How to Choose the Right Essential Oil Company: Key Factors to Consider

It’s one of the most frequent questions I get asked: What essential oil companies do I use? Well, there’s a lot. 

But this question a little bit misses the point. 

Using essential oils really isn’t about what company or companies you have loyalty to (though working with the products of reputable companies is important). The important thing, the point I don’t want you to miss here, is that HOW you use essential oils is far more important than WHERE you get your essential oils. It’s important to use essential oils safely and to know how to receive the therapeutic benefits they offer.

Photo credit Leah Black Co

Having said this, it is important for the therapeutics of essential oils to have high quality oils to work with. Because of this, I want to provide some tips for selecting a reliable essential oil brand.

If you keep a few principles in mind, you can easily decide if an essential oil company you are looking at purchasing from is one that deserves the investment of your money and time. 

Here are the principles I recommend considering when you are purchasing essential oils. Follow these principles, and you will be sure to have a much higher likelihood of accessing high quality essential oils as well as supporting deserving companies. I also point out some red flags to avoid when buying essential oils.

Key factors in choosing the best essential oil supplier

1) DOES THE COMPANY HAVE TRANSPARENCY?

The company should share something about where they source their essential oils. I prefer to have more specifics than simply the product being organic or having some other certification. 

The essential oil information that needs to be present at minimum: Latin name of the plant that was made into the essential oil, geographical source, safety information, and a little education on how to use the essential oil. I love it when companies share something about the chemical profile of the particular essential oil. Some companies will even provide their chemical analysis of essential oils upon request. Aromatics International is one company I feel does a stellar job in this category. 

The more transparency the better. The more information provided, the better, because it shows you not only the value of transparency, but also that the company has a high value in education.

An example from the website of Aromatics International of how transparent they are about their products. You can even access the chemical analysis reports of their oils if desired. 

2) DOES THE COMPANY VALUE SUSTAINABILITY AND FAIR TRADE?

The company should not be selling essential oils from endangered or threatened species unless working with a certified eco-project. Wondering what plants are endangered? Check out the species at risk list from United Plant Savers.

The company should share something about the process from planting to harvesting and all the way through distillation. They should share specifically where the essential oil is sourced, and better yet, share some of the story of the people who grow it. 

Essential oil companies and the customers who purchase from them need to be motivated to protect our natural resources so we have use of them for lifetimes to come. Note that certain species of plants have actually become endangered and even extinct from over harvesting. 

3) DOES THE COMPANY SHARE THEIR OWN STORY ON THEIR WEBSITE?

This is a big red flag for me. If the company doesn’t share any of their own story on their website, beware. This is a company that may be interested in selling essential oils, but if they don’t even have the passion to share why they got into the trade in the first place, then how do you know that you are getting quality essential oils? Furthermore, it will be difficult to judge issues such as sustainability and fair trade. 

The company, if they are worthy of being called an essential oil company, will be excited to share their story with you—how they got involved in essential oils, why they love essential oils, what kind of care they take with their products. Mission and vision are extremely important, and it should be obvious to you when you are on the website what this is. I feel that Mountain Rose Herbs* does a fantastic job with this area.

4) DOES THE COMPANY SHARE ETHICAL AND SCIENTIFICALLY-SUPPORTED SAFETY INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR PRODUCTS, OR DO THEY RECOMMEND UNSAFE PRACTICES?

There should be some information under each essential oil being sold about how to use the essential oil. Constituents, qualities, and aromatic profiled need to be shared. Proper safety concerns need to be outlined as safety is defined by the governing bodies of aromatherapy, and not just what that essential oil company wants to promote as safe use. 

Don’t work with a company that is promoting unsafe use of essential oils, such as undiluted topical use or internal use (unless working with someone who has specialized training in aromatic medicine). Don’t purchase from a company that recommends excessive use (overuse) of essential oils. 

Are essential oils all hype? Find out in this video.

5) DO THEY SPECIALIZE IN ESSENTIAL OILS, OR IS THIS AN ADD TO A COSMETIC LINE, FOR EXAMPLE. 

I am going to be honest on this one. If the essential oil website I am on looks more like the pages of Avon or Ulta, I am not buying essential oils from that company. There is a very big difference in quality, motivation, and education between a cosmetic company that is adding another revenue stream versus an essential oil company that has years of experience and skin in the game and who can teach you how to use a high quality essential oil well. 

6) Understanding essential oil company certifications & so-called "therapeutic grade" essential oils

Finally, one thing that doesn’t matter: the term “therapeutic grade.” This is a marketing term first used by some of the bigger MLM essential oil companies in order to communicate that their essential oils are high quality, potent, and pure. But that is not a term that professional aromatherapists use to designate the quality of an essential oil. Furthermore, anyone can place the term “therapeutic grade” on their essential oil bottle as this is not an industry standard term on any level. If you follow the principles above, you will have a high chance of getting a beautiful essential oil every bit as good as any labeled “therapeutic grade”—maybe even better. 

So there you go. If you follow these principles in deciding whether or not to purchase from a company, you will be certain to be on the right track. If you want to know the specific companies I most often use and recommend for essential oil enthusiasts, you can check out my blog post about that here.

Looking to learn more about aromatherapy and essential oils? Check out my aromatherapy classes, or consider joining us in the Rewild + Untame community.

*Note: this post may contain affiliate links. Please help me continue my mission of offering education and inspiration for all things holistic lifestyle by supporting these reputable companies.