Before we even obtain a sample of an oil, we find out everything we can about the farmer, distiller or supplier. We research the background, reputation, commitment to quality, and commitment to the industry behind each sample. Once we know everything we need to know to our satisfaction, we then move on to looking at the actual oil itself.
The Oils
Essential oils are composed of many chemical constituents (typically around 100). There are many factors that can affect the composition and quality of an oil, including where the plant was grown (country of origin, latitude, elevation) soil and weather conditions, time of day and time of year of harvest, and many other parameters of distillation.
Essential oils with the same common name, such as Eucalyptus, Lemongrass or Wintergreen, may come from more than one species of plant. Others, such as Basil, Rosemary or Thyme, come from the same species, but they come in different 'chemotypes', which means there are significant differences in the composition from one chemotype to another. All of these factors potentially affect both quality and therapeutic effect. When we finally know what oil we are sampling we can then move on to the testing phase. We typically test 3-5 samples from different suppliers for every essential oil that we buy. Even when we re-purchase from the same supplier, we test the new batch of oil.
Testing The Oil
Our essential oils are first organoleptically tested by our certified aromatherapists before being sent to a third party testing facility. Organoleptic testing means smelling the oil from a testing strip over time – some characteristics of an oil don’t reveal themselves until the oil has been evaporating for 30 minutes or more. This also includes evaluating the color, consistency and general appearance of an oil, and comparing it to what a good quality oil should look and smell like.
Safety and Usage
At Plant Therapy, the safe and efficient use of essential oils is extremely important to us. We want our customers to be armed with knowledge, and confident using essential oils in their homes and with their loved ones. We have Certified Aromatherapists on staff, an active blog, detailed product pages and more, all dedicated to educating and empowering our customers.
We know how important it is for our customers to know what exactly they’re purchasing. That’s why we include the botanical name, extraction method, country of origin, plant part, aromatic scent and GC/MS report on every single essential oil product page. This allows you, our customer, to know exactly what you’re purchasing, and make the most informed decisions for yourself and your family.
Batch Specific Promise
Every bottle of essential oil that you purchase from Plant Therapy will have a specific batch code that tells us exactly which batch of oil is in your bottle. This information is also directly linked to the testing reports for each batch of oil. You can see each essential oil’s GC/MS report at any time by going to the specific essential oil’s product page and clicking on Test Reports.
