When you buyessential oil, its quality is indicated on the cardboard packaging the bottle: the words “100% pure and natural essential oil, 100% integral”, the name in French and Latin, HECT (chemotyped essential oil) or HEBBD (biologically and botanically defined oil ), the one or two molecules most representative of its composition, the name and contact details of the supplier laboratory, the geographical origin of the plant, the organ from which the EO is extracted, the expiry date. Nothing prevents you from claiming the chromatographic analysis of EO, a pledge of its compliance with the European and French pharmacopoeias. In other words, a good HE can be bought in pharmacies, in an organic store, under certain brands known for their reliability, online from a few very reputable suppliers. Not in a market, in an unlabeled bottle.
Should we prefer them organic?
Highly concentrated, HEY demand a high level of quality. This is why it is always preferable that the distilled plants come primarily from organic farming. Their cultivation is carried out by specialized producers whose specifications exclude any use of synthetic herbicide or insecticide, thus avoiding any trace of pollutant. An organic HE is recognized by the AB logo (or another authorized logo, for example Ecocert) stamped on the bottle. However, you should know that the so-called “100% natural” essential oils, produced by the main renowned laboratories, are just as qualitative since, organic or not, they have proved that their components are 100% natural: there is no therefore no residues of pesticides or other harmful products were found.
Vegetable oils
Obtained by the first cold pressing of certain fruits, flowers and oleaginous seeds, they constitute the best vehicle for the active ingredients of essential oils. They serve in particular as a diluent for dermal uses of EOs, which are too powerful to be applied pure to the skin. They promote or slow down their diffusion through the skin, but also (because they are very rich in fatty acids) strengthen the protective film of the epidermis and fight skin dryness. They can generally be stored for 30 months away from light, air and heat and can be used within 6 months after opening the bottle.
Beware of synthetic products
Beware of HEY cheap sold in souvenir shops, markets or on foreign websites … You risk getting a synthetic product without any therapeutic properties. As Danièle Festy regularly reminds us, “an essential oil is 100% natural or nothing. So, if you spot on the label ethyl paraben, BHT, oxybenzone-benzopnone-3, polysorbate-20 (toxic molecules suspected of participating in various disorders and diseases), or even aromas artificial (potentially allergenic and irritant), leave the so-called ET on the shelf and instead head to a pharmacy, drugstore or natural products store.
