About Organic Essential Oils

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Organic essential oils are a specialty at Eden Botanicals. As the demand grows for premium quality, certified organic oils, we are eager to add more of these botanical gems to our collection. To our delight, we are noticing that both small-scale, artisan distillers as well as larger distilleries continue to broaden the range of organic oils being produced for the aromatherapy, personal care and perfumery markets. With the increase in production, we have also seen that the quality of organically grown essential oils is on the rise as distilleries old and new continue to perfect their craft.

What makes an essential oil organic? In the same way produce is termed certified organic, essential oils are agricultural products that are certified organic via the rules and regulations of governmental agencies such as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), specifically, the National Organic Program (NOP). The actual farm and facilities are certified (rather than the product itself), thus the products that are grown and processed at certified facilities are what we know as certified organic products – in this case, essential oils. The US has organic equivalency agreements – global organic standards – with the EU, Canada, Japan, Korea, Switzerland and Taiwan, where third-party certifying agencies ensure that each organic farm and processing or handling facility meets government regulations; several countries, including India, hold recognition agreements with the US that accredit agencies to USDA standards in order to facilitate organic trade between nations.

For essential oils to be certified organic, the entire production chain needs to be free of pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, sewage sludge and genetically modified organisms (GMOs), although numerous other chemicals are listed. The NOP allows for either 100% organic or >95% organic, however, a product cannot be sold as organic unless it is certified organic according to the various rules in each participating country. That said, an oil can be certified organic and yet still show minute traces of pesticide residues. This could be due to contamination of the crop with drift from nearby fields or because pesticides were used at some point in the last 50 years. This becomes an issue for companies in the medical Cannabis industry who need to have the utmost purity in order to sell their products. It is possible to test for a wide range of pesticides and agrochemicals using ultra-sensitive equipment, an expense that is significantly greater than the standard GC-MS tests. At this time, we do not test for pesticide residues present at quantities <0.01% (100 ppm), however, we are able to submit our oils to a third-party lab for testing by special request (lab fee required). At this time, it is not industry standard for manufacturers of essential oils to analyze specifically for pesticides residues. When testing does occur, it is often a spot test only and every lot is not analyzed. Thankfully, as customer demand grows, we are seeing more vendors offering pesticide analysis. We hope this trend continues in the future!

All things considered, is an organic essential oil better than a non-organic essential oil of the same type? Not necessarily. What determines the quality of an essential oil compared to another (aromatically or beneficially) is the sum of many factors affecting the plants the oil comes from, including terrain, climate, altitude, rainfall (collectively known as terroir), growing and harvesting methods, and finally distillation process and aftercare (post-distillation handling and storage). For a detailed discussion of this, please click here. Even though an essential oil may be certified organic, the plants may have been stressed by weather conditions during growth or harvested too early or too late, distillation may have been too short or too hot, the plants and/or oil may have been transported or stored under substandard conditions prior to or post distillation, etc. We have, in fact, sampled many certified organic essential oils that, when compared to corresponding oils that were grown conventionally, were of inferior quality due to some of these variables or other factors. Fortunately, we are seeing increased availability of a far superior selection of organic essential oils we believe is due to a new generation of organic farmers and distillers who are dedicated to fulfilling their role in global sustainability.

Primary reasons to purchase organic essential oils may include the desire to support organic agriculture, organic farmers and sustainable, regenerative land practices, and to that end, discourage and eliminate as much as possible the use of pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers and other biological poisons for the betterment of all living beings and the natural environment. For those who want to create an organic retail line, whether for aromatherapy, perfumery, cosmetics or personal care products, our organic offerings will legally identify ingredients that can be labeled certified organic. On a more personal note, many people, especially those with sensitivities, may want to create products they know are free of chemicals for their own personal use and/or to share with others. Choosing organic is a vote for regenerative rather than degenerative land stewardship – paying it forward not only for today, but for generations to come.

Please enjoy browsing our website to learn more about all of these remarkable botanical allies and how to use them in safe, responsible ways. Click here for our full list of organic essential oils ideally suited for aromatherapy. We also offer a selection of premium organic carrier oils ranging from Jojoba Oil sourced in the US and high-oleic Sunflower Oil to the highly regenerative Rosehip Seed CO2 and Pomegranate Seed CO2 extracts. To view our comprehensive collection of organic carrier oils, please click here.