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) on the bottle it is likely a blend.
Extraction
Essential oils are created primarily through two methods. Citrus oils are generally created through expression. Basically, taking the peels of citrus fruits and squeezing them to extract the oils. The other method is steam distillation. This is done by putting plant material; leaves, root, bark, flowers, resins etc. in a distillation unit and using steam to extract the volatile compounds. You can learn more about distillation and other extraction methods through this article on the Tisserand Institute page.
To extract these volatile compounds, it takes a lot of plant material. One example from Andrea Butje’s recent book The Heart of Aromatherapy page 106 “…our 1 oz (30 ml) bottle with 600 drops has about 30,000 rose blossoms in it.” Another example from my article on the ecological cost of essential oils; To make a half ounce bottle of Frankincense essential oil it takes approximately 6 pounds (3 Kg) of resin if the resin yields at a high rate. Just knowing this has me questioning whether essential oils are my best first choice of something to purchase.
Quality
You can walk into just about any store and see essential oils. This rapid popularity has created issues where these products are no longer “originating from a single botanical source”. Many times, the “essential oils” that you see in stores have been adulterated (something is added). These additions could be a carrier oil or synthetic chemical matching the original botanical. Unfortunately, this change will make the essential oil different and it may not provide any benefits except to smell nice.
As an example, lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is promoted to assist with calming people. When lavender is adulterated it will usually test for elevated levels of linalool or linalyl acetate. These changed chemical levels can cause increased risks for sensitivity and negative reactions and likely will not calm a person. A recently published article shows some of these issues with companies that have generally good reviews. This shows just how hard it is to keep up with accurate information in this fast-growing industry.
Blended Products
As mentioned above if the bottle doesn’t have a specific botanical name it is likely a blend. Blending products is a common practice and can provide many benefits. An important thing is being able to ask the manufacturer what is included in the blend. If the blend is strictly essential oils, you need to dilute it before use. If the blend does have a carrier oil it is important to get the dilution ratio so you can adjust your use accordingly.
Testing
In the article from Consumer Advocate’s they reference the GC/MS test. This is a gas chromatography/mass spectrometry test that is run to test the different chemicals in a compound. For the average consumer these reports can be hard to understand. Early in my training we were taught that it was important for good companies to release these reports. What good is it if they do the test and you don’t understand the results though? Yes, the tests are important, but purchasing from a company that will help its consumer understand the reports is important too.
In this fast-growing industry sometimes, it is better to slow down and purchase from smaller companies that take the time educate the public. One company I know is Be Kind Botanicals. The owner of this company tests the oils and shares that information with her customers. In the fast-paced world, we live in this may force you to slow down and not over purchase.
Learning Options
If you are ready to learn more, I offer in person workshops. I also recommend looking at the National Association of Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA.org) website for possible free courses. For a good beginner course check out Waves of Change Wellness, Angela offers a good introduction to 8 oils and guides you through making some blends. If you are ready to dive in and get a solid education check out the course through Ology Essentials. The instructor Kayla Fioravanti has been in the industry for over 20 years.
Summary
In an industry that is expected to grow 11% by 2023 do you understand what essential oils are. Essential oils can be an incredible resource. However, our consumer driven society is creating such a high demand that their benefits are soon going to be gone. Manufacturers are going to continue to alter these products to meet the high demand. To ensure that you are receiving a high-quality product work with smaller companies and be willing to pay a bit more. By doing so you can ensure that the oils are pure, ethically sourced and coming from a sustainable producer.
DO you think our planet will be able to keep up with the demand for the oils? What happens to the rest of the natural product after the oil is harvested?
Personally I do not think the planet can sustain our current use. People need to stop treating them like collections. Even as an aromatherapist I only have a few and do not just purchase to have.
As for the plant material used it depends. If it is something that can be fed to animals it will be added there. Sometimes it is simply added to a compost pile. Maybe I will explore that in a future article.