Essential Oil Quality – Part 2

When considering essential oils, being able to identify the quality and potency of essential oils is very important. Part one described different aspects of essential oils to be aware of when making purchases. Essential oils are regulated by fragrance laws are are not considered a nutrient or supplement, but are given a grade type depending on the oils purity and percent composition. Let’s discuss the different grades of oil quality and what you can expect from each.

• Grade C – Perfume grade. This is the type of oils you will find, for the most part, in perfumes and scented products. The main concern for producers of Grade C essential oils is quantity. Perfume quality oils use many solvents and chemicals to increase the yield of the oils. The chemicals and solvents used are typically cancerous. Many health food stores and hypothocaries may carry “pure” or “organic” essential oils that are of Grade C type.
• Grade B – Food grade. Like many of our food products these days, Grade B essential oils still contain fillers, synthetics and carrier oils. These additives and chemicals are obviously not good for the body.  Both grade C and B oils can have anywhere from 5 to 99 percent pure essential oil in their contents.
• Grade A – Therapeutic Grade. This type is of a better quality and needs to go through a specific distillation process to achieve this grade. You should feel very safe using therapeutic grade essential oils. These oils are considered truly organic and pure.
• Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade – CPTG goes above and beyond Grade A. The quality far exceeds the  AFNOR or ISO standards. Multiple tests are performed, including mass spectrometry and gas chromatography. The oils are certified 100% pure and natural. At present, there is only one manufacturer with this standard of essential oil quality and that is dōTerra, a fairly young pure essential oil company.

The scent of each grade varies tremendously. Grade A and Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade oils keep there essence and their scent doesn’t change over time. When it comes to quality and purity, the grade you choose could be the difference between using carcinogens or receiving excellent healing benefits.

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