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Introduction
With the
burgeoning success and popularity of aromatherapy, the UK aromatherapy
essential oil trade is itself escalating, with hundreds of new and
sometimes questionable suppliers taking advantage of the current consumer
demand. The plethora of choice in essential oils is daunting to the
consumer seeking quality products. Here are a few basic facts to take into
account when choosing essential oils.
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What
are essential oils?
Essential
oils are the aromatic, volatile substances extracted from a single
botanical source of flowers, plants, herbs, leaves, woods, fruits and gums
by steam distillation or expression. The resulting highly concentrated
essential oil then contains all the aroma and therapeutic properties of
the source from which it was derived.
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Who
Uses Essential Oils?
Only a very
small percentage of essential oil production is used in aromatherapy. The
majority of essential oils are produced for the perfume, pharmaceutical
and food industries, which require standardised raw materials to ensure
the same aroma and flavour from each batch. This means that essential oils
are often blended from different growing regions and then adulterated by
adding synthetics and sometimes cheaper, poor quality oils to standardise
them for those particular industries. It has been estimated that during
the course of a day, a woman uses 29 products that contain essential oils,
e.g. cosmetics, perfumes, food flavourings, washing powders, bath products
etc.
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The
Importance of Purity
When
buying essential oils, as with most things in this life, you get what you
pay for. High quality essential oils at a cheap price are simply not
possible. So with this in mind you should always endeavour to purchase
your essential oils from an established, reputable supplier who has been
in business for many years and who is a member of a recognised trade
association.
To achieve optimum
therapeutic results in aromatherapy and influence health, essential oils
need to be of the highest quality – pure, unadulterated and natural –
and not altered in any way since leaving the still. Poor quality and
adulterated essential oils can lead to skin irritations and side effects
as is often the case with synthetic drugs. The whole oil contains many
chemical components, some of which are present in very small quantities
that cannot be identified and are known as trace elements. It is thought
that these act as "quenchers," preventing possible side effects.
Poor quality
essential oils simply do not work in the same way as the pure and natural
oils and this also applies to carrier oils (vegetable oils), some of which
also have valuable therapeutic properties. It is therefore necessary where
possible to obtain "cold or virgin pressed" carrier oils or
those obtained from the first pressing.
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Natural
Variations in Plants
Essential
oils vary like wines. With the natural variations in plants brought about
by geographical location, soil type, altitude, climatic conditions and
time of harvesting, their yields, together with their chemical composition
and aromas, will all vary from season to season.
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Oil
yields and price
Essential
oil yields within plants differ enormously. Some plants, such as rose and
melissa, have very low oil yields and are consequently very expensive.
Others, such as eucalyptus, have much higher oil yields and therefore tend
to be less expensive. It should be noted that price is not necessarily an
indicator of quality but if all oils on sale are the same price, then this
is generally a sign that the oils could be synthetic, adulterated or
blended products, often with dilutions of less than 10% of essential oil.
Diluted products should be clearly labeled as ready-mixed massage oils.
Therefore, when you
are purchasing individual pure essential oils. do make sure that they are
clearly labelled with the words 'Pure Essential Oil' and not just
'Essential Oil' or 'Aromatherapy Oil' which does not specify exactly what
is in the bottle and can be very, very misleading.
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Colours
and viscosity
The
colours and viscosity of essential oils vary enormously so be wary if the
oils you are offered all appear to be the same colour. Some oils, such as
peppermint, are generally colourless water-like substances, whilst others
such as German chamomile, will be thicker and vary in colour from a deep
bluish-green to greenish-yellow.
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Storage
Being
relatively volatile, essential oils will evaporate fairly quickly and
should always be kept in dark bottles with the cap replaced tightly and
stored in a cool dark place, away from direct sunlight and sources of
heat. When stored properly, most essential oils will keep their
therapeutic properties for two years, the only exception being citrus oils
which have a shorter shelf life and may be stored in a refrigerator to
preserve them a little longer.
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Safety
measures
Integral
drop dispensers must be incorporated in all bottles of essential oils.
This offers a built-in safety factor, which prevents the contents being
swallowed quickly by an unattended child, and enables the oils to be used
in the small dilutions recommended by the supplier.
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Responsible
Marketing – warnings and information
All
promotional material should give clear guidelines as to how essential oils
are to be used, giving recommended dilutions where necessary. To comply
with the consumer safety requirement, the following warnings and
information must be printed on the consumer product label:
- Clear instructions for use, e.g.
add 5 drops of essential oil to 10 ml of carrier or 6 drops in a bath,
etc.
- Keep away from children and eyes.
- Do not take internally or apply
undiluted to the skin.
- The quality supplied, e.g. 10 ml.
- The company name and address/post
code.
Responsible
suppliers will also include a Batch Code Number on essential oil bottles
so that the product can be traced back to source. They will also include
the botanical name of the essential oil as well as the common name.
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Be
sure you know what you are buying before you purchase
There is
confusion between the terms "essential oil,"
"absolute," "aromatherapy oil," and "perfume
oil." So much so that the differences between these products have
been clarified by the ATC for Trading Standards officers working in the
field who have no knowledge of the aromatherapy essential oil market.
These basic descriptions include the following:
- "Essential oils" are
extracted by distillation or, in the case of citrus oils, by
expression from a single botanical species. Once the primary process
of distillation or expression has been completed, nothing further
should be added.
- "Absolutes" are
extracted by solvent extraction - usually to produce floral oils like
rose and jasmine.
- "An Aromatherapy Oil"
is a blend of undefined percentages consisting of diluents (usually
vegetable oils) and essential oils (and sometimes with absolutes) and
is suitable for use without further dilution.
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Trade
association membership
Responsible
suppliers of essential oils and aromatherapy products should belong to a
reputable trade association such as the ATC. Companies that spend money to
join such an organisation are more likely to supply quality products since
they know they are open to scrutiny by their peers when submitting their
membership applications. Trade membership also indicates that such
companies are committed, not only to promoting the trade responsibly, but
also to sharing with their peers common concerns, information and
knowledge on the safety and quality of essential oils for the good of all.
Source: Aromatherapy
Trade Council
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This page was last updated on 30/11/2006 13:47:30
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