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Why GC/MS Testing?

Some people may not understand what GC/MS testing is all about and why we do it. The short answer is: you can’t tell by looking at the bottle, or by smelling it, what the constituents are inside. You can’t know if the essential oil has been contaminated, adulterated, or diluted. You can’t know if they test within ISO guidelines.

But a GC/MS test will list the constituents in the bottle, and then it can be checked against available ISO guidelines to see how it lines up, and if it’s found in compliance or not.

Reputable companies run their own GC/MS testing to be sure they are passing on a quality product. Others just trust their suppliers to run the GC/MS tests and give them quality products - but they are at the mercy of their suppliers, and you, the customer, may not be getting a quality essential oil.

Our 3rd party testing can reveal where a company may have overlooked a bad batch, or where a company is selling an adulterated product. Our last testing revealed this very thing.

Is GC/MS Testing the Be-All End-All?

The quality of an essential oil is effected by the following factors:

• climate and altitude where it was grown
• quality of soil
• amount of rainfall
• temperature
• how it was harvested
• how it was stored prior to extraction
• time elapsed between when it was harvested and when it was distilled
• the parts of the plants used - leaves, flowers, roots, etc.
• type of distillation equipment used (copper? steel?)

Ideally, it would be great to know all these details before we make a purchase, but this information is practically impossible for the consumer to obtain.

Therefore, it is important to view the GC/MS test for the batch, thus revealing the very factors mentioned above. Low-quality soil, poor rainfall, long storage before extraction, and more, will be reflected in a lower-quality essential oil.

The bottom line: are we getting a quality product which is pure and not contaminated? GC/MS testing will answer that question, and more.

What our GC/MS Testing Has Revealed Thus Far

Round 1:Myrrh revealed that you don’t have to pay more to get a quality essential oil. It is not cost-effective to join a multi-level-marketing (MLM) essential oil company which not only cost more per bottle, but requires you to make minimum purchases a month. The quality is as good as other non-MLM brands. In fact, Aura Cacia, the least-expensive Myrrh we tested, came out better than the two MLM brands, and a hair behind the only organic brand, Essential Vitality.

Round 2: Tea Tree revealed two companies who were found “not in compliance.” Read more here: 3rd Party Testing on various brands of Tea Tree essential oil: Results.

Round 3: Peppermint revealed 10 out of 13 were not in compliance with ISO standards - two of which were found to contain a synthetic additive named ethyl vanillin.