As a pharmacist and oils enthusiast, I get asked all the time: Why is there so much conflicting information on essential oils?
According to the Aromatic Plant Research Center, who are tasked with analyzing the contents of essential oils, almost 80% of the essential oils on the market are adulterated. Adulteration seems like a buzz word in the essential oils world, so let’s discuss what this means. The official definition of adulterate (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adulterate) is “to corrupt, debase, or make impure by the addition of a foreign or inferior substance or element; especially to prepare for sale by replacing more valuable with less valuable or inert ingredients.”
Breaking this down a bit, here are just some of the ways “pure therapeutic grade” essential oils could be adulterated. In other words: I’M NOT EVEN INCLUDING THE OILS THAT ARE COMPLETELY SYNTHETIC AS PART OF THIS DISCUSSION!!!!
Adulterated could mean:
- A foreign chemical that is not naturally part of the essential oil has been added,
- These may or may not be hazardous or unsafe
- This includes addition of carrier oils to cut or dilute the natural essential oil
- Another natural essential oil has been added, usually a cheaper essential oil with similar chemical composition
- Synthetic version of the natural essential oil has been added to boost desired components in order to obtain the desired chemical profile (note that this could still be labeled as “pure therapeutic grade” since it is not completely synthetic)
- A natural compound that has similar components from a source other than essential oil was added to obtain the desired chemical profile for the oil.
How can we tell if something’s been adulterated?? It’s difficult to tell in an industry that is not closely regulated by the Food and Drug Administration.
In my pharmacy world, adulteration of a drug/medication is very strict, being defined as “an official drug to be adulterated if it fails to conform to compendial standards of quality, strength or purity.” This covers that above definition of adulterated but also means that a drug that does not conform to the specific manufacturing standard approved by the FDA could be deemed adulterated even if nothing corrupt was added.
Transferring this concept to the world of essential oils: OK, let’s say we’ve found a product that is unlikely to be adulterated – you mean there could still be differences in quality, strength or purity for something that does not meet the Merriam-Webster definition of adulteration (AKA – has not had anything extra added to it)???? YES, THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM SAYING.
When it comes down to the 20% of non-adulterated essential oils out there, differences in quality, strength and/or purity usually comes down to how and where a plant is sourced and harvested, and how the essential oils are extracted and processed from the plant.
There is no industry standard or accrediting organization for essential oils. This makes some people fearful of trying essential oils which is unfortunate since good quality essential oils have so many wonderful benefits!!!!! I make my decision based on the transparency of the company and availability to access what I consider key information such as:Is information available on where and how plants are sourced?
Does the company provide specific information on how quality is guaranteed? (aka, not just “fluff” our essential oils are the best verbiage that anyone can make up and put on a website!!!)
- Does the company use a third party testing agency to test their oils?
- Is each batch of oil tested throughout the manufacturing process?
- Is testing information available to view? I like this reference book to aid in interpretation of test results: Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals
Is it important to find high quality, non-adulterated essential oils? The answer is likely YES, but depends on how and why you want to use essential oils. If your motivation is that you don’t tolerate synthetic fragrances found in most cleaners and beauty products, the quality is pretty darn important. If you intend to put the essential oil in or on your body, quality is pretty darn important. If you want to use essential oils around children or the elderly, quality is pretty darn important. If you are not that sensitive to smells and just want something nice to diffuse in your home, then quality may not be as important.
That gets to the last part – WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CONTROVERSY on the internet about essential oils????
It all goes back to QUALITY. Even my awesome reference listed above admits in the foreword that it includes ALL studies regardless of whether the study was well-done, and could include studies that used 100% synthetic essential oils. Any general reference on essential oils must take into account the fact that there is a WIDE range of quality on the market, and therefore its recommendation for use must be conservative. Think about the age-old controversy over education: do you teach to the struggling student, the average student or the brightest student in the class? General oil recommendations have to be done in a way so that the lowest quality oil on the market would not cause harm when these recommendations are followed. This is why you may see brands making claims on use that may not align with general information on essential oils (this could be a whole other blog). And for example, why some brands say “do not ingest” and others have FDA food labels on them!
At the end of the day, you need to feel confident in your brand and how you use your essential oils. As you gain comfort and experience with your brand, you’ll also gain confidence in whether or not it is safe to use in certain situations (your children, topical or internal use, etc…). Since I’ve explored and found “my” brand, how I use oils has changed as I become more comfortable and experienced (along with some nerding out on research…I am a pharmacist after all!).