Our Pledge: Purity, Potency & Quality Testing

Quality & Potency

Quality, purity and potency are our highest concerns. Essential oils are effective in addressing certain ailments if they contain the correct chemical constituents in the right amount. Along with purity, potency is one of the main factors we use in selecting where we source our oils. We carefully select oils with ideal active constituent concentration through meticulous evaluation of the oil and the conditions under which it was produced.

We understand important variables that affect quality and select suppliers who utilize the best cultivation methods in the most ideal locations around the world. Since growth conditions and other variables affect which constituents and compounds an oil is comprised of, and in what concentration they are present, typically ranging from just a few, to over several hundred, we thoroughly examine every source and every oil for quality and potency.

To ensure the most potent, highest quality oils, we offer essential oils derived exclusively from plants grown in optimal conditions. Our providers harvest at optimal times of the year, and at the correct time of day, and process with great care, to produce oils with the best therapeutic value.

The production of essential oils in plants is a reaction and adaptation to environmental circumstances. Because of this, environmental factors such as elevation, climate, soil texture, organic matter, composition and temperature can impact the health, vitality and essential oil production of medicinal plants. These variables, among others, like harvest time and processing conditions, influence the quality and quantity of essential oils the plants produce. We ensure our oils are sourced from optimal environmental conditions using the best production methods.

Sustainable

We believe in sustainable business practices and we only source from suppliers with similar views. We believe in supporting producers who work to protect native plant life and purchase from suppliers whose practices support the long term health of the plant species. We only source from countries in which the plants are not in danger, and from sources who protect and maintain native plant life.

Our Testing & Analysis

We believe in the healing power of pure plant extracts. Our pure essential oils are free from any type of synthetic or natural adulterants or perfumes. Many essential oils companies claim this, but we prove it.

In addition, extensive testing is done and we are selective, choosing only the finest and most potent oils, with no dilution (except where noted), substitutes or additives.

These tests can catch even the most minute quantity of synthetic or natural compounds. These tests are done by one of the few labs in the world with the expertise to properly interpret essential oil data. This ensures accurate data evaluation which guarantees our customers consistently receive the highest quality oils.

Oils by their very nature will vary slightly from season to season – so there should be some variation to their smell and chemical makeup. If they are always exactly the same, there are likely adulterants and/or fragrances added. Adulterated oils may cause headaches, allergic reactions and chemical sensitivities. We safeguard our customers against such adulterants through rigorous testing and constant vigilance.

GC/MS

Gas Chromatography (GC) is the process of distributing an essential oil’s volatile compounds into its individual constituents, then producing a graph showing the oil’s components. Mass spectrometry (MS) classifies each constituent along with its percentage of the entire oil’s chemical makeup. This process identifies any potential adulteration and contaminants such as herbicides and pesticides, making GC/MS a commonly used testing method for essential oils. Using this process, compounds are broken down into their individual chemical components. Our GC/MS results are professionally analyzed for their chemical makeup. Since the therapeutic effects of essential oils are largely dependant upon their chemical content, understanding their composition is fundamental.

Chiral Testing

Chiral testing can differentiate between enantiomers, each of which contain a chiral center, but are otherwise two non-superimposable mirror images of each other, but which have similar properties.

Chiral Capillary GC is one method for characterizing essential oils which can differentiate between naturally occurring and synthetic compounds. Enantiomeric ratio inspection and analysis can characterize regional differences between oils and chiral analysis can uncover the presence of racemic pairs which can, most often, indicate adulteration or an unnatural origin.

HPLC

High Performance Liquid Chromatography, or HPLC, is a method which uses retention time and ultraviolet (UV) absorption to identify different compounds and their quantities. HPLC is another tool we use to verify the authenticity, quality, and purity of our essential oils and is one of the best and most decisive procedures to obtain accurate quantitative appraisal and assessment of volatile and nonvolatile compounds and plant constituents

Organoleptic

Expert analysis is performed by our chemists trained to evaluate oils by their appearance, color and smell. This is done over a period of time as the essential oil evaporates from a test strip. This process, done over time, reveals attributes which may not be readily apparent initially. Our experts are highly trained in evaluating the sample and discerning whether abnormalities or quality issues may be present.

Heavy Metal, Pesticide, & Herbicide Testing

Whether processed commercially or with a primitive still, it is possible to find impurities such as metals present in essential oils. Oils improperly processed or stored in imperfect metal containers can become contaminated with heavy metals and iron. We test for heavy metals and metal contaminants to ensure the purity of our oils.

The analysis of essential oils for pesticide/herbicide residues are commonly done using gas chromatography (GC) and liquid chromatography (LC). Our oils are sent to a third party lab for testing and analysis using GC/MS, LC/MS and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). Advancements in LC/MS technology have facilitated a more in-depth analysis of modern pesticides and their metabolites which in the past, were difficult to evaluate. Our third party testers use incredibly sensitive state-of-the-art GC-MS/MS and LC-MS/MS instruments during analysis capable of detecting pesticide multiresidue at incredibly minute concentration levels.

Optical Rotation & Refractive Index Testing

Optical rotation measures the direction and bend of light as it moves through an essential oil to check the oil’s identity and purity. Since light behaves in a predictable and consistent way as it passes through an optically active material, unusual readings can indicate adulteration. Refractive index measures how fast or slow light passing through a substance is refracted(6). Essential oils are characterizable by refractive index measurement because they are made up of different compounds with varying composition. Any change in the optimal composition of an oil will affect the refractive index(7). The measurements these tests provide offer valuable insight into the quality of our essential oils.

C14 Naturalness Testing

C-14 Naturalness Testing, or carbon 14 isotope testing, is yet another way we test for synthetic additives and adulterants. C-14 testing can detect adulterants that are petroleum based, and as such, have much lower levels of C-14.

Specific Gravity Testing

Specific gravity testing is another method we use to ensure the quality and purity of our essential oils. Essential oils each have their own individual composition and specific gravity. Because temperature and pressure can affect specific gravity, essential oil testing is pressure controlled and are typically tested at a consistent temperature. This testing can catch quality issues including contamination.