What is the difference?

"What the grade is going on?"

Essential oils are not new. They have been around for centuries! But are all oils created equal? No! They are not! Most essential oils available are synthetic. This is of the lowest quality. Actually its just a man-made copy of nature. Most of the time we don't care because its what we find in our shampoo, conditioner, perfumes, and we just want them to smell good right?

The next most available grade of essential oils is going to be those found in our foods.

Then we have therapeutic grade. This was the highest grade available for the longest time.  But with the prices varing so much, how could they all be equal? Well guess what? They're not. Each oil has anywhere from 50-200+ compounds. These therapeutic grade essential oils can legally be labeled "100% pure" if they pass whats called a Gas chromatograph test. This test is to make sure that everyone of those 50-200 compounds is in that oil. This is a good thing. We need this test. The problem though is its NOT testing for 3 things:

1. Anything extra that shouldn't be there, i.e. Pesticides or weeds that may have been accidentally harvested with the plant.

2. Doesn't test compounds for purity or to see if they are synthetic.

3. Doesn't check for exact amounts of compounds. For example, one of the compounds in Frankincense is alpha pinene. This compound helps cells to release toxins. This is especially beneficial for individuals who shake from time to time. Frankincense should have 40% alpha pinene. So if you use a frankincense oil that doesnt have that 40%, can you expect to get the benefits from that compound? No.

Will the real frankincense oil please stand up?

There is a company that does the gas chromatograph test, but they also do a 2nd test, mass spectrometry. This test covers the 3 areas mentioned above. Every vial of every batch is tested. 3rd party testing is done to ensure nothing is overlooked. When an oil is deemed worthy to be sold by this company, you can be confident that it is:

• Pure- 100% natural, no artificial ingredients, fragrances, or fillers
• Safe- certified to be free of pesticides and other chemical residues
• Potent- standardized active compounds

See exactly what goes into testing an essential oil from my favorite company, click here.