About Our Essential Oils

Caution - do not let essential oils come into contact with the eyes - if this happens use a vegetable oil or water to flush it out . If in doubt contact the Poisons Information Centre Sydney on 131129 or 1800 251525.

When you are handling essential oils you should always wear protective clothing; gloves at the very least, and preferably a face mask as well.

Our essential oils - 100ml sizes and below - are mostly supplied in glass essential oil bottles. They are capped with a dripolator insert and plastic, tamper-evident overcap. The dripolator hole may vary in diameter (depending on our supplies at the time) and will dispense some (non -viscous oils ) in single drops, or a stream - quite rapidly. For some viscous oils it will need to be removed altogether so you can pour the oil. For oil sizes 500mL or above, they are usually supplied in aluminium bottles, or HDPE plastic if we have run out of aluminium, and are sealed with a tamper evident cap and no dripolator.

( or a plastic screw cap if they are in HDPE bottles)

It is critical that when you purchase essential oils you can be sure of the quality of the product. Our essential oils are aromatherapy grade. (Please read below for cheaper oils that do not meet aromatherapy grade standards)

To provide a guarantee about an oil is almost impossible. Most oils are produced overseas and very few suppliers will provide a written and legally binding guarantee of purity and species along with full physico-chemical data for the batch of oil. There are many reasons for this - one of the main ones is that the growers won't provide them for the suppliers. In some cases, where information is commercially sensitive, suppliers will not even provide information on the area where the crop is harvested!

When you read claims like "oils of the highest quality available”, you may wonder about the quality you have been buying and what might be the difference, if any , between that oil and the one claimed to be the “highest quality available”. In reality we need to put some value judgements on these claims because, for example, when you can source an oil from one supplier at $5000/kg and from another at $1000/kg when both of them make the same claims of quality, you do have to wonder about the industry in general. We describe our oils as Genuine aromatherapy quality oils and we recommended them for all uses as prescribed by medical professionals. But please note that not all pure oils are suitable for aromatherapy use!

In some cases, but not all, full physico-chemical descriptions can be provided. Our labels normally include the statement that it is a pure essential oil, its common name, the botanical name, the country* of origin/extraction ( the two may be different) the part of the plant used, and the best before date.

The best before date is an indicator only and does not mean that the oil cannot be used beyond that date; rather that its therapeutic benefits start to decline from then. The expiry date of the oil is really an unknown - it depends on how the oil is stored and what state its in when you’re using it. For example if you don’t mind a citrus oil which is bit stale in it odour then you can still use it; but our advice is to use the oils fresh and keep them in the fridge when not in use.

We supply some commercial grade oils, which are usually cheaper and are often a mix of various botanical species, or are sourced from areas where the extraction process is likely to lead to impurities in the oil. Having said that we do commonly source some cheaper oils such as eucalyptus and pine, which have useful commercial applications. We also supply some oils which, are hugely expensive, but by processes of rectification with natural components and perhaps an extra distillation, meet the international standard for the specific oil and are thus much cheaper - melissa, frankincense, pine (species) are some examples. The most common reason we sell an oil as a commercial grade is that is does not reach the organoleptic standard for aromatherapy grade; the second most common is that it is very popular ( rose & geranium are good examples and they are often a blend of more than one botanical - graveolens & roseum in the case of the geranium)

If you buy a commercial grade oil please do not ask us to refund it if you do not like the odour or the odour is not an industry standard.

Some oils should not be taken during pregnancy, including rose (during the first trimester) , basil, clary sage, jasmine and thyme. Some oils increase photosensitivity of the skin and should not be used immediately before exposure to the sun; these include bergamot, orange, tangerine and grapefruit. In general terms oils should not be taken orally or applied undiluted to the skin but there are a number of oils which are suitable for these applications and might be advised by your medical practitioner. Some doctors recommend a couple of drops of peppermint with a glass of water as a great mouthwash; and we certainly use lavender (a couple of drops on a tissue) applied to the forehead and temples to relieve headache and provide an antiseptic relief for cuts and bruises, and as a calmative a couple of drops on a pillow we find most useful.

Some oils are known dermal irritants - e.g. clove and cinnamon and cassia. they should be handled only with proper personal protection.

Also note that all our oils are highly concentrated and care should be taken not to allow them to come into contact with polished surfaces or fine materials, and most importantly should be kept out of reach of children.

Some uses for your oils:

Inhalation - add a couple of drops to a bowl of hot water; place a towel over the head and the bowl, and then inhale. Give yourself a break every few minutes.
Massage - add a few drops - about 5-10 drops of essential oil to 10ml of carrier oil - to one of our carrier oils (or better still to our massage base oil) and give yourself or your client/partner/friend a luxurious massage.
Bathing - add about 5-10 drops to your bath and stir well before you get in and allow the aromatherapeutic qualities of the oil to do the rest.