Essential Oils Buying Guide – Labeling
Before purchasing essential oils, it helps to know how to read labels and advertising unique to this industry. Manufacturers are not deliberately deceptive but understanding labeling of essential oils is tricky. You don’t need a post-doctoral degree in chemistry, pharmacology, or general medicine, but there are a few catch phrases that can help you identify products.
Straight-forward labeling:
100% Pure Essential Oil
Therapeutic Essential Oil
No additives, no pesticides
First distillation
Undiluted & pure
Maximum therapeutic benefit
It’s also a good idea to familiarize yourself with the subtleties of essential oil labeling. For instance, ‘100% pure essential oil’ does not necessarily mean ‘undiluted.’ A product can have 3 drops of lavender oil in 8 ounces of jojoba oil and still qualify as 100% pure.
First distillations are the strongest and highest quality of an essential oil. Subsequent distillations are progressively weaker.
Dubious labeling:
Vitamin-enriched oil
Rich in essential oil
Blend containing pure essential oil
Plant-based oil
Extracted from whole plant
Notice if labeling or advertising specifies which part of a plant was used to obtain a specific oil. If research says the best essential oil of a plant comes from its petals, for example, be careful not to choose a product that contains ‘leaf extract.’ Essential oil of orange blossom flower and essential oil of orange rind are two totally different oils with different properties and therapeutic benefits.
It’s advisable to purchase single essential oils, rather than blends or pre-mixed remedies, whenever feasible. This allows you to 1) control the amount of dilution that suits you best, 2) regulate the intensity and nature of the aroma, and 3) extend the shelf-life of oils because they last longer in undiluted states.
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