These are questions that I get asked often, so I wanted to address them in this post.
From doTERRA: "Although there are good essential oils available to consumers, many products claiming to be essential oils often are not pure aromatic extracts and often contain fillers and non-aromatic compounds. Furthermore, there are no current regulatory standards for the descriptive use of the “therapeutic grade” for products labeled as essential oils. The CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® mark represents dōTERRA’s own internal standards for sourcing and testing pure aromatic botanical extracts using independent laboratory analysis. The dōTERRA brand and registered CPTG® mark represent dōTERRA’s guarantee of pure essential oil extracts that meet high standards for both purity and material composition and for accurate product labeling." Basically what that means is this: currently in the US, there is no standard for 100% pure oils. In fact, through the FDA, a company can claim to have 100% pure oils, while at the same time only a percentage of that oil needs to be pure to be labeled that way. The rest of that oil can be fillers or other contaminates and the oil can still be labeled 100% pure. Thus we can walk into any store and see a bunch of "100% pure" oils, but once you open them up and try to use them, you can tell right away there is a difference. For example I remember getting reactions from "pure" tea tree oil, getting headaches from "pure" lavender oil, and "pure" eucalyptus oil not doing a thing for my congestion. So doTERRA put together their own standard of purity, and with independent laboratory analysis, make sure that they do not contain fillers or artificial ingredients that would dilute their active qualities.
Do they have pesticides or are they organic?
dōTERRA’s CPTG® essential oils exceed industry standards. Because organic certification varies from country to country, province to province, and in the US, from state to state, it is not currently possible to acquire all oils under certified organic status. However, through the GC/MS analysis process, we are able to determine if any chemical residue exists in the essential oil, e.g., pesticides, herbicides, extenders, and solvents. With this rigorous analysis process, we are able to ensure that all CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® essential oils offered by dōTERRA are absolutely pure as nature intended and a step above organic. dōTERRA therapeutic-grade essential oils are pure, natural aromatic compounds carefully extracted from plants. Proper extraction and quality control methods also ensure that dōTERRA essential oils are free of any contaminants, such as pesticides or other chemical residues. CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade ® essential oils are guaranteed to be pure, natural, and free of synthetic compounds or contaminates. dōTERRA essential oils are subjected to rigorous mass spectrometry and gas chromatography testing to ensure extract composition and activity. dōTERRA essential oils represent the safest and most beneficial essential oils available today.
Are there other components that affect purity and potency?
Even though an essential oil may be pure, if the right species or part of a plant has not been used, or if the plant has not been grown in the right environment, harvested at the right time, or not distilled under the right conditions, the natural chemical makeup of the extraction will not provide as predictable and powerful a benefit. In some cases, the wrong plant part harvested at the wrong time may result in an extract that contains harmful levels of some constituents. In addition to being pure and natural, CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oils are subjected to additional quality testing that ensures the correct composition of the active natural compounds found in each oil.
Why are these oils farmed from other countries?
From doTERRA: "We have found that a primary key to superior essential oil quality is the location in which the plant is grown. For this reason, we carefully source our essential oils from all over the world, rather than from a few locations that are not native habitats for the plants. For example, our Lavender is grown in the high altitudes of France, our Lemon comes from Italy, and our Frankincense is sourced from Oman. Because our management team is trusted and respected by global producers, we are able to secure precious crops for essential oil production from preferred suppliers." I personally think this is one of the keys to the increased potency between doTERRA oils, and a few of the other oils I have tried which I also think are free from contaminates and fillers. Though different brands CAN be pure, there is a difference in potency and effect when an oil is harvested locally and in the right time and season. I mean, we see that in the vitamin and mineral content of our fruits and vegetables all the time! That's why we see the encouragement to eat locally and eat in season. The same applies to the plants that the essential oils are extracted from.
What are the testing methods doTERRA uses?
Different than some other companies, EVERY batch of oil is tested in these ways. "dōTERRA’s CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade®* quality protocol employs five different analytical methods to ensure dōTERRA’s essential oils are both pure (extracts contain only the volatile aromatic compounds of a plant), and potent (extracts have consistent chemical composition from batch to batch). The CPTG quality protocol requires the use of independent laboratories for standardization and testing.
Test 1: Gas Chromatography
After the aromatic compounds (also called essential oils) are carefully distilled from plant material, samples are tested for chemical composition using gas chromatography. In gas chromatography, volatile essential oil compounds are vaporized and passed through a long column called a gas chromatograph. Each individual compound travels or “elutes” through the column at a different rate and is measured as it exits the column during the testing period. Using gas chromatography, quality control engineers can determine which compounds are present in a test sample and, as importantly, at what levels.
Test 2: Mass Spectrometry
In addition to gas chromatography, essential oil samples also are tested for composition using mass spectrometry. In mass spectrometry, samples are vaporized and then ionized and each individual compound in a sample is measured by weight. Mass spectrometry provides additional insight to the purity of an essential oil by revealing the presence of non-aromatic compounds, such as heavy metals or other pollutants, which are too heavy to elute along a gas chromatograph. The combination of gas chromatography and mass spectrometry is sometimes referred to as a GC/MS test.
Test 3: FTIR Scan (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy)
Essential oil samples are transported to a manufacturing facility for filling. Before being released into the facility, the essential oil “batch” is held in quarantine while additional quality tests are performed. Those tests include an FTIR Scan which, similar to GC/MS testing, is also an analysis of material composition. In an FTIR Scan, a light is shown at the material sample and the amount of light absorbed by the chemical constituents of the sample is measured. Results are then compared against a historical database to ensure adherence to composition standards.
Test 4: Microbial Testing
Before a batch of essential oils can be released from quarantine to manufacturing, it must be tested for the presence of bio-hazards such as bacteria, fungus, and mold. In microbial testing, samples are drawn from each batch of essential oils and applied to growing mediums in dishes or “plates.” After an incubation period, each plate is analyzed for growth of microbes. This test is performed on all incoming material to the manufacturing facility, and also performed on finished product to ensure no harmful organisms have been introduced to the product during the filling and labeling process, and to ensure shelf-life stability.
Test 5: Organoleptic Testing
Organoleptic testing brings a human touch to each step of the CPTG quality control process. Organoleptics include those attributes of an essential oil that can be tested with taste, sight, touch, and smell. From growers and harvesters to essential oil chemists; from manufacturing engineers to essential oil practitioners; dōTERRA’s global network of essential oil providers carefully monitors the quality of each CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade essential oil."
So there you have it folks. There's a lot there to explain. But this is the difference between doTERRA CPTG oils and an essential oil you could just pick up somewhere. But don't take my word for it. Try it. Experience the difference for yourself. Feel free to ask for a free sample and see what you think. The reason why we decided to use them was simple. They worked for us. They worked for our family. Feel free to contact us if you would like to see if they can work for you!