OK, here are the 5 basic pieces of information to look for as you browse an essential oil company's website. You can write these down. Ideally, you want to find ALL of these items on their essential oil profile page (as well as the bottle!).

First question: Do they include botanical names? Some essential oils have several botanical names indicating different safety issues. If a company simply says Sage we may not know if it’s the safe one or not until we check the botanical name. Example: Salvia officinalis is neurotoxic and should not be used by anyone, while Salvia fruticosa is not safe for kids under the age of 10 years old. Rosemary and Thyme are others that have different botanical names reflecting different safety issues.

Question #2: Do they include chemotypes? Basil is one of several essential oils with different chemotypes of the same botanical name. Including Ocimum basillicum on the label is not enough when the chemotype of estragole, linalool, or methyl cinnamate will give us more safety information (all three have a different topical max!).

Question #3: Do they tell you how the essential oil is processed (extracted)? There can be a big difference between cold pressed Lime (phototoxic) and steam distilled Lime (not phototoxic). Listing the way the plant was processed to get the essential oil can be helpful in determining safety. Bergamot and Lemon can also be steam distilled, but if cold pressed has a low topical max (0.4% for Bergamot and 2% for Lemon).

Question #4: Do they list types/country of origin? There is a big difference between Bulgarian Lavender and Spanish Lavender - the type or country of origin will tell us which one is safe for pregnancy (Bulgarian) and which is not (Spanish).

Question #5: Do they include plant parts? Cinnamon is probably the best example of an essential oil that is created with different plant parts and has different safety concerns. Although both Cinnamon Bark and Cinnamon Leaf are anti-coagulant (can thin the blood), Cinnamon Leaf is safe for pregnancy and Cinnamon Bark is not.

How did your brand do? When I reviewed Plant Therapy this week, they had 3 of these factors, but the results were mixed on the other two. Sometimes the info was there, and sometimes it wasn't.

So...why does shelf life matter? Well first of all, so many people are being told that essential oils DON'T have a shelf life to justify a high price tag. This simply isn't true. Not only do they go bad from exposure to light, heat, and oxygen, but the length of shelf life varies depending on the essential oil. I explain all this in the free Introduction to Essential Oils classes if you want more info, but for now I want to answer why shelf life matters.

When a company doesn't include shelf life, it might mean they don't know essential oils expire. In which case, you could be receiving essential oils already past their prime, which can either mean they won't work as well, or they could cause skin damage when used topically, even with dilution.

Another reason a company might not include the shelf life is because they don't know what the shelf life is. A reputable company should not just want to sell you essential oils, but should be looking to educate you on safe usage, and this includes how long the essential oils will last that you are purchasing.

Going deeper, if you can find out when the essential oil was distilled, you can do the math to determine how fresh the essential oils are that you're purchasing. Some companies put nearly-expiring essential oils on sale to move them quickly, but that may leave you with only a few months to use them. 

In Part 3 I'll give you the next set of questions - all around the theme of safety awareness. Is your brand transparent when it comes to contraindications and medication interactions? We'll find out!

If you'd like to learn more and you don't want to wait for the next episode to drop, snag my book, Choosing Brands right now.

Looking for my brand reviews? Check out the Brand Reviews Portal.