I sometimes use affiliate links in content. This doesn’t cost you anything but I may make a commission payment from anything you buy through these links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. All opinions remain my own.
There’s no shortage of essential oils out there on the market. Because there’s a lot of common types of oils such as lavender, rose and eucalyptus, then it is easy to think they will all be much the same. But there are some things to look for when buying essential oils to ensure you get the best possible ones.
Table of Contents
Research the manufacturer
Now I’ll start by saying that I don’t think you should only buy essential oils from big-name manufacturers. There are plenty of tiny businesses out there making top quality oils. But what you should do is a little research.
When it comes to big names, there are plenty. doTerra and Young Living are two while here in the UK, I buy a lot of my essential oils from Holland & Barrett because I buy other products and know the Miaroma products they stock are always good quality.
If you are looking at a smaller, less well-known company to buy essential oils from, look for customer reviews and reports, especially on review websites. If you know people who use essential oils, ask them if they have heard of the company or used their products. You can even ask in Facebook groups and get people’s opinions.
Understand what ‘therapeutic grade’ really means
One thing that can catch people is when an essential oil is labelled as ‘therapeutic grade. Neither the US nor the UK has a grading system for essential oils yet and the same applies to most other countries that refer to them. So while a company can say something is therapeutic grade, it is worth remembering that this is their opinion, not a tested fact to a particular standard.
Other terms used may be ‘aromatherapy’ or ‘fragrance’ grades. These may often have a carrier oil or other compounds added. So be careful to check what’s in the ingredients before you purchase these.
If you want to ingest it, make sure it is food grade
One area that essential oils do need to meet a certain standard is if they are being sold as suitable for human consumption – in other words, adding to food or drink. For example, in the US, the essential oil must be approved by the FDA (a classification known as GRAS) to be allowed to be sold like this.
Some brands are very prominent in this classification. doTerra is one I’ve encountered that make sure their oils are food grade. That’s part of the reason they tend to be more expensive than other brands.
Make sure they are in the right bottles
There’s a reason that essential oils tend to be sold in brown, green or blue bottles. The colour of the bottle helps keep out UV rays from the sun and allows the oil to get to its maximum shelf life.
If you see an essential oil in a clear bottle (even in packaging) then avoid it as it won’t last as long as it should do.
Make sure there’s good labelling
Again, there’s no hard and fast rule about labelling but you do want to see some basic information on a bottle. For example, you want to know what the oil is and the Latin name for it. Most will list the ingredients which should be very minimal or just the oil essence itself.
Some may give directions for use and a caution about how not to use them. If they aren’t food grade, for instance, they’ll probably say something about being for external use only.
Ask about extraction methods
If you are considering essential oils from a smaller company, it can be a good idea to ask a little about their extraction methods. Ideally, this should be as simple as possible to get the purest possible oil and without anything contaminating them. You can usually rely on mass made products to be made this way – but you can ask them too!
Watch out for additives
When buying essential oils of a single type, there’s usually only one ingredient in it. There shouldn’t be additives or other elements in there. This is different if you are buying products like creams or moisturisers that use essential oils but the oil itself should have very little else in there.
Buy in small quantities to avoid waste
We’ve all fallen for multibuy and other tempting offers before but always remember that shelf life and if you can get through the oil in the time it is still good to use. Some can be as little as a year while others are much longer. So think about how much you use when decided how much to buy.
Get the best from every essential oil
With a little bit of clever buying and research into the products, you can get the best essential oils every time and always be happy, whether you are using them in your diffuser, in the bath or even making your own products with them.
