I had two big questions when I started using essential oils. My first question was that every company without exception says their oils are pure... how do we know who is telling the truth?!! My second question was about what is put into an essential oil to adulterate it, and why?
The second question is actually easier to answer, so I will tackle that one first. There are four basic ways that essential oils are adulterated or contaminated. Sometimes it is intentional, but not always. Many companies purchase essential oils from bulk suppliers, and adulteration is done either by the bulk supplier or even before.
Adding an undeclared carrier oil allows a company to extend the essential oil, and thus make more profit. You don't get what you paid for, but at least it's not toxic.
Selling a cheaper essential oil as a more expensive but similar oil is another way to make more profit. This happens with Cinnamon Bark and Cassia. Cinnamon Bark is at least 3 times as costly as Cassia, so companies may dilute Cinnamon Bark with cheaper Cassia, or mislabel entirely. Again, you don't get what you paid for, and in this case, the essential oil won't have the expected results -- or it may have unexpected and unwanted results.
Adding an isolate from a different species, or a completely synthetic isolate, allows a company to boost the levels of a desired compound. This is getting into Frankenstein territory. Not only does this deceive the customer, it also has a high likelihood of reducing the potency of the essential oil.
The last method is to completely cheat on consumers and mix up a cocktail of chemicals that smells kinda like what people might expect an essential oil to smell like. This is the most dangerous method because consumers are not only getting ripped off, but they are using chemicals that may cause severe rashes and even chemical burns if used topically. Aromatically, these products are no different from the toxic mixtures in room deodorizers and other household products, which have been linked to allergies, respiratory issues and worse.
One of the big "tells" is how open a company is about their testing procedures, and dōTERRA is totally transparent about that. Click the "Learn More" button below to find out about doTERRA's testing processes.
Sometimes it's as benign as undeclared carrier oil (which means you are not getting what you paid for, but at least it's not toxic), but other times they are adding petrochemical byproducts (synthetic perfume chemicals) that you DEFINITELY do not want to ingest. This is one reason why most essential oil companies do not stand behind their product for ingesting.
Independent studies have demonstrated that as much as 80% of the essential oils on the market are not pure, as their labels claim to be.
When you think about it, any way that we use essential oils, we are taking them into our body. Inhaling the aroma? It's going up your nose and into the delicate tissue of your lungs! Applying an oil topically? The molecules are passing through the skin and going into the blood and lymph. Ingesting them in a capsule? They are going into your digestive system.
We definitely want every drop of any essential oil that we use, to be absolutely pure!
This is why we can have confidence in the quality of dōTERRA oils, no matter what method you are using to enjoy them!