If you haven’t noticed, the market today is flooded with essential oils.
The amazing benefits of these therapeutic oils are causing them to show up in many homes for everything from health and wellness to household cleaning, and rightly so.
They are remarkable.
But, just like any other great product, there are counterfeits that you need to be aware of.
One of the greatest tools you need to experience the fullness of their benefits while avoiding the harmful effects of a counterfeit is to know how and where to purchase.
How can you rest assured you’re getting what you’ve paid for and not a bottle of chemicals with deceitful labelling?
Keep on reading!
We’ve established 5 simple checkpoints you can reference to ensure you’re buying pure, quality essential oils!
1. Fragrance oils – natural identical oils – perfume oils
Seeing these descriptions on a product are a clear giveaway you’re not purchasing pure essential oils. Each of these are made of chemical composites to mimic an essential oil but are manmade.
2. Check the containers
Because of the high price point and the intensity of the essential oil’s strength, the container you’re purchasing in can be an easy check point. Essential oils being sold is gallon size quantities, or ones held in plastic or clear glass containers are usually a counterfeit oil. Always purchase oils in dark glass containers to maintain the integrity of the essential oil’s molecular makeup. If you find an oil sold in a quantity greater than 4 ounces, that’s a red flag, so make sure you do extra research on the product or contact the company to see their specifications. If the brand is pure and sells in plastic for shipping purposes, make sure to ask how long before shipping they transfer to plastic and ensure you’re prepared to transfer to a dark glass container as soon as you receive them.
3. The paper test
Want to test out a new brand’s essential oil? Try out this easy test. Place a drop of the oil on a clean, white sheet of paper. If the oil leaves a stain of any kind, it isn’t pure. Essential oils are actually not oils are all, they just don’t mix well with water and so were put into that category. If you place a drop of the oil on a sheet of paper and it leaves an oil stain, that’s a sign there is a carrier oil blended into the bottle and the oil is not pure. Sandalwood, German chamomile, patchouli and vetiver are all thicker consistency oils so will not qualify for this test
4. What’s its latin name?
Every pure bottle of essential oils will provide it’s original latin name and won’t just say, for example, “lavender oil”. If you don’t see the latin name on the product or description, this can be a sure sign that it’s a counterfeit oil. Still feel like the oil is pure or the brand is reputable? Don’t be afraid to contact them and ask questions. Companies manufacturing pure essential oils will have all the data you could be looking for to back of their products.
5. Organic or wild-crafted?
Although this isn’t mandatory as far as a pure essential oil is concerned, it will speak to the quality of the product you’re purchasing. Farmed harvests are much more likely to have been sprayed with pesticides which will make their way into the finished product. Looking for organic or wild-crafted essential oils will help you to rest assured that your oil is free from any unknown additives. This key is especially important if you’re using the oils for health and wellness purposes
As we’ve mentioned, don’t be afraid to contact the manufacturer and ask specific questions as to the purity and the validity of the essential oil you are wanting to purchase. Because the essential oil market is not regulated, brands can make false claims. Do your part, research and educate yourself. Then, you can rest assured you and your family will receive the benefits you’re looking for!
