What to look for when purchasing essential oils

Today I am going to focus on quality of essential oils.

Essential oil production and quality is closely aligned to champagne believe it or not.  For example a bottle of Cristal champagne can be purchased for $349 bottles inc GST in NZ. It was served to the Russian imperial family. Whereas sparkling wine can be purchased for around $10 a bottle. Both are made from grapes, both contain alcohol and both may main you tipsy, however that is where the similarities end.

Quality champagne, like quality essential oils is dependent on the terroir (location), way it is harvested, the variety of grape, the way the grapes are handles after picking, how the production is undertaken, and whether any additives or blending is done to create a standardised product. Cheap sparkling wines have the carbon dioxide added, where as genuine champagne the bubbles form over time with careful fermentation of the grape sugars.

For essential oils the same factors come into paly- where was the plant grown, how harvested, what part, what season, how distilled/extracted, how stored, any post production manipulation, exposure to the elements all will have an impact.

Firstly build a relationship with your supplier, ask questions, and if at all possible  get as close as possible to the grower/distiller. We know that is not possible all the time (but check our supplier pages as we do list some local and regional distillers). 

Gold Standard

1. Common name and the extraction type (e.g. CO₂)
2. Batch number and the expiry date- yes essential oils do degrade over time!
3. Botanical name of the plant and the part of part (e.g. blossoms) Think of Citrus amara -leaves, flowers or fruit?
4. Country of origin- some are known for better quality or more sustainable practices
5. Whether it is diluted or not (quite acceptable for some expensive oils to be diluted in jojoba for example)- note some essential oils may be 'co disillations' such as rose and rose geranium. These are rare and wonderful products. 
6. is it pure?
   1. The only way to know for sure is to ask to see a GCMS or other document of analysis. Most reputable suppliers will at least have a reference analysis as its not cost effective to do every batch due to the cost. 
   2. Train your nose - sometimes an oil can small a bit 'offnote' or soapy and that is enough to raise the suspicion to delve further.
7. If you are buying a rare, precious, or expensive oil request to buy a small sample and do your own organoleptic testing- aroma, feel, does it evaporate on a blotting paper or does it leave an oily residue? Ask for independent analysis.
8. Don't get carried away by marketing hype either from large international companies.
9. In New Zealand many commercial suppliers purchase their oils from less than an handful of bulk multinational companies.
10. The items 1-5 are the bare minimum for any oil purchase for professional use.

Avoid oils labelled "therapeutic grade" (has no meaning), "cosmetic grade" (is not pure- fine for soaps and home products just not Ok for professional use) or "100% natural" (again a marketing hype without any substance)

Avoid oils where there is no botanical name, no country of origin and no part of plant identified where it is important - for example there is a huge therapeutic and safety difference between cinnamon bark and cinnamon leaf.

Finally have a general idea of prices of essential oils and global impacts- for example what are the most expensive oils? What weather events have affected crops?

Keep it sustainable and only buy what you need to use. 

Wendy Maddocks

Aromatic Researcher and Formulator

Executive committee member