The essential oils you buy might not be what you think. In order to keep demand for low prices, essential oils often are in some way adulterated to lower costs. Some unscrupulous companies even sell altogether fakes as the real thing.
Here are a few red flags too look out for when choosing a supplier.
The supplier is not a well known and reputable company. Sellers on eBay are the first to come to mind, but anyone who has not had a strong reputation should be looked into very carefully.
The oils do not have a strong scent. Most essential oils have a quite powerful scent undiluted. They can be quite overwhelming and it is not recommended that you inhale it straight from the bottle (Instead, waft the scent over to your nose). If the scent is not strong, you could have oils that are already diluted.
They are priced much lower than the going rate. The old adage applies—-you get what you pay for. If they are significantly cheaper than comparable offerings on other sites, they are very likely poor quality or adulterated.
Essential oils are not clearly marked or separated from fragrance oils. I once visited a health store that had an aromatherapy section of mixed fragrance oils and essential oils. The only way to distinguish them was to find the extra fine print on each bottle. It was a mix-up waiting to happen.
The botanical name of the source plant is not given. This is a biggie. If they don’t tell you what species it is from, perhaps they don’t know themselves. Uneducated vendors sometimes market perfume oils as essential oils and don’t understand the difference.
The seller uses hype and questionable marketing terms. Many of the phrases commonly used to describe essential oils sound great, but really don’t have any concrete meaning. “100% pure” and “therapeutic grade” means only what the supplier decides it means. At least in the US, there is no standardization or system of grading. The producers or suppliers are the ones who these claims.
They make grandiose claims. Some claim their products are far superior to everything else on the market. They have sources that are “exclusive,” they use special testing that no one else uses. They’ll tell you only their oils are quality oils. Truth is, there are many reputable suppliers who have been in the business for decades. And, often unknowingly, they use the same distillers as the competition.
Always buy from a knowledgeable seller or company with a solid reputation for selling real essential oils. If you don’t know, ask around on the internet. There are a number of forums, groups and mailing lists where you can get great recommendations.
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