2 min read
2013-10-25
Therapeutic Grade: A Marker for Oil Quality, or Marketing Hype?
Written By: Eden Staff
You may have noticed on a few websites that essential oils are described as "therapeutic grade" or "commercial grade", and for perfumery purposes, "fine perfumery grade". Originally, this grading system explained the differences in how essential oils were produced. Oils referred to as therapeutic grade or fine perfumery grade are in theory, those where more care is taken in the growing and harvesting of the plants, during the distillation or extraction process, and in the after-care of the oil. These oils are also usually made in smaller batches. All of these factors are important in producing an oil for fine perfumery, where the odor has to be of a certain quality to be used in high-end fragrance and doubly important for a oil that is intended for aromatherapy purposes. So-called commercial grade oils, on the other hand, are those that are mass produced and used more for industrial purposes. Commercial grade oils are often a combination of natural and synthetic components and are much cheaper than their purely natural counterparts.
...use simplified terms like "Aromatherapy" or "Natural Perfumery" to describe our oils... Aromatherapy" or "Natural Perfumery" to describe our oils... Aromatherapy" or "Natural Perfumery" to describe our oils...
The reason we no longer use this system to describe the quality of our oils is that the original intent has been lost through overuse, and can now be more fairly described as marketing hype. This cheapening of words has happened in the past with other terms like “Natural”, which have become almost meaningless today. We simply describe our oils based on their intended use. Of course, all our oils are sourced from some of the most reputable distillers from around the world and are always 100% pure and natural - guaranteed.
Please know that when you do see a company that uses a grading system to describe the quality of their oils, or refers to them as "certified" (or in some instances "certified pure therapeutic grade" ) that these terms are not associated with any official governing body - these are simply marketing terms. The only governmental agency that has anything to do with certifying essential oils in the US is the USDA/ NOP program, and that is strictly for organic certification.
