Essential oils - Odyssey of a search

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Aktualisiert – Januar 16, 2025

That essential oils would entail an odyssey in the search for the right supplier was initially far from my mind. - But practice taught me otherwise ...
Essential oils consist of many individual active ingredients, which are present in different concentrations in bottlings depending on the cultivation situation, time of harvest, etc. And if you don't want to buy a pig in a poke, but want to know what ends up in the bottle, you have to embark on a rather laborious search.

What are essential oils?

These are concentrates of the plant's immune system, which the plant uses to protect itself against pests, mold or other diseases, for example. As a result, their essential oils have bactericidal, fungicidal and insecticidal effects.

In addition to these effects, they have many other valuable effects that are of great importance for the human and animal organism.

The fastest onset of action is with the olfactory (inhalation) application with approx. 8 seconds: the fragrance molecules of the essential oil reach the skin via the ethmoid bone (Ethmoid bone), more precisely the Lamina cribrosaa thin, horizontal plate of the sieve leg with many small openings (Foramina), through which the nerve fibers of the olfactory nerve (Fila olfactoria), directly from the nasal cavity into the brain.

Topical application, i.e. absorption of the active ingredients via the skin, and internal intake, i.e. absorption via the gastrointestinal tract, are also possible, and are therefore associated with the longest duration of onset of action.

Some oils have a so-called adaptive effect, they adapt to the current need: e.g. one and the same(!) oil acts against diarrhea (Diarrhea) has a regulating effect on the firming of the stool, while in the case of constipation (Constipation) to loosen things up.

Ingredients

Some ingredients may be hazardous to health if a certain concentration is exceeded or in combination with other oils or oils containing the same active ingredient, which is why it is important to know the exact active ingredient content and its effect.

Analytics ...

Laboratory analysis offers various analytical methods, such as gas chromatography, which reflects all active ingredients and their concentrations.

... costs

These procedures are naturally costly. This is why many suppliers refrain from having their product range analyzed in batches.

However, the reason for this is not only the cost side, but also the fact that the essential oils on offer are often sourced from oil exchanges.
Oils of different origins, such as producers, growing regions, time of harvest, etc. are collected there and ultimately reach the end consumer, individually bottled and labeled, via wholesalers and resellers.

It would therefore - indeed - be uneconomical to record and analyze these constantly changing compositions in batches, or to have them analyzed.

declaration

The retailer therefore knows just as little as the end customer about the details of the essential oil in question. At most, they may know which country it comes from. However, this is usually the only information available, possibly supplemented by the Latin (botanical) name of the plant and - in the best case - the chemotype (ct. - subspecies of the plant).

What does not play a role with "simple", mostly synthetic fragrance oils, when they are only used in fragrance lamps to "scent" the room, becomes essential when used therapeutically.
Incidentally, the - synthetic - components of fragrance oils often trigger headaches, etc..

Unlike their synthetic counterparts, essential oils must never be heated in fragrance lamps, as they are highly volatile anyway and simply burn at high temperatures.

Differences

While the botanical name defines the plant, the chemotype (ct.) reflect the main active ingredient. Thyme is a good example of this:

• Thymus vulgaris ct.thymol - Strongly immunomodulating, antiseptic, analgesic, stimulating, skin irritant
• Thymus vulgaris ct. Cavacrol - Strongly immunomodulating, antiseptic, analgesic, stimulating, skin irritant
• Thymus vulgaris ct. Linalool - very mild, antibacterial, antiparasitic, antiviral, fungicidal

Are ct. Thymol and ct. Cavacrol identical in their effect, the effect of ct. Linalool clearly deviating*.

The specification "Thymus vulgaris" on the product therefore says nothing without specifying the chemotype. The user therefore has no possibility of differentiation with regard to the expected effect:
While ct. Linaloolapplied pure to the skin has hardly any detrimental effect, could ct. Thymol and ct. Cavacrol may cause serious skin irritation*.

Distillation

Essential oils are extracted by distilling or cold pressing various parts of the plant. While cold pressing is not critical because there is no thermal impact on the oil to be extracted, distillation is the most critical moment in the possibly short life of an essential oil due to higher temperatures and pressures.

If the temperature or pressure is too high, the molecular structure changes and completely new substances may be created, which of course also have other effects and in the worst case even become ineffective.

Profit

In business, profit usually counts more than quality. This is why some producers tend to shorten the distillation process by using higher temperatures and pressures in order to extract more oil in less time.

The oils still smell of the respective oil, but their effect is then usually no longer given.

Quality assurance

The next aspect in the selection of the manufacturer to be chosen was quality assurance.

The reason for this additional criterion was a whistleblower who changed his employer after the latter had urged him to keep quiet about unacceptable impurities and still release these products for distribution.

One would think that it would be a matter of course that quality assurance, not only for legal reasons but also for ethical reasons, would be taken seriously by manufacturers and that the health of customers would be paramount.
Ultimately, quality assurance is, among other things, according to. Wikipediadefined as "Quality assurance serves here primarily as an indispensable tool for creating efficiency and transparency„.

Likewise, trade secrets are, again according to. Wikipediadefined as "According to the case law of the Federal Labor Court (BAG) if facts in connection with a business operation that are only known to a narrowly defined group of people and are not in the public domain are kept secret by the employer on the basis of a legitimate economic interest.„

In my opinion, a legitimate economic interest can only exist in connection with quality assurance if, for example, discrepancies are to be concealed from the public in order to avoid economic disadvantages, i.e. if quality standards are not met, contrary to the full-bodied advertising promises, but the products are nevertheless placed on the market.

However, most manufacturers do not provide any information in this regard - for whatever reason.

Certificates & seals

A popular method of convincing buyers of the quality of the product on offer is to refer to various seals, certificates and awards.

What they all have in common is that, among other things, they merely require compliance with, for example, the EC Organic Regulationcompany-specific cultivation regulations, ecology certificates, etc.
Whether these are seals from e.g. Demeter, organic, eco, natural, new land Each company sets its own individual focus and leaves it up to the consumer to assess this.
Markings such as controlled cultivation are neither protected nor actually tested properties of the products offered.

All these qualifications/certifications say nothing about the ingredients, purity, effect, etc. They are more of a marketing tool than an assurance for the end consumer. They are more of a marketing tool than an assurance for the end consumer.

Naming of oil mixtures

Some manufacturers offer oil blends. Blends are developed on the basis of extensive, interdisciplinary research, taking into account the different specific effect profiles of individual oils.

The aim of developing oil blends is always to optimize them in terms of maximizing their effectiveness, to use the complementary mechanisms of individual oils to their advantage and to enhance their effect.

Naming is usually based on marketing-specific criteria and current tendencies in the market, such as trends in society.

Concerns, especially on the part of Christian-oriented people, regarding esoteric-looking product names should always be checked in relation to the actual mode of action of the individual oils contained in the mixture.
An oil that has a psychologically calming effect and thus leads to a more sober view of an interpersonal problem, such as forgiveness instead of accusation, does not have an esoteric but a clinically based effect.

The search

The search for suppliers who could provide the end customer with a clear picture of the ingredients and effects of their products proved to be extremely difficult. Over a dozen suppliers were contacted by email and asked to submit laboratory analyses of their essential oils.

If the reader knows of other providers that are not listed here, please contact us. Communication so that they can also be taken into account.

In the end, only two companies (dōTERRA and YoungLiving), which provide their oil bottlings with batch numbers and allow customers to download the corresponding gas chromatographic analyses directly from their website.

As many as four companies ( Farfalla, Naissance, Oshadhi and Primavera) will provide analyses of the main components of the oil, Primavera in a very comprehensive form, upon request by e-mail, stating the oil and the batch number.

All others either have no analysis themselves or claim that information on active ingredients and concentrations are trade secrets. However, tests are carried out to ensure purity, authenticity and efficacy.
Unfortunately, these tests are not made available to the customer either. It is up to the customer to assess the truthfulness of this statement ...

Below are the responses of other suppliers who declined the request to provide analyses of the essential oils they offer or did not respond at all:

Hero green

- no answer -

Lion Manufacture

"We work with a small German company that takes care of the procurement and testing of the relevant oils for us. This company knows some of the owners/farmers from these cultivation areas personally and pays close attention to all the important standards. Our oils are certified according to various standards and the batches can of course be traced from cultivation to the end product. 

We are sure you will understand that we are unable to provide more detailed information about our business partners.

Unfortunately, it is not possible for end consumers to gain an insight into these processes."

Melaleuca

"Thank you for your message and your interest in our PURE™ essential oils. We greatly appreciate your consideration of our products and your desire to apply your expertise in the field of aromatherapy with the utmost care.

Please understand that we are unable to provide detailed information on the proportionate active ingredients and their respective concentrations. This data is part of our internal product development and is treated as a protected trade secret. They ensure the uniqueness and quality of our products and enable us to remain true to our high standards.

What we can assure you, however, is that our essential oils undergo rigorous quality and purity testing. Each batch is carefully tested to ensure that it meets our high standards. These tests include purity, authenticity and potency, so you can be assured of receiving a product of the highest quality.

If you have any further questions about our products or their application, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Thank you for your understanding and your trust in Melaleuca."

Melaleuca - Response to inquiry regarding quality assurance

"Thank you for your inquiry and your interest in our testing processes.

Please understand that the documentation of our tests and test procedures is considered a trade secret. These processes are the result of extensive research and development and represent an important competitive advantage for our company. For this reason, we cannot disclose this information as it is confidential and proprietary.

Our testing procedures are designed to ensure the quality and safety of our products and comply with both our internal standards and legal requirements.

Thank you for your understanding."

New moon

- No answer -

Sunday Natural

"We apologize for the delay in getting back to you. Unfortunately, your message was lost due to a technical error.

We can only provide the information on our products and their origin that we have published on the product pages to date."

Taoasis

"We also have oils that are declared as foodstuffs and are suitable for internal consumption. These are our Baldini BIO aromas (e.g: https://taoasis.com/baldini-bio-aroma-pfefferminzoel-bio-demeter).

Unfortunately, we cannot offer you such an analysis."

WADI

"Thank you for your inquiry. As soon as you order oils, you can get a safety data sheet where you can find various information.

We cannot answer all the other questions because we do not produce the oils, we only analyze them ourselves.

Please contact the manufacturer for more information.

I hope I was able to help you a little further and remain,"