Aroma 203Quality Essential Oil

Quality

by Lori Kelsey© copyright

• Genuine - passive extraction e.g saps and resins

• Natural - a product of first distillation. • Pure - unadulterated. • Organic - 95 – 100% organic,

produced by sustainable & renewable means.

• SSP can mean subspecies or single source processor e.g. wildcrafted & distilled by a small producer.

How Do We Asses EO Quality ? Start by reading labels.

“Labeling fraud is rampant….you need to know your grower, your distiller, your packager and your distributor because

anywhere along this chain…oils can be compromised” (Stewart)

Labels that imply commercial-grade:

»Only the common name is used

»“Not for Internal Use, External Use Only”

»Use Only Under Advice of an Aromatherapist”

»“ Avoid Contact with Skin”!

These labels Imply Therapeutic-Grade

• “100% Therapeutic-grade Essential Oil”

• “Genuine or Pure Essential Oil” and indicates origin, extraction method, and cultivation e.g. wildcrafted

• Gives instructions for use: “Supplement”, “For Aromatic Use Only”, “Possible Skin

Irritant”, “Diffuse for 10-15 minutes per day”

• “Organically Grown in Accordance with the California Organic Food Act of 1990”

• “Meets EC AFNOR Standards”

Look for a Quality IndicatorBritain regulates six different qualities of oil

• Pharmaceutical-grade - (mainly in France) suitable for ingestion. Prescribed by a medical professional

• Therapeutic-grade - organic or wildcrafted

• Cultivated - for a specific company or purpose (maybe by a SSP)

• Mixture - synthetic & real essential oils for i.e. high quality perfumes

• Synthetic –commercial fragrance oils

• Reconstituted- main fragrant constituents are isolated then reconstructed to smell similar to the pure oil. Void of hundreds of potentially unknown and possibly synergistic therapeutic constituents.

A Good Label!

(front)Tea Tree

Melaleucal alternifoliaPharmaceutical Grade

Apply to minor cuts, stings & blemishes

(back)The Australian standards require that the oil of Melaleuca alternifoliamust be composed of less than 15% cineole and over 30% terpinen-4

ol. Our superior grade of essential oil is meticulously analyzed toensure that it exceeds these levels of oil quality standards decreed by

the Australian government. Our tea tree….qualifies for “Pharnaceutical

Grade” as established by The Australian Tea Tree Industry Association

“The labeling laws seem so lax in the EU [British economic community], that an advertising claim on a bottle, such as ‘contains organic orange oil’, would not invite prosecution if the oil contained 0.1% organic orange oil and 99% non-organically produced orange

oil…[adulteration] may have untoward effect on the expected physiological outcome” (Burfield).

The US government does not have a governing body that controls EO quality, other than the FDA GRAS rating (Generally Regarded as Safe) . International or independant agencies are:

– Association Francaise de Normalization (AFNOR, France)– International Standardization Organization (ISO, Geneva)– European Community (EU, Britain)– International Fragrance Association (IFRA, Geneva)– Research Institute For Fragrance Materials (RIFM, basis for IFRA Standards)– US & British Pharmacopeia, US National Formulary– Fragrance Material Association (USA)

• These agencies do research on chemical constituents, toxicology; set minimum standards for percentages of therapeutic constituents. Pharmacopeias maintain instructions for high-pharmacy herbal medicines.

• EU-AFNOR-ISO certification is not conclusive of therapeutic value – oils can be reconstituted to pass their analysis!

The Fragrance Material Associations says,

“The advantages of the synthetic materials are that purity can be

strictly controlled, other substances in the natural product are eliminated

thus exposure to unknown components is eliminated”.

However…

…Synthetic & Adulterated EO Do Not Heal & Can Cause

Harm

…research on animals, using non-therapeutic-grade oils or

isolated constituents in extreme dosage, has led to invalid application

of data to humans” (Stewart 2006)

Extenders Are Added To Imitate Or Extenders Are Added To Imitate Or Extend Pure EO.Extend Pure EO.

• Metabolized differently & alter therapeutics.• Linalyl actetae & linalool extend lavender• Azulene extends German chamomile• Rhodinol extends rose• Fixed oil extenders go rancid

Diluents Are OdorlessDiluents Are Odorless

• Diethyl phylate (DEP) Depresses the CNS, irritates mucous membranes, possibly carcinogenic. Adulterates sandalwood.

• Propylene glycolCauses many sensitivity reactions. Adulterates sandalwood.

related to a variety of disorders from liver abnormalities, kidney damage and depression to allergic dermatitis & eczema (Aromaticamedica)

• AlcoholsChanges therapeutic action.

“Ethanol, denatured alcohol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl alcohol & SD alcohol…can be extremely drying and irritating.”

(Skin Care—From the Inside Out and Outside In," Tufts Daily, April 1, 2002; eMedicine Journal, May 8, 2002, volume 3, number 5, www.emedicine.com;

Can they tell you:Where the plant was grownWhat the climate was like

What part of the plant was usedHow it was grown

How it was harvested & whenHow it was produced

How it was stored following production

Gardens at Jefferson’s Monticello, Virginia

Is the oil as pure as the grower, producer or distributor says?

Ask for Technological Analysis’

Gas chromatograms (GC)a fingerprint of the oil that reveals additives, but is not always conclusive. Mass Spectrometry (MS)measures the presence &quantity of chemical constituents. Optical Rotation (OR)Refractive Index (RI)Infra Red test

Also melting point,congealing point, Boiling point, Solubility in alcohol & water,specific gravity (imprtant)

A GC/MS can detect:A GC/MS can detect:Solvents or mineral oils.

If terpenes removed.If two or more oils with

similar composition have been mixed

If it is rectified.

A GC/MS cannot detect:Specific synthetic diluents

Specific natural diluents

Organopleptic TestingSkilled Senses & Intuition Are the Best Tools:

Propylene glycol – feels greasy & taste sweet

Dilution in a carrier oil – has a permanent greasy feel

Inexpensive Petitgrain extends expensive Neroli

Distillation at too high a temperature makes an oil smell smoky.

Cheaper chemotypes smell similar (Lavender vs. Lavendin)

Diethyl phthalate numbs the tongue when the oil doesn’t do this inherently.

Adulterants can be smelled in the dry-out notes.

Bergamot with bergaptene is green. Bright green Bergamot has copper (Miller)

How is the EO Packaged & Stored?

Essential Oils should be:

• In bottles with tight lids

• Contained in appropriate sized bottle

• Stored in dark-brown glass bottles

• Stored in dark, dry, cool place

Citrus oils oxidize when exposed to air

cloudiness indicates exposure to moisture

Light can bleach-out colored essential oils

A big head space in the bottle can cause oxidation

All oils polymerize when exposed to light (Stewart)

An oil packaged in a clear or non-glass bottle is a red flag

Terpene-rich oils become inactive when over exposed to oxygen

Oxidized essential oils irritate the skin and have a metallic smell

Ester-rich EO react with water— break down into alcohol & acid

Heat, Moisture & Light Degrade EO

• Aldehyde-rich oils loose their potency• Alcohol-rich oils remain stable

• Peppermint, Myrrh, Anise & Rose attar crystallize

Ylang Ylang & Patchouli are enhanced

Over Time…

Cost can be an Indicator of Adulteration

The commercial market is not willing to buy pure EO at their fair market price. In order to stay in business, distillers must

resort to unethical adulteration to produce & sell a product at the price point the average Joe will pay…yet still find a way to

claim “authentic” EO (Burfield).

• Don’t buy the best deal

• Pure Lavender costs maybe 2 x more than Lavendin

• Pure Frankincense around $140/oz(see why at www.dgaryyoung.com/blog/?p=201#more-201)

• Pure Sandalwood around $200/oz

• Some EO remain cost effective to produce without adulteration.

Remember…Buy Ethically

From renewable sources

• That have minimal impact on the indigenous people & environment

• That do not endanger plant species’

• Sandalwood, Rosewood are endangered with few renewable harvest sources.

Sources• Aroma 101. (June 2008). Australasian College of Health Science.• Aroma 203. (Sept. 2008). Australasian College of Health Science.• Aromaticamedica. Found at http://aromaticamedica.tripod.com• Burfield, Tony. (2003). The adulteration of essential oils – and the

consequences to aromatherapy & natural perfumery practice. Presentation to the International Federation of Aromatherapists Annual AGM. London.

• Fragrance Association of the United States. What differentiates a synthetic fragrance and a natural fragrance? Found 7/11/08 at http://www.fmafragrance.org/sub_pages/info_faq.html#12

• Scholes, Michael. (1998). Five-day certification course (home-study). The Michael Scholes School of Aromatic Studies.

• Stewart, David. (2006). The chemistry of essential oils made simple; God’s love manifest in molecules. Missouri: Care Publications.

• The Free Dictionary – Abbreviations. SSP. Found 7/11/08 at http://acronyms.thefreedictionary.com/SSP+(Single+Source+Processor)-SIGINT+(Signals+Intelligence)