ESSENTIAL OIL PURITY
By Larry Jones
Essential oil purity, a little discussed topic, is vital to essential oil therapy and to the future of
Aromatherapy. In a NAHA (National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy) survey, 100% of
Aromatherapists agreed it is extremely important to have pure and natural essential oils. However, most
essential oils produced worldwide are sold as flavor and fragrance materials, and the industry has a long
tradition of altering essential oils in order to “standardize” and/or “extend” them.
Lack of purity is not only a problem with big producers and distributors, small essential oil producers
have a checkered history of quality issues, wrong chemotypes, or post production alteration. The
practitioner, student, and researcher should demand to know if their essential oils are real, or at least match
to the chemical distribution indicated by the botanical name on the label.
Scientific analysis, preferably GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry), of the essential oil
directly before its final use is the ideal way to insure purity and integrity. At Elizabeth Van Buren, we
analyze every batch of our essential oil, and use analysis to constantly upgrade our oil sources. This
assures that no matter which Elizabeth Van Buren essential oil you purchase, it is going to be pure and of
the highest quality.
Organolyptic evaluation of essential oils
Smelling an essential oil is valuable for detecting some adulterants, but mainly off odor constituents
such as “still” notes, which do make subjective, psychological impressions, but have little impact on the
objective therapeutic value of the oil. At Elizabeth Van Buren we not only sort the essential oils by
analysis but also by smell.
Analysis evaluation of essential oils
Most labs use GC analysis solely which gives only a two dimensional analysis. GC/MS yields a three
dimensional analysis which precisely identifies essential oil constituents and percentages, and more
correctly identifies adulterated oils than an experienced nose. The instrumentation of our GC/MS lab is
specifically optimized for analysis of essential oils which is critical for determining purity and quality.
Essential oil therapy is complex in its healing, and only a thorough analysis can substantiate the purity of
the oil.
Purity and quality defined
Purity:
A pure essential oil is one that is distilled or extracted from a single botanical variety, nothing is added or
taken away. Elizabeth Van Buren analyzes for the following adulterants:
Non fragrant solvents
Co-distilling with other plant material
Fractions of other essential oils
Synthetic ‘nature identical’ essential oil components
Synthetic fragrance materials and their isomers
Oxidation
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