Find Out 4 Ways to Know if an Essential Oil is Pure.Plus a Simple Blotter Test You Can Do to Assess Purity. (I am still not an oil expert. Thieves oil is a blend of clove flower bud oil, lemon rind oil, cinnamon bark oil, eucalyptus radiata leaf oil, and rosemary leaf oil. Recent trends in application of multivariate curve resolution approaches for improving gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analysis of essential oils. Simply enter your name and primary email address below: The North American Essential OilAnd Aromatherapy Experts. As I mentioned before, it is possible that the oils are preventing the bacteria from multiplying by some means but are not actually killing them. Apply the diluted essential oil on the forearm. Retrieved March 29, 2017 from https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/patient/aromatherapy-pdq#link/_46, The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. Heavy metal testing shows the amount of heavy metal content in any given essential oil. I have repeated this experiment several times and am very confident in the results. Work like yours promotes a healthy, balanced understanding of these awesome oils from nature, and we thank you for it! Then I put .5mL of each oil on its respective square and rub it all around with my clean gloved finger. Both times, the Kidsafe Germ Destroyer left a few colonies of bacteria. In fact, they are all pretty mad that I am doing it. The FDA would like you to all know that Essential Oils are not allowed to claim that they treat or cure any diseases or conditions. Phone Soap & Cell Phone Cleaning Experiments, Materials, Methods, and Science Fair Project Help, article about olive oil killing cancer cells, Germ Fighter and Germ Destroyer by PLANT THERAPY, most ethanol based hand sanitizers do not do well on dirty hands. However, the purity of the essential oil is important for making sure it is as effective as possible. If you would like to be informed when new results are posted, you can join me on. Got it? This next experiment used dirty water with NO ADDITIONAL bacteria added. ICP-MS testing uses a high-energy medium called inductively coupled plasma (ICP) to ionize the sample. They do dissolve in alcohol. Essential Oils for Fertility – Pregnancy, PCOS, Progesterone & Male Infertility, Best Essential Oils for Sore Throat & Strep Throat- Home Remedies without Antibiotics, Top Essential Oils to Induce Labor – Aromatherapy for Labor & Birth, Best Essential Oils for Pain Management – Back, Nerve, Neck, Shoulder & Knee, Top 12 Essential Oils for Acne, Pimples, Blackheads & Blemishes, Top 5 Essential Oils for Vertigo & Dizziness- Natural Vertigo Relief, Essential Oils | How Do Essential Oils Work? So, this is equivalent to someone tracking dirty water onto your floor and you spraying Thieves Spray onto it and waiting 5 minutes. Retrieved March 29, 2017 from http://naha.org/assets/uploads/The_Quality_of_Essential_Oils_Journal.pdf, The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. If you expect to achieve results similar to those described in this testimonial, then ensure that you are using oils from pesticide-free plants. Who is Dr. Pappas? The MS enables greater identification on main constituents by name, but not all. To be accurate results, essential oils should only be tested by labratories that specialize in essential oils to be able to appropriately evaluate the nuances of oil chemistry. Over at Aroma Outfitters, we’re very involved with essential oils on a daily basis. I let the Thieves spray sit for 5 minutes. Results are often compared against a reliable sample to determine optimal … ‘Therapeutic Grade’ or ‘Grade A’ invokes the concept of tiered quality system, and that only select essential oils may be worthy of these titles.2, It’s important to note that even though many reputable companies follow or go above and beyond Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), there is no regulatory standard or definition for ‘Therapeutic Grade’.2. The global essential oil market is expected to reach 11.7 billion by 2022. (2010, April 27). I tested olive oil, coconut oil, smart balance oil, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, and chlorine bleach. The Essential Oil Analysis Foundation is an organization founded in an attempt to bring accountability into the industry through competent GC/MS testing made available for free to the consumer, using only labs that specialize in essential oil analysis. There are even more oils similar to Thieves that I did not test, but you can read about them in this Essential Oil Blog. To verify that your essential oils are high quality, it is important that you learn the signs of a good essential oil and test the oils out for yourself. Muscle testing has been a valuable tool for me in day-to-day decision making ever since I learned it; making the best choices for my children, decision-making while shopping, navigating my own life’s path personally, in my essential oils usage, and in business. Results are often compared against a reliable sample to determine optimal quality, or changes from batch to batch. Anyone seeking information about essential oil quality soon learns about the existence of gas chromatography (GC) testing. In fact, there are even child sized disposable latex-free gloves called, that you can buy so your kids can do most of the work with their science fair project. 70% isopropyl alcohol does not appear to be killing much either. Young living sellers are not allowed to sell on amazon so some of the Young Living oils on amazon could be counterfeit.) Then I swabbed the square and rubbed the swab onto an agar plate. As you can see, nothing grew on the oil plates so there is no bacteria in the oils. The link below shows results of third-party testing of Young Living’s Thieves blend of essential oils. I added 1mL of germ water onto each square and spread it around with my clean gloved hand. The information in our articles in not intended as medical advice, or to replace a health care professional, https://www.britannica.com/science/mass-spectrometry, Essential Oils for Diabetes – Type 1, Type 2, & Diabetic Neuropathy. This helps researchers determine purity, product consistency and catalog which components may have therapeutic effects.1,2,7, Want to learn more about essential oils? (2016, April 6). It just doesn't kill a significant amount of germs if DIRT is present. 👇 Testing Links Carrier Oil Testing I tested pure concentrated, Thieves and On Guard oils. I tested. I think it absolutely kills bacteria, it just might not be quite as strong as the others. 1,2 This form of testing allows scientific researchers, suppliers, manufacturers and businesses to determine the essential oil purity and quality. My research is not supported or affiliated with ANY of the essential oil companies. I have created a book called "The Ultimate Beginners Guide to Essential Oils" that will teach you about some of the amazing benefits and uses that essential oils can provide in your home. Your research was so fascinating because we’ve found that using DIY cleaning recipes that involve essential oils have been very successful for us. Next I wanted to compare other similar Essential Oils from different companies. Essential Oil Testing and Analysis. Essential Oils for Labor and Birth The third trimester is one of the most exciting and uncomfortable of a woman’s ... We focus 100% on providing you and your family with breaking essential oil and aromatherapy news, blends, recommended brands and other trusted information to help you live your healthiest life. (Dirty +control, Clean-control, olive oil, thieves oil, smart balance oil, coconut oil, olive oil and thieves oil mixture, 10% chlorine bleach, 25% white vinegar, pure white vinegar, apple cider vinegar), Next I wanted to compare other similar Essential Oils from different companies. This testing is crucial to verify the potency of the oil and the oil’s medicinal quality. These experts can smell an essential oil and 99% of the time, can tell if the oil is high quality, adulterated, or is mixed with something else just based on the smell of the oil. I know that there are many other cleaning combinations people are using with essential oils. Pure, unadulterated Essential Oils!! Research like yours is important so that people have a clear understanding of what essential oils can and cannot do. Most of these are simple experiments and you can repeat them yourself if your child needs a great science fair project. :). ISO 17025-accredited Beta Analytic provides essential oil testing by carbon-14 analysis to identify if it is naturally sourced or petrochemical-derived. They found that the compounds displayed a range of hormonal activities, which may stimulate prepubertal gynecomastia in boys. Proving Purity Experts estimate that 80% of commercially available “pure” essential oils are adulterated in some way. They can do some really amazing things though. Below are the most recent results of comprehensive GC/MS testing for our top fifteen oils by our lab, which you can view by clicking on their icons. I also noticed that Thieves and ON Guard do NOT mix with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide. Our last round of funding was completed a few days ago and all oils have been ordered and shipped to the labs for testing. The individual components are registered at different times and speeds, but it does not identify the name of exact constitute.2, To determine this, mass spectrometry (MS) is combined with gas chromatograph. Sign in|Recent Site Activity|Report Abuse|Print Page|Powered By Google Sites. It is used by APRC to test for volatile compounds for quantitative analysis. If you look at the ingredient list for even a bottle of simple shampoo, there might be dozens of ingredients with names that you could hardly pronounce—whereas with DIY products, there might be five ingredients, all of which you know are safe for your body, your children, your pets, etc. Mass spectrometry. Click here to get the FREE book. Using heavy metal testing to detect essential oil purity. I “scribbled” all over the agar plates with the swab. The Quality of Essential Oils. In simple terms, a GC/MS separates an essential oil into which volatile aromatic compounds are present in the oil and at what amounts. I only tested the Plant Therapy Oils twice (because I got them later than the rest). I purchase all my agar plates from amazon. From this result and the countertop results, I conclude there seems like it is not a good idea to mix essential oils with plain water for cleaning. you can make a small donation through PayPal. Put simply, qualitative testing helps to determine exactly what individual constituents are present in an essential oil, and quantitative testing provides information on how much of each component is present. This variation provides a good reason to conduct regular batch testing to ensure product quality and consistency. I p, . When properly distilled, essential oils shouldn’t contain heavy metals. NDA also provides the results of these latter analyses, which can be viewed in each essential oil's C of A (Certificate of Analysis) (available under the 'GCMS & Documents' tab in each product page). Then I swabbed the squares and rubbed them onto clean agar plates. Our list of essential oil companies was originally organized at random, with no correlation between the position of a company on our list and the laboratory results for their essential oil samples. Retrieved March 29, 2017 from https://www.britannica.com/science/gas-chromatography, National Cancer Institute. Essential Oils for Dogs – Can you use essential oils on dogs and pets? wooden storage boxes, but our family uses essential oils on a regular basis for everything ranging from homemade cleaning products to soaps and shampoos… basically, if it’s possible to replace a store bought product with an organic alternative, we’ve probably tried it. If one of those is better than the rest, my experiments are not sensitive enough to detect the difference. Any time this happens with an essential oil it's a red flag. One of the most commonly used essential oil tests is standard Gas Chromatography with flame ionization detection (GC-FID). Most of us who love aromatherapy and use essential oils as a part of a healthy lifestyle choice know about the importance of purity of our essential oils. It shows each compound and the concentration in which it occurs in the sample. They. However, select companies do publish batch test results to promote transparency. To do this I put some of the oil on a sterile swab and rubbed it all over an agar plate. In case of any redness, rash or other forms of irritation on the skin, do not use the essential oil or essential oil product. As the demand for natural and aromatherapy products increases, new terms have been introduced to describe the oil’s purported quality as a way of remaining competitive in the marketplace. I mixed the oil/water combo immediately before I sucked it into the syringe to make sure I didn't get all water. Criteria to Consider When Shopping for Essential Oils. I used the same procedure that I always do. First I sectioned off squares on the countertop using masking tape. Also, the brand should use 100% pure, high-quality essential oils that do not contain any synthetic additives. The tiny whitish spots are piles of millions of bacteria. In the hands of experts, this information can be used to verify that the oil is indeed what it claims to be and originates from the claimed country of origin. GC/MS stands for Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometry. If users experience any issues with their essential oil, customer service will be able to identify the product by these markers. We provide uncompromising research, analysis, and testing services to the broader essential oil, extracts, and aromatic plant products industry from around the world. Next I decided to test some other essential oils. In the United States, essential oils do not have a dedicated governing body that has established a universal grading system. The results of these tests are sometimes provided upon the oil's MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The MS breaks the Then I put 1mL of dirty germ-water onto each square. The plate was incubated for 24 hours. I tested thieves oil with other oils and cleaners to compare. After switching to as many all natural, essential oil based products as possible, we’re quite sure that our exposure to potentially harmful (and immune damaging?) This means that depending on the season, harvest area and species of herb, the active compounds (and therapeutic benefits) may change. Essential Oil Lab Beta Analytic. I rubbed the dirty water all around the square with my gloved finger. (I put 1 teaspoon of thieves oil in a bottle with 4 teaspoons of olive oil.) I test the Thieves spray while I was doing bunches of other oil experiments on the countertop. Whenever we’re evaluating a new essential oil that needs testing, we turn to Adam at EVS for testing: Essential Validation Services. Here are links to the companies who donated them along with a list of the particular oils in each product so you can compare. Retrieved March 30, 2017 from. Then I put .5mL of product onto each square, spread it around with my clean gloved hand, and let it sit for 5 minutes. Regulations & Licensing Information. We sometimes see websites promoting essential oils as magical cure-alls, which they aren’t. Your research was so fascinating because we’ve found that using DIY cleaning recipes that involve essential oils have been very successful for us. ), *Tests for Thieves and onGuard cleaners can be found on. Essential oils are great, but if one of us had to have surgery, I think we’d prefer the scalpel was cleaned off with more than castile soap and lemon essential oil. To say that they changed my life forever would be an understatement. Quite often GC and GC-MS (gas chromatography / mass spectrometry), are discussed as if they were synonymous. Clorox Hand Sanitizer does not contain chlorine bleach, by the way. As usual, the Thieves and hydrogen peroxide did a good job inhibiting bacterial growth. We soothe minor cuts and scrapes with essential oils. In previous experiments, So, this does not mean that the Thieves Spray doesn't kill, germs. The Freshest of Oils Because we are a small “boutique” company specializing in the finest and freshest of essential oils, we order most of our oils in lb. This detection method adds to the quantitative ability of GC testing.