How to Tell if an Essential Oil Company is Worth Purchasing From – just by checking out their website

In this episode Certified Clinical Aromatherapist Lea Jacobson teaches you how she decides whether or not to do business with a company just by checking out their website. Learn Lea's "red flags" and "green flags" and the specific essential oils she zeros in on and how she checks them, as well as a word on therapeutic grade.

Hey, everyone! I'm Lea Jacobson, And if you use essential oils, you come to the right place. As a certified clinical aroma therapist with over a decade of experience. I'll be guiding you with practical information without learning complicated chemistry. This will ensure that you and your family stay safe while enjoying the benefits of essential oils.

Enjoy Season 4 of the podcast as we read through my latest book, Using Essential Oils Safely.

This is Lea Jacobson, empowering you to use essential oils safely. I hope you learned something new! Tell a friend about our podcast so they can learn, too. All episodes are available at LeaJacobson.com/podcast

To get a signed copy of my book, or to access the course which contains even more information, jump on over to my website LeaJacobson.com/BOOK or /COURSE

Transcript

Podcast Intro: 0:26

Hey everyone! Do you use essential oils or maybe you're just curious about using them and you want to make sure you know how to use them before you get started? Then you have come to the right place! My name is Lea Jacobson, a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, essential oil educator, speaker, author- and all of that good stuff- but most importantly, I am your go-to when you have a question about how to use essential oils safely- no matter which brand you use. Now, let's get started on today's podcast.

Lea Jacobson: 1:00

Hey, it's so great to have you here with me again. This podcast is going to go over how you can tell if an essential oil company is worth purchasing from just by checking out their website. As you can imagine, I get asked a lot what my opinion is about various essential oil companies. We've had third party testing in the past and based on those third party test results as well as the following tips there are some brands that I recommend and some brands that I do not. There are a lot of brands out there, new ones cropping up every month. Many of them are capitalizing on the popularity of essential oils and most of them are businessmen or businesswomen who have no educational background in aromatherapy. These companies are to be avoided in favor of companies who are either trained, aromatherapist themselves or who have trained aromatherapists on staff. This podcast will show you ways to see through the marketing and zero in on the safety information- or the lack thereof- so you can tell if the company has safe information about essential oils and are not just interested in making a profit. Because let's face it- if they care enough to offer safe information, they probably also care about what goes into the bottle as well. Bonus points to companies who third party test their essential oils, but more on that later. Now you may be asking why it even matters that the information provided is safe as you certainly don't have to follow unsafe usage recommendations. Well, this is true and you can certainly use any brand of essential oils safely, a company which provides unsafe usage recommendations points to something greater- a lack of education about aromatherapy that can spill out into areas that can affect the product itself. For example, without proper training, a ccompany may not even realize essential oils have a shelf life and need to be stored properly. I have come across more than one company who believes essential oils do not expire and I choose not to do business with them as I don't want to end up with oxidized oils. Other companies may not store their essential oils in a cool place before shipping your product to you, which can also shorten shelf life- and we'll talk about shelf life in another podcast. If you want to know how to tell if an essential oil company is worth purchasing from, here are some ways you can find out- just by checking out their website. Some websites don't list usage recommendations on the product page itself, but they have this information on a FAQ page. Look carefully to see where this information is given. Integral companies will have this information displayed clearly on the product page and may offer some of this information on the label itself. Here is a list of what I consider to be red flags. If you see this kind of information or lack thereof, you probably don't want to support this company- but I leave that choice up to you. After listing these red flags for you, we will go over the green flags. One red flag is if they mention topical use without any safe dilution guidelines. Another is if they mention internal use without suggesting you see a trained professional. If they claim essential oils last forever and do not expire. If they don't caution you which essential oils are phototoxic. If they don't warn you which essential oils may inhibit blood clotting. If they include for sale, essential oils which should not be used at all. Another red flag is if they offer for sale essential oils that are potentially carcinogenic without any warning about how to use them safely. Maybe they don't mention that essential oils need to be diluted and how and with what. Another red flag is if they encourage using essential oils on pets or children without any safety cautions or maybe they don't have warnings on essential oils that should not be used if pregnant or breastfeeding. Another red flag is if they don't provide the Latin or botanical name of the essential oil or if they don't mention the chemotype of the essential oil, if applicable. Another red flag is if they don't mention the extraction method of the essential oil, which can mean the difference between an essential oil being phototoxic or not. Another red flag is if they don't mention the plant part used, which sometimes matters, such as with cinnamon, bark and cinnamon leaf as they have different dilution guidelines, and finally, if they don't mention the country of origin, and this could make a difference due to climate and soil conditions. Geranium for example, can come from more than one country but has the same Latin name. The only way to know which one you are getting- Bourbon or Egyptian- is to have the country indicated, or you can check the GCMS report. Now I'm sure some of the things on that list there kind of got you thinking like, wait a minute, what? There's safety issues? We have to actually pay attention to this? You mean some essential oils or potentially carcinogenic? You mean some are phototoxic? Like what does that even mean? I'm so glad you asked! Now those are all going to be topics of future podcast episodes, so make sure you subscribe. Now that we've gone over the red flags, let's go ahead and just flip it around- and here are some of what I call green flags. If you see this information, they are probably a company worth purchasing from. Do they mention safe topical use dilution guidelines? If internal or oral use is mentioned, it is not recommended or if it is, it is recommended only with professional guidance. Another green flag is if they acknowledge the shelf life of essential oils and bonus points if they even tell you how long the essential oil is expected to last. Some companies actually have a distillation date or an expiration date on the website or bottle itself. Another green flag is if they indicate on the product page when an essential oil is phototoxic by recommending safe dilution or telling you to avoid the sun for 24 or 48 hours after applying to the skin. If they indicate when an essential oil may inhibit blood clotting. If they do not sell essential oils which should not be used, or if they do it is with strong warnings. If they tell you to dilute heavily an essential oil which may have carcinogenic potential, although they may not mention it as carcinogenic, cautions for using carefully should be advised. Another green flag is if there are safe dilution guidelines and usage recommendations given on each product page. If they indicate on the product page when an essential oil should not be used on children or at what age they are safe to use for children. Another green flag is if they indicate on the product page when an essential oil should be avoided on pregnant and/or lactating women. Botanical names should be clearly indicated either on the bottle or on the product page so that you know what you're getting. Chemotypes should be mentioned when applicable, an extraction method should be mentioned on the product page or the bottle. Plant part used is indicated on the product page as well as a country of origin indicated on the product page or the bottle itself. Now, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed. You may not really know exactly where to start when looking at a website, so I'm going to give you a few selections, a few essential oils that I've chosen that I look at when I'm looking at a website for someone in addition to the information that I just shared with you. I also like to go to specific essential oil pages and check them out. Now here are a few essential oils that I like to take a peek at and what I look for. Bergamot on is one that is found on most websites. You will want to see a warning of phototoxicity for this essential oil to use safely. No more than a 0.4% topical dilution is recommended before sun exposure. Some companies offer a bergapten free or furanocoumarin free option, which is not phototoxic. Another indicator, if they don't say it's phototoxic and don't need to is if the Bergamot steam distilled, most Bergamot is going to be cold pressed and will absolutely be phototoxic, but some websites offer a steam distilled version, which by default is not phototoxic due to the lack of bergapten. Cinnamon Bark and Cinnamon Leaf are actually very different essential oils. Although the botanical name is going to look the same, you want to see a distinction between Cinnamon Bark and Cinnamon Leaf. This is where the plant part used is important as bark and leaf are not the same. There is a difference when it comes to proper dilution. As cinnamon bark should be diluted to 0.07% and Cinnamon Leaf to 0.1%. When used topically on the skin, you might simply see a warning to dilute well if using a topically due to a risk of sensitization, and you should also see a warning that these essential oils can inhibit blood clotting. This means if you are on blood thinners and you use Cinnamon Bark or Cinnamon Leaf essential oils, it could acerbate the problem. In addition, Cinnamon Bark is not recommended for use around pregnant women, although Cinnamon Leaf is fine. Clove(Bud or Leaf or Stem) has similar safety issues as Cinnamon Bark and Cinnamon Leaf. You definitely don't want to see this essential oil suggested for using for teething babies. It is a moderate mucous membrane irritant and sensitizer, which should not be used topically on children under the age of two. Eucalyptus is another essential oil that you should see quite a few warnings on. As Eucalyptus can cause slowed respiration or labored breathing, you should see warnings not to use around children under the age of 10. Similarly, Peppermint also has the same breathing issues and should not be used around children under the age of 6. Although Peppermint essential oil is safe to use during pregnancy during breastfeeding, you might want to avoid it due to some women finding that their milk supply dwindles down. If this has happened to you, you can simply stop using Peppermint essential oil and your milk supply should bounce back up. Fennel essential oil, either Bitter or Sweet, they both have quite a few warnings that I'm going to list for you here. Fennel essential oil should not be used on children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and it needs to be diluted well before using topically on the skin due to it being potentially carcinogenic. You definitely don't want to see this suggested for using on lactating women to boost milk production. Lemon essential oil, similar to Bergamont does have a phototoxic potential. Most lemon essential oil on the market is cold pressed and it's phototoxic. If this is the Lemon essential oil you have, you need to make sure to dilute to 2% if using topically before going out in the sun. If the Lemon is steam distilled than it doesn't have the phototoxic potential and can be used without any specific minimum dilution. You definitely don't want to see suggestions for adding Lemon essential oil to your drinking water- and yes, that's another podcast. Finally, another essential oil that can be commonly found on company websites is Wintergreen. This essential oil has pretty strong warnings for if you're using medication, it's not to be used with children, and you have to dilute heavily before applying to the skin. More specifically avoid using around children under the age of 10, avoid using during pregnancy during breastfeeding(by the way, it's not safe for dogs or cats), when using topically dilute to 2.4% and never use if taking aspirin, having bleeding disorders, before or after surgery(as it is anticoagulant- inhibits blood clotting), and if you have a salicylate sensitivity or ADHD, you also want to avoid. It has a few drug interactions such as aspirin or other blood thinners and you want to avoid using internally, if you have GERD. We will talk more about GCMS reports in another podcast, but just a little FYI now. It's a really great sign when a company sends out samples of their suppliers' essential oil batches for testing to verify purity before selling to customers. A third party chemist is a wise choice rather than in-house testing to prevent bias. Now, keep in mind that just because the company tests an essential oil does not mean the essential oils have passed. Ideally, a company will provide these GCSMS reports on their website so that you can see the reports for yourself. You can compare these reports to the essential oil profiles in Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young's book, Essential Oil Safety, so you know what to look for. I'm sure some of you out there are asking. Now, what about price? You really can't make a decision on price alone. There are a few affordable essential oil brands out there that are also high quality. Likewise, you can pay a lot for an essential oil and not get a better product. If a company is using consultants to sell their products, they need to add commissions, so the cost of the product which can inflate the price 40% or more. Our first round of third party testing showed a$15 bottle of Myrrh was better than the$69 and$85 brands. And finally, what about"therapeutic grade"? If a company is claiming to have a special therapeutic grade essential oil and that these are superior to all other brands, consider this a huge red flag. All essential oils are by definition therapeutic. There are no grades of oils and yes, that's another podcast. Did you learn something today? I hopes so! You can find more information about the topics covered in this podcast over on my website at UsingEOsSafely.com/002.

Podcast Outtro: 15:46

Thanks for listening to this week's podcast. If you'd like more information about using essential oils safely, you can visit my website over at UsingEOsSafely.com. Have a suggestion for another podcast episode or have a question for me about using essential oils? Go ahead and shoot me an email. My personal email is Lea@UsingEOsSafely.com.