I have been working on a grading scale for people that are asking how I rate my oils I use. Here it is with some explanation....
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GRADE A
100% Pure
Therapeutic Grade
Clinical Grade
Certified Organic (see ways to tell below) (ALL their oils are organic or wildcrafted)
Wildcrafted (if it really is wildcrafted it will say "Wildcrafted" on the bottle. If it doesn't, it's not.)
Company has a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist (someone who KNOWS about oils). I should be able to talk to them. Many companies use terms like "better than organic" or "beyond organic" (both of which are illegal claims according to the USDA) but they have nothing to prove this quality. Get your company Certified Organic first, and then you can claim you have anywhere near organic products. Get yourself certified to prove your quality.
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GRADE B
100% Pure
Therapeutic Grade
Conventionally grown (non-organic) crops producing their non-organic oils
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GRADE C
100% Pure - that's all they can claim. About 95% of the people end up with Grade C.
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GRADE A = Very rarely is there a company that will fall into my category A. This is really the best of the best. In this category, ALL of the essential oils the company carries will be either certified organic or wildcrafted. Their commitment to quality is so high that they do not even carry the lower grade, non-organic conventional grade essential oils. Right now there is only one company that I know of that is in this category. To be in this category ALL of the essential oils the company carries will be USDA organic or wildcrafted on the label - not just a couple (like Ameo and Plant Therapy - both of those companies are actually in my category B, but the 5 or 6 organic oils they have can be in category A, but all the rest of their oils (the majority) are in my category B - which puts those companies in my category B).
Most companies will fall into category B - I would estimate 98% of essential oil companies are in category B. There are so many different companies popping out of the woodwork trying to get a piece of the essential oil industry pie. Sadly, most are just midgrade, nothing special. Nothing great. (This will include most MLM brands, Rocky Mountain oils, Aura Cacia, Plant Therapy, Ameo, etc. and basically all the other companies that do not have certified organic essential oils.)
It’s SUPER easy to tell if a company actually has certified organic essential oils. Everyone should know this! There are THREE ways to tell:
1. Look right on the bottle. No company that is actually paying more for higher quality, more expensive, certified organic oils is going to forget to put that on the label. If a bottle of essential oil is really organic it will say “USDA certified organic” right on the label. If it doesn’t say that on the label, then it’s not.
2. Every company that has certified organic products is registered with the USDA and has a thing called an organic certificate. Any company that actually has one of these is required to produce it for anyone who asks to see it. So call ANY company who claims to have organic oils and ask them to see their USDA organic certificate. If they can’t or won’t produce it, you can be SURE they don’t have one, and they don’t have organic products! (I just busted one of these companies totally illegally selling their products as organic, and they don’t even have organic oils! Companies like this confuse and deceive the consumer to make more money. Disgraceful!)
----------NOTE: Once they cannot produce this document, EVERY company is then very quickly going to tell you why their essential oils are better than or cleaner than organic (they’re not - it’s just their excuses and justifications). They will try to convince you that their non organic oils are better in some way than certified organic oils. Don’t believe them. Think of it like this -- if you were in another country and a man came up to you and said, hey, I can sell you a Rolex watch for super cheap. He then opens up his coat and shows you lots of very fancy watches. They don’t actually have the name Rolex on them….but he tells you “these are very bit as good as Rolex” or “these are better quality than Rolex”. If you believe this man, then you can believe that there are better than or higher quality than organic essential oils. There aren’t. Certified organic essential oils are going to be the cleanest, most pure essential oils available. You want the real deal. THEY ARE BETTER!
3. Every company that sells organic products also has a certifying agency who is in charge of regulating and inspecting the company to make sure they are actually selling organic materials. You can ask ANY company who claims to have organic products who their organic certifying agency is, and they must tell you. If a company doesn’t have an organic certifying agency, then they don’t have organic products.
These are the simple, easy three ways to tell if a company really has organic oils.
⇒ Another thing that really sets us apart is me….a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist. Did you know most of the big companies….NONE of them have anyone who is CERTIFIED in aromatherapy? It is HUGE to have someone who is certified in aromatherapy actually sourcing and blending the oils for you. Having a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist also ensures you that they know better how to use the oils, the safety, contraindications, and can give better recommendations. It makes a huge difference.
Hope this helps you rate, review, and grade essential oil companies better.
If you have any questions, just call me or email.
Have a great day!
Alex