{Confession} before I knew anything about purity and quality when it comes to essential oils, I picked up a few bottles at my local grocery store. I didn’t understand that even though these oils said on the bottle that they were 100% essential oils, they actually weren’t. Furthermore, they contained harmful pesticides, herbicides and even heavy metals! Sadly, I was putting concentrated levels of those dangerous contaminants on my body thinking I was doing something healthy.
Fast forward many years later and now I am a Certified Essential Oil Coach, have taught and mentored hundreds of people about using essential oils safely and understand the profound importance of an essential oil’s purity and quality. What I’ve come to learn is that it’s really hard to find essential oils that are truly pure and 100% free of harmful contaminants.
Let’s Get Something Out of the Way
Before I go any further in teaching you how to determine if the essential oils you buy have heavy metals in them, I want you to know, in full disclosure, that I use and share doTERRA essential oils. This post is not written to convince you to use doTERRA (although you may want to after doing your own research). Rather, it is to give you the tools that you need to research companies and determine whether the testing they do will be able to detect heavy metals, pesticides, herbicides, molds and fungi.
Other than doTERRA, and one other company, I won’t be mentioning any other company names here. The reason I have to mention the other company is due to the background story of how this post came to be.
You Need to Learn About Essential Oil Testing if You Use Essential Oils
In regards to essential oil quality and purity, you can’t just take your friend’s word for it or read a blog post like this one and make a final decision. You need to do your own thorough research to come to your own conclusions. I am sure you would agree with me there.
That’s why, in this article, my goal is to teach you what kind of testing, one by one, can be done on essential oils as well as the exact results the tests can give. Once you know and understand these lab tests, you can venture out and research essential oil companies to see if they do all these to verify purity and quality. If they don’t, then you’ll want to check them off your list of potential oils to use.
Are you with me? Ready to learn?
Essential Oil Quality and Purity Cannot be Defined Purely Through GC/MS Testing
I have another confession to make….
The other day, I noticed that an essential oil retail store opened up in my community called Plant Therapy. I decided that I wanted to check them out because I have seen other people use them and know that they carry some essential oils that doTERRA doesn’t. Plus, I wanted to see what it was like in their retail store and meet some of their people.
When I walked into the store, I met a very nice gal and we struck up a conversation as I browsed. I asked several questions and smelled lots of oils.
One of the questions I asked because I was looking at the Turmeric essential oil, was if Plant Therapy tests for heavy metals. She wasn’t sure, so she got on the computer to go to Plant Therapy’s website and check.
Turmeric root is known to be high in heavy metals, whether you get the capsules, powders or essential oils and I never use any form of it unless I know the company I buy it from does heavy metal testing.
She wasn’t able to find anything saying they tested for heavy metals but she did pull up their GC/MS (Gas Chromatography/ Mass Spectrometry) for Turmeric and mentioned that it looks like that’s the only testing they did on their essential oils.
After I finished looking I told her I would go home and check with the company via chat to see if they did any other testing than GC/MS to clarify whether they tested for heavy metals and other dangerous contaminants.
This Opened Up a HUGE Can of Worms for Me
When I came home, I did get on Plant Therapy’s website to search and see what they said about the testing they do. Then I did get on a live chat with Plant Therapy to confirm what I was seeing on their website which was that they perform the following tests:
- Organoleptic Testing
- Chiral Testing
- Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS)
I’ve Copied and Pasted Part of My Chat with Plant Therapy Here:
Aug 27, 6:00 PM MDT
Chat started: 2018-08-27 11:42 PM UTC
(11:42:31 PM) Jennifer: Hello, I have a question about quality and testing. I only see on your website that you perform organoleptic, GC/MS and Chiral testing on your oils. Are there any other tests you do and why aren’t they listed on the website? Also, do you test for heavy metals?
(11:42:37 PM) *** Caitlyn joined the chat ***
(11:42:52 PM) Caitlyn: Hello Jennifer! I will be with you in one moment!
(11:44:09 PM) Jennifer: ok
(11:46:47 PM) Jennifer: Hello?
(11:47:33 PM) Caitlyn: I apologize I am on the phone, Just one more moment thank you for waiting
(11:47:42 PM) Jennifer: ok thanks
(11:53:01 PM) Jennifer: Is there another person that can help me that’s not on the phone?
(11:55:26 PM) Caitlyn: Okay! Thank you for waiting! Those are the test that we preform on our oils! We do not preform other testing! The GCMS testing will detect any foreign components in the oil! The testing will be provided for each oil on its individual product page and you will be able to see the exact percentages of each constituent on the testing!
(11:56:10 PM) Jennifer: oh wow. Thanks for letting me know. Unfortunately just doing those tests does not detect enough. Good to know though.
(11:56:17 PM) Caitlyn: The GCMS testing will also show that there are not any contaminants or adulterants. It is the most accurate testing method which is why we use it!
(11:56:49 PM) Caitlyn: https://www.planttherapy.com/essential-oil-quality
(11:57:02 PM) Caitlyn: This is also a great link to learn more about our oil quality!
(11:57:29 PM) Jennifer: GC/MS is a great test but not the only one that should be done. I am a Certified Essential Oil Coach through the AADP and have used grade 1 essential oils for over five years now and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that WAY more testing needs to be done on those oils than just that. Again, good to know. I can see why you guys don’t recommend oils for internal use now. Thanks for getting back to me.
Where This Essential Oil Testing Realization Led Me
After these conversations with Plant Therapy people, I started wondering what kinds of testing other companies do so I started researching that. Of course, I already know what kinds of testing doTERRA does but I still wanted to check again and confirm my understanding as well as look at other companies.
What I found out was surprising!
I will be sharing my research results below after I teach you about the tests and what they determine.
This is where I stop mentioning company names because again, this is not a bashing article, rather an awareness article so you can learn what you need to look for in reference to how companies test their essential oils. Outside of doTERRA, I will refer to all other companies as Company A, Company B, etc.
What do These Essential Oil Tests Determine?
There is a battery of tests that every single batch of essential oil being distilled and distributed must go through multiple times and by third parties in order to determine the purity and quality of the essential oil. If the company you are looking at is not performing these tests, then there is a risk that the essential oil is contaminated with concentrated levels of heavy metals, mold, fungus, pesticides, herbicides and is of low quality.
List of Mandatory Essential Oil Tests
Optical Rotation (Also called Chiral Analysis)
Measures how far light in molecules is twisted and detects synthetic additives that may go unnoticed in the GC/MS testing.
Fourier Transform Infra-Red (FTIR)
Infrared light is used to analyze the material composition of the oil. It establishes the distinctive fingerprint that a pure essential oil should always have. If the fingerprint doesn’t match the original fingerprint, the oil should not be sold because it is not pure.
Refractive Index (RI)
Measures refraction (when light passes through a fluid and then changes directions). All essential oils have a unique refractive index and measuring them determines if the oil meets quality standards necessary to be sold to consumers. When an essential oil is adulterated, the RI will be off. RI can also be called refractometry or Polarimetry.
Organoleptic
This is testing done through the five human senses – how the oil tastes, how the oil smells, how the oil feels and how the oil looks are used to determine the oil purity and quality. Just as a banker knows a counterfeit bill when they come in contact with one, a highly skilled and trained essential oil chemist will know a counterfeit (or contaminated) essential oil when they see one.
Specific Gravity
Measures whether molecules in the essential oil float or sink. This test further determines if the essential oil has been contaminated with a compound that didn’t show up on other tests. Specific Gravity testing can also be called Densitometry and Viscometry.
Microbial
This testing checks for biohazardous microbes including bacteria and viruses like Salmonella, E.Coli, Pseudomonas, as well as yeasts, molds and fungi to ensure all essential oil is free of these. It can be done through an autoclaved sterilized growth medium and should be performed in the beginning, middle and end of the oil production process. Microbial testing can also be called Automated Micro-Enumeration.
Gas Chromatography {GC}
This is a process used to determine the type and amount of constituents present in an essential oil. During this test, the presence of foreign contaminants, pesticides, herbicides, foreign essential oil and even heavy metals could show up. However, it’s important to note that GC can miss contaminants and should always be followed up with further testing to confirm the oil is pure and high quality.
Mass Spectrometry {MS}
MS is a test used to determine the essential oil’s purity and potency (whether it can be used for health benefits.) MS can detect synthetic components as well as other contaminants. However, as in the case of GC, MS can miss contaminants and it is really important that the company does other tests to confirm what the GC/MS tests found.
Here’s a great video with a visual to help you understand GC/MS better.
{An Important Note about GC/MS Reports}
There are certain companies, like doTERRA that share their GC/MS reports with the public (as they should) – if they’re not, they have something to hide – don’t use them. However, there are a few things you need to check out ON the report they are sharing to make sure it’s legit.
Carbon 14 Isotope Analysis
This is a really important test which identifies proper ratios of carbon 14 to check for synthetic compounds like petroleum products and other adulterants. Essential oils coming from the same location should always have the same number of isotopes and if they don’t, it’s safe to say the essential oil is contaminated or adulterated. Carbon 14 Isotope testing can also be called IRMS {Isotope Ratio Mass Spectrometry}.
Heavy Metal and Pesticide Testing
This test should be done using government and industry standards as a baseline to maintain safety for the end user. ICP-MS testing which uses a high energy medium called Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) to ionize the oil sample and then run through a mass spectroscope to detect heavy metals should absolutely be done on the essential oils you’re using. Heavy Metal testing can also be called ICP-MS and/or ICP-OES.
Results of My Research
I didn’t research every single essential company out there because that would have taken too long. However, I did research the most popular companies that sell essential oils.
Now, I realize that not listing the company names doesn’t give you a list at a glance to make a decision from. There’s an intentional reason I did that.
Again, I am doing this on purpose. I want you to do your own research with the education I’ve given you. This company list is just to help you understand the limited amount of testing that essential oil companies do. I have only found two companies that do more than enough testing on their oils to be sure that what they are selling to the consumer is pure, safe and able to be used internally.
Remember, at the very minimum the company should be doing ALL these tests:
Company A:
Company B:
Company C:
Company D: (This one surprised me because this company has some of the worst smelling oils out there – it goes back to their harvesting and production practices and the fact that they probably have other contaminants like molds, fungi, pesticides and herbicides.)
Company E:
Company F: (Another surprise because this is a very popular oil company- I had to call this one because I couldn’t find anything on their website. When I called, the lady him-hawed around and couldn’t give me an answer except, with hesitation that they do GC/MS. She then referred me to email ONE person who would know. I emailed the one person and still have not gotten a response.)
Company G: (This company, whom I highly respect when it comes to herbs, doesn’t test ALL of their essential oils on a regular basis. They just test on a lot by lot basis and don’t really have a standard by which their essential oils as a whole are measured.)
Company H: (Unfortunately, even though this company is the other one besides doTERRA that does do extensive testing, there are several real evaluations done by third parties, like Phytochemia, on some of their oils, that have detected synthetics and contaminated oils. What this tells me, is that the company’s base standards aren’t really honest. You can see the actual reports from oils sold by this company as well as learn of other scam essential oil companies at this Facebook Group. *If you become a part of this FB group, you should also know that I do not come from the same school of medicine that the founder of that FB group does. While she is very smart and I respect her in a lot of ways, I don’t agree with some of her understanding of how to use EO’s safely. She comes from more of the English/British school of training and I come from the French school of training – more info on that in another post.)
Company I (doTERRA): (Out of all the third party tests that have been done by companies like Phytochemia, etc., none have shown any of doTERRA’s essential oils to be adulterated or contaminated. There is only one test that was done which found another pure and safe essential oil in a doTERRA blend that didn’t appear on the label. It was a labeling problem, not an adulteration or contamination problem.)
The following tests are performed on ALL lots of essential oil three different times during production, by in-house labs as well as verified independent third-party labs.
It’s Time for you to Find out if Your Essential Oils Contain Heavy Metals
I have given you an extensive education on the types of lab tests that are done on essential oils, what the lab tests can detect and solid evidence that most companies do not do proper and thorough testing on each and every batch of essential oil they sell to consumers.
The result of the lack of testing is a market inundated with unsafe essential oils that are harmful to the consumer and can further exacerbate as well as create health problems. I write about the problem of mercury here if you want to read more about it.
With the information, I have given you, I want you to go out to each company you are interested in and ask them if they do the testing I mentioned. Don’t settle for, “Oh, we do GC/MS and that will tell you all you need to know” or “Our GC/MS reports are online to refer too” because you and I both know now that those answers do not mean that the oil you are using is safe and it doesn’t mean the company sells the highest quality and most pure and potent essential oils.
Once You Decide
Once you have done your research and you decide you want to bring doTERRA Essential Oils into your life, be sure to come back here and join FOJO (FeastingOnJoy Oils) because you’ll get your oils at wholesale prices, mentorship from me, a healthy FB community of FOJO VIP’s and free grade 1 essential oils! Click below to open your wholesale account.