A couple of weeks ago, I said that I would write a post all about the quality testing and standards that plants and essential oils deemed worthy of the sacred dōTERRA name must pass and meet in order to be sold.
If you haven't figured it out already, this is that post.
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME SCIENCE!?
I am kidding, a little bit. I will keep it simple and I won’t use too much technical jargon.
FIRST! Not all oils are created equal
If you are just starting out with essential oils, purity should be the number one thing on your priority list. There are very few companies that sell pure essential oils. This means that there are no fillers, no synthetics, not adulterated in any way, just essential oil, straight from the plant material. This is honestly a lot harder to come by than it should be. Essential oils are easily tampered with and most of us would never know the difference. Essential oils that have been adulterated can be toxic, unsafe and ineffective, so be sure that you are purchasing your oils from a company you trust.
(cough cough)
So why choose dōTERRA?
In simple terms: Their company and their products are superior to anything else you can find on the market.
In more complex terms: That’s what the rest of this post is about.
dōTERRA is committed to having only the purest, highest quality essential oils that our Earth has to offer.
Did you know that dōTERRA actually means, ‘gift of the Earth’? Yep. Because that is what essential oils are. They are remarkable and do not need to be tampered with, only preserved. Many other things are gifts from the earth too, in my opinion, but here, I’ll focus on essential oils.
Before we get into the testing of essential oils, we’ll start at the beginning, with the plants.
Finding a proper location for each plant to grow
dōTERRA sources plants from all over the world for their essential oils. This is amazing to me and something that I never really thought about, but it makes so much sense!
Think about it in terms of food. I prefer to buy food grown in locations where the plant that food comes from thrives over buying food from a greenhouse or the wrong climate. There is a difference!
That logic transfers into getting high quality essential oils as well.
If the plant we are getting the oil from is the very best plant it can be, the oil is going to be the very best oil it can be. Or it has the potential to be, as long as shortcuts are not taken.
Anyway, each plant is different. Each plant thrives in a different climate. Each plant requires different care. dōTERRA sources from responsible, passionate farmers from all over the world to be able to find plants in their indigenous locations.
Check out this video about cō-impact sourcing
Many lives benefit from these oils and I love that!
The plants are grown in the correct location and climate specific to each plant. Check. What else? The plants are also planted, cultivated and harvested at the right time for each plant that produces the highest quality oil. Caring for the plants and harvesting them properly is important to the quality of the oil. Again, think of it in the way of food. When you pick fruit too soon, or don’t let it ripen, it can be the wrong texture or flavor. You want to wait until it is just right before you eat it. Same thing applies to essential oils. You want to be sure the plant is at its best to supply the best essential oil.
These practices ensure that we are getting the highest quality and very potent essential oils.
Obtaining essential oils from the proper part of the plant is also very important to the quality and composition of the oil. Arborvitae for example comes from the sawdust of the Giant Arborvitae tree. The sawdust is distilled and produces a wonderful oil that has a great aroma and is safe to use topically and aromatically. However, if you were to obtain an essential oil from the leaves of the same tree, the chemical composition of that oil may be toxic to humans.
It is important that skilled, knowledgeable people are the ones caring for the plants and obtaining our essential oils. It may seem like a simple process but there is actually a lot that goes into ensuring our essential oils are safe, pure and potent.
Now that the plants have been carefully planted, cultivated and harvested, the essential oils may be obtained. Most essential oils are obtained through steam distillation. Another common practice is expression/cold pressing. Again, it is important that skilled individuals who know the trade do this for the highest quality oil. Many factors come into play when obtaining essential oils. Too much or too little heat/pressure affect the quality of the oil.
Once the essential oils are obtained, then the testing can begin. Phew! That was a lot of work before even getting to the testing part of this, huh? Yep. It was. No shortcuts at dōTERRA. That’s not their style.
Now for the testing!
Here are the 5 tests that essential oils must pass in order to be sold as a CPTG® dōTERRA essential oil. (not necessarily in order)
1.Gas Chromatography
During this test, the aromatic compounds of an essential oil are analyzed to see what chemical constituents are present and at what level. Each essential oil has its own complex chemical structure, and this test is to ensure that each component present in the oil is supposed to be there and in the right amount.
2. Mass Spectrometry
This test is done to see if there are any non-aromatic compounds present in the essential oil, such as heavy metals, that may not show up on a GC test.
These two tests usually go hand in hand and are often known as GC/MS analysis.
Here is a video by Dr. Robert Pappas talking about GC/MS testing with Dr. Hill, dōTERRA’s Chief Medical Officer.
3. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR)
Light travels through all things at a different rate. This test is to ensure that light travels through each essential oil at the proper rate. This helps identify components present in the essential oil.
4. Microbial Testing
This test makes sure that the essential oil doesn’t contain any biohazards like bacteria, fungus and mold. The oil is put into dishes and then placed in incubation, then tested for microbes.
5. Organoleptic Testing
These essential oils are tested on and by humans (the horror!). Don’t worry. They’re willing. Organoleptic testing is where humans check to see if the essential oil has the right color, texture, taste, and other things that may apply to individual essential oils.
Each essential oil must meet all of these standards and pass each of those tests before it can be deemed worthy of dōTERRA’s sacred
trademark. Did you hear the choir sing, “aaahhhh!” When you read that?
I hope you did. That was my intention.
That is why the trademark CPTG® is impressive. Because of what each oil has to go through in order to be worthy enough to have that label.
Any company could set the same standards and label it something different, but they don’t. No other company goes to the lengths dōTERRA does to ensure that we are getting not only the purest essential oils, but the safest, most potent and sustainable oils as well.
I love that. It is awesome to know the oils I use are safe and pure. I love that I know I am taking care of my family and self with amazing gifts from the earth. I also love all of the other great things dōTERRA does for our local community and all around the world. For more information on that, check out this post or head to www.doterra.com/healinghands
As always, if you are interested in getting started with dōTERRA, please contact me at aubree.kovatch@gmail.com. I would love to help you get started on your journey to a better life!
*I use dōTERRA’s CPTG® essential oils. Any suggested use many not be suitable for use of other brands of essential oils. Always use your best judgment when using essential oils.
**These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. dōTERRA essential oils are not meant to prevent, diagnose, treat, or cure diseases.
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