Before buying essential oils, it’s important to know the quality. Quality matters.
Why? Because when you diffuse an essential oil, you’re breathing it in. It enters your lungs, interacts with your brain, communicates with your cells and receptors, and even makes its way into your bloodstream. When you apply oils on your skin, they penetrate the barrier and are absorbed systemically.
What you put on you goes in you. If an oil isn’t high quality, at best it may be ineffective, and at worst it could actually harm your health.
What Defines Quality?
1) Safe
Safety begins with purity. "Natural” on a label doesn’t guarantee what’s inside the bottle. Pure oils are free of harmful fillers, additives, and contaminants.
2) Potent
An oil should be effective. Potency isn’t just about how it smells—it’s measurable. Every essential oil contains unique chemical constituents. Like nutrients in food, the compounds in oils can be analyzed to determine strength and effectiveness. For example, not all lavender oils are the same—some contain higher levels of key calming compounds, making them more effective than others.
3) Consistent
Consistency requires rigorous testing and accountability. Natural products vary with soil, weather, and growing conditions, just like fruit at the grocery store—sometimes delicious, sometimes bland. Essential oils are no different. Batch-to-batch testing helps ensure you can trust what you’re using every time.
Why the Label Isn’t Enough
Fraud is common in the food industry—honey, olive oil, and even wine are among the most counterfeited. The same is true for essential oils. Without strict regulation, labels don’t guarantee purity or quality. That’s why you need to look beyond the packaging.
How to Identify True High-Quality Oils
1) Traceability (Know the Source)
Many brands purchase through multiple brokers, which means oils pass through several hands before bottling. That increases the risk of adulteration (cutting or substituting oils) and makes it harder to verify origin.
Choose an essential oil company with direct relationships with farmers and distillers provide stronger assurance of purity and ethical practices.
2) Testing (Verify)
Every batch should be tested, and the results should be accessible. But testing alone isn’t foolproof—there’s now a whole industry of creating synthetic compounds designed to trick standard tests and mimic genuine oils. That’s why sourcing and traceability are critical. Testing matters, but only when it’s paired with trusted sourcing and expert review.
Choose an essential oil company that provides batch-specific test results (GC/MS) that you can access. Learn how to read and interpret data,
3) Individual Oils, Individual Sources
One company may have excellent lavender but poor frankincense. Why? Because oils come from different regions and suppliers. Some companies highlight their strongest oils while quietly sourcing others through brokers. High quality across the board requires global partnerships and strong relationships with growers everywhere.
Look for an essential oil company that maintains strong, direct relationships with farmers and distillers—and delivers consistent quality across the entire catalog, not just a handful of bestsellers. Every oil should be traceable, tested, and reliable so you can trust what’s in the bottle every time.
4) Investment in People, Planet, and Science
A truly trustworthy company doesn’t just sell oils—it invests in sustainability, fair treatment of farmers, community development, and scientific research. Quality isn’t just about the oil—it’s about people, land, and long-term impact:
- Sustainability: Responsible harvesting and land stewardship.
- Fairness: Farmers and distillers treated and compensated well.
- Community impact: Support that strengthens local livelihoods.
- Research: Ongoing scientific work on quality, safety, and benefits.
Why I Choose doTERRA
Based on everything above—sourcing, testing, consistency, and responsibility—doTERRA aligns with what I value in essential oils.
- Direct Sourcing & Traceability: I’ve personally visited farms and distilleries, spoken with growers and distillers, and seen how they’re treated with dignity and respect.
- Batch-Specific Transparency: Each batch of oil is tested and each bottle includes a Quality ID, so you can view GC/MS results for that specific lot.
- Scientific Partnerships: Collaboration with universities and medical institutions reflects a serious commitment to research and quality.
- Community & Sustainability: Investments that support long-term environmental and social health—beyond just selling a product.
When it comes to essential oils, I’ve found that quality makes all the difference. For me, choosing the best feels like one of the simplest ways I can care for my health and well-being.
Quick FAQ
Do I need to be a chemist to read a GC/MS report?
Not at all. You don’t have to understand every detail. You’re mainly looking for transparency (batch-specific results), reasonable ranges of key constituents for that oil, and third-party verification when available.
Are “organic” or “natural” labels enough?
Those terms can be helpful, but they aren’t the whole picture. Purity, potency, and consistency depend on sourcing practices, harvesting, distillation, and testing—oil by oil, batch by batch.
Why do high-quality oils sometimes cost more?
Ethical sourcing, fair pay, careful harvesting, proper distillation, and robust testing all add real value. You’re paying for integrity, traceability, and reliable chemistry—not just a scent.
Want help choosing high-quality oils? I’m happy to walk you through sourcing, batch testing, and practical ways to use oils safely and effectively.