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The essential oil world is massive, with hundreds of different brands available, tons of hype, and a handful of marketing tricks.
You want to support an essential oil brand you can trust, one that takes pride in quality, transparency, and authenticity.
There is much to consider and learn when it comes to choosing the best essential oil brand, and it can take much trial and error to find one you love.
Let me take the work out of it for you
Over the years, I have spent countless hours researching production methods, quality-control methods, and harvesting practices of various essential oil companies. I have scoured brand websites, read customer reviews, and personally emailed companies.
I have also bought and used essential oils for many, many years.
In this article, you will learn a few critical points to choosing an essential oil brand, as well as what brand I love and recommend.
What You Need to Know About Essential Oil Companies
Common Marketing Terms Used to Sell Essential Oils
There are many marketing terms used to sell essential oils, it seems everyone is trying to define their oils as superior to others because they have this or that certification.
Let's break down these terms so that you can be better informed as to what they mean.
Therapeutic Grade
The terms "therapeutic grade" or "certified pure therapeutic grade" are marketing words that were created by essential oil companies as a way to market their oils as better than others.
"Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade" is a trademark seal created by the company DoTerra. It gives the illusion that DoTerra is certified by some outside authority, when in fact, they are not. DoTerra owns the right to the exclusive use of this mark. This does not mean that these oils are any better than other essential oils.
Nowadays you find that most essential oil companies use the term "therapeutic grade," however, no governing body regulates the use of the term therapeutic grade, so it really has no meaning.
ISO Certified
ISO stands for The International Organization for Standardization. ISO is a non- governmental organization established in 1947. Their mission is to provide world-class standards and specifications for products, services, and systems.
The ISO defines an essential oil as, "a product made by distillation with either water or steam or by mechanical processing of citrus rinds or by dry distillation of natural materials. Following the distillation, the essential oil is physically separated from the water phase.”
However, the ISO does not set standards for differentiating the quality of essential oils. An essential oil can be very therapeutic and high quality but not fall within the criteria that the ISO has set. Being ISO certified does not prove quality.
AFNOR Certified
Association française de Normalisation (AFNOR) is the French national organization for standardization and is that country’s ISO member body.
Some essential oil companies claim that their oils are AFNOR approved as therapeutic grade, or that they meet or exceed AFNOR standards. However, AFNOR does not set criteria for differentiating the quality of essential oils rather they provide specifications for "industries to use as a guide to essential oil compositions so that new batches could be utilized with minimum alteration in flavor or fragrance to the finished products."
AFNOR certification pertains to perfume and fragrance oils only. They do not apply to high-quality, therapeutic essential oils.
GRAS
Stands for "Generally Recognized as Safe." Some essential oil companies are using this as proof that their oils are of therapeutic quality and safe to take internally.
When a substance is classified as GRAS, it does not need to pass approval by the FDA before being used as a food additive. Many essential oils such as mint and neroli possess GRAS status, but this does not indicate their therapeutic value or their safety for internal ingestion.
Essential oils are used as flavor ingredients in a wide range of products, and their inclusion in the GRAS category is dependent on their defined safe maximum concentration limits in edible goods. Generally, these concentrations are low and allow for repeated ingestion without cumulative dosing and potential toxicity.
Individual chemicals, as well as adulterated and synthetic essential oils, can be recognized as GRAS. This means that having GRAS status does not prove purity, nor does it prove that it was organically grown, or even that it came from a plant.
GC/MS Data
A gas chromatograph (GC) is a chemical analysis instrument used to separate and identify individual constituents found within a given essential oil.
Mass spectrometry (MS) is a technique which allows for the detection of compounds (chemical constituents) by separating ions by their unique mass. Mass spectrometry is utilized to identify specific compounds registered on the gas chromatography report.
Someone trained to read the data from these data reports can identify the exact constituents and their quantity contained within a given essential oil sample.
Just because a company has a GC/MS Spec report does not guarantee that it has been analyzed by a trained professional. This type of data collection can be beneficial in analyzing the quality of an essential oil, but a company having a GC/MS Spec report should not be taken as the only factor in making a purchasing choice.
Other testing methods that ensure high-quality, unadulterated oils are Thin Layer Chromatography, Infra-Red analysis, Specific gravity, Refractive index, and Optical rotation.
First Level Distillation
There is inaccurate information out there about the levels of distillation, and many companies use it as a marketing tool.
This leads to confusing and erroneous information. The truth is that the majority of plants are distilled just once because they don’t produce enough oil for multiple distillations.
So basically, every reputable company offering therapeutic grade essential oils will have first level distillation oils.
Multi-Level Marketing of Essential Oils
There are a few big essential oil companies that operate as multi-level marketing (MLM) companies. An MLM uses a sales force that not only sells their products but also recruits others to sell products. You get paid higher the more people you have under you.
The Three Largest Essential Oil MLM Companies:
- DoTerra
- Young Living
- Be Young
The Negatives of Multi-Level Marketing
- They use deceptive marketing terms and techniques such as creating their own certifications, like "certified pure therapeutic grade," or "GRAS certified."
- Their product prices are high because they have to pay multiple levels of people.
- They charge their reps hidden fees. It seems like you are saving money by being a rep for these oil companies, but charges for, "figuring out your commissions" and annual fees are not readily disclosed.
- They heavily promote the use of taking essential oils internally, which can be problematic, considering the people using them are not trained professionals, and essential oils are extremely concentrated and can be easily overused.
- There is pressure for reps to buy more than they need to get their free product or monthly discount.
Note, that I am not necessarily opposed to MLM's or the above three companies, but I do know that you can get a better price and a more positive customer experience with essential oil companies that do not operate under an MLM model.
What to Consider When Choosing an Essential Oil Brand
The following are questions you need to ask when considering what company to buy from.
- How is their customer service? You want a company that responds quickly to questions and concerns, in a calm and friendly manner.
- Do they take pride in the quality of their products? You want to support a brand that stands behind their quality.
- Is the company transparent about their harvesting and extraction practices? They have nothing to hide and work to disclose all information.
- Is the company always working to improve? Do they listen to their customers?
- Are they a multi-level marketing company with high prices or do they sell directly to consumers, giving consumers a better price?
- How much do they educate their customers on how to use their products? Do they provide dilution rates and recipes?
- Is their website easy to navigate and shop from?
These questions were at the forefront of my mind as I researched various brands. The essential oil brand I ended up choosing as the best meets all of these criteria.
What Makes an Excellent Essential Oil Company?
Experience
- Years of experience sourcing, distilling, creating, using, and selling essential oils is a must. A company must be fully immersed in their niche.
Purity
- The essential oils are pure, meaning they are not mixed with other oils or extracted with solvents.
- Plant components are preserved with the use of low temperature and low-pressure extraction.
- Oils are distilled with quality in mind. Distillation methods are chosen based on the plant and what will result in the best outcome.
- Oils are not adulterated by heating, blending, adding, or further distillation.
Testing
- Tests are routinely performed to make sure the oils are high quality and not adulterated. Test results are available to the public.
Growing Practices
- Plants are sourced from small farms or remote locations where no pesticides, herbicides or harmful chemicals are used.
- Natural fertilizers and growing practices are used.
- Plants are grown in their indigenous locations.
- Plants are sourced directly from farmers.
- By direct sourcing, a company avoids a middleman who may hide synthetic or adulteration of oils.
Reasonable Pricing
- Not overly expensive, but not cheap either. You pay more for quality, but it shouldn't break the bank.
- Free shipping is a significant plus.
Realistic Recommendations
- Be wary of companies that recommend using oils internally for every ailment, or suggest using up large amounts of oils.
Packaging Include Latin Names
- Oils should have the botanical/latin name of the plant on the bottle so that consumers know precisely the variety of plant they are getting.
Great Reputation
- The company must have many satisfied customers and offer excellent customer support.
So What is my Favorite Essential Oil Brand?
I have loved and used my favorite essential oil brand for the last couple of years.
I love their attention to quality, their easy to read packaging, and their fun blends. They are always doing something new and exciting! Do you want to know what it is?
My Favorite Essential Oil Brand is Rocky Mountain Oils.
Rocky Mountain Oils does it all! They offer fantastic customer service, consider quality a top priority, offer transparency on all of their production methods, and meet every single criterion I have for an excellent essential oil brand.
If you feel so inclined, here is a video of me unboxing RMO's Kids Line:
Why Rocky Mountain Oils?
- 90-day money back guarantee! You can try the product, and if you are unsatisfied for any reason, you can return it. No questions asked. It doesn't matter if you used 2 drops or 3/4 of the bottle, the full price of the product will be refunded.
- Free Return shipping.
- FREE SHIPPING within the USA.
- Free international shipping over $199 (under $199 is calculated by weight).
- Excellent customer service - fast email response, phone number on the website.
- Direct buying relationship with trusted suppliers.
- Independent, third-party GC/MS testing results available free of charge.
- Organoleptic and Refractive Index Testing.
- No Adulterants.
- Tests hundreds of samples to find the best essential oils before placing an order for processing.
- Employs an in-house chemist for analyzing essential oil purity.
- Each batch is carefully bottled by trained professionals using state-of-the-art equipment.
- Steam distilled, cold-pressed and CO2 extracted oils.
- Large selection of essential oil blends, single plant oils, and rare oils.
- Live Chat Support on their website.
- Recipes on every sales page.
- Easy to navigate website.
An Email Chat with RMO
I emailed Rocky Mountain Oils to ask them a bit more about their company and it's practices. I wanted to see how they fit my criteria for a top essential oil company.
Here are their responses:
Experience
RMO has been around since 2004. The company worked closely with Native American Nutritionals, which has a long history of working directly with small farms and quality oils. We recently acquired Native American Nutritionals and improved the quality procedures even further throughout that process.
This is when our S.A.A.F.E Guarantee was created. The company has always worked to have professionals that ensure that the quality of our products are pure and effective. We have a full quality team led by a Chemist as well as employees training to become Aromatherapists.
Purity
All of our oils are 100% pure, which means they do not contain any pesticides, fungicides or adulterants.
The distillation process is a major factor in yielding a quality product. Several methods can be used to extract essential oil from organic plant matter. These methods include steam, hydro, cold-pressed, CO2, and even extracting an absolute through chemical extraction.
Rocky Mountain Oils sources essential oils that are extracted through the method that yields the purest and potent product.
Testing
We test each batch to make sure that they do not have trace amounts of these chemicals present in the oils. If we find they contain anything unnatural, we immediately reject the batch.
You can read about our S.A.A.F.E Guarantee here, which outlines the steps our company takes to ensure our product line continues to meet the high standards that our customers, as well as our company, have set for Essential Oils.
Lastly, all of our products are batched with a batch number, which allows every customer to purchase in confidence. This batch number can be used to pull up the GC/MS testing that was conducted on that specific batch of oil, verifying the authenticity of the oil.
Growing Practices
It is important for any EO consumer to note that just because a product is sold as “organic,” it does not mean the oil is pure. This is why we have strict testing and high standards for each and every batch of oil that we receive from our sources.
Although many of our products are organically grown, we are always looking for sources that yield the highest quality of oil, and that doesn't always mean that it is an organic source.
As I mentioned above, even though some of our oils may not be certified organic, they are ALL pesticide free.
Realistic Recommendations
Although the quality of our products is of such that allows for them to be ingested safely. Our company recommends that our customers consult with a trusted professional prior to ingesting the products, we do not provide this information for our customers.
Latin Names
You can view the extraction method as well as botanical name/Country of Origin for each product on each product page.
Reputation
Rocky Mountain Oils is well known for several criteria. If a customer spent some time reading about us on the internet, they likely see the following points repeated over and over:
- High Quality.
- Affordable - We run promotions monthly so our customers have opportunities to save money on an already cost effective product
- Excellent Customer Service Team - I recommend reading over some the reviews on our Facebook page, you'll even see that we have a very responsive badge for our Facebook messages.
Try Rocky Mountain Oils Today!
Conclusion
There you have it, my favorite essential oil brand! I hope you will give Rocky Mountain Oils a try, and let me know how you like them 🙂 Head over to their online store and tell me in the comments what blend you would love to try.
And, what do you think of MLM's like DoTerra?
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments because we love to help! And remember to SHARE this article with your essential-oil-loving-friends 🙂 We so appreciate it.
hi,
I am a high essential oils user and I have read that using them for skin can broke the collagen due to the irritation. What do you think about that. Shall I consider stop using them.
Thank you,
Noelia
I have read that some essential oils can be damaging and irritating to the skin. There are some studies showing that lavender damages the skin, and most people know that citrus oils cause your skin to become very sensitive to the sun.
I think the key is to dilute and not overuse. You can use products with EO in them, but switch it up with some unscented products. Also, pay attention to how your skin reacts. If it gets red and itchy, then obviously stop using the product.
I personally have not seen damage done to my own skin from using products containing essential oils. I did once have a reaction to using pure tea tree oil on my skin, but that was just an uneducated mistake.
It is an interesting topic that I would like to learn more about. Your have sparked my curiosity, so thank you 🙂
Has anyone heard of the company Zija and their oils, Améo?
I have not heard of them Donita, thanks for sharing. Can you tell us more about them?
I love using essential oils as they have lots of benefits if using appropriately. This information is really beneficial to everyone who loves essential oil. Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome 😀
There is so much products that are out there, but going organic is the way to go. I believe that we should take care of our skin in order for it to beautiful and healthy. Many person treat their skin to harsh and can benefit from oils such as organic products. Great job on your site.
Thanks Norman 🙂
I love essential oils and am always exploring new places to purchase them. One oil that I have been looking for in particular is Frankincense. But I am always disappointed with the scent. It is a very expensive fragrance. I have heard that it is a very beautiful fragrance but every time I purchase a bottle, it smells very strong and not at all sweet. I noticed that they have 3 choices and very different prices. Do you have a recommendation?
You are right that Frankincense is very expensive, and if you end up not liking the smell, that is a lot of money wasted! Rocky Mountain Oils is a top quality company, so you can be sure that their Frankincense is going to be the real deal.
Rocky Mountain Oils has 3 different types of Frankincense. They all have similar properties, with varying strengths and price points.
From the Rocky Mountain Oil website:
Frankincense, Carterii’s aroma is like the other varieties being balsamic, rich, warm, slightly spicy, sweet, and woody but also has a slightly citrusy top note.
Frankincense, Sacred’s aroma is like the other varieties being balsamic, rich, warm, slightly spicy, sweet, and woody with its sweet woodiness standing out most. Frankincense, Sacred is regarded as the most therapeutic and highly sought-after Frankincense oils in the world.
Frankincense Serrata’s aroma is like the other varieties being balsamic, rich, warm, slightly spicy, sweet, and woody but has more earthy notes.
What an informative post. Always wondered the difference in the essential oils as there are so many out there.
It is very important to know the all that information for herbs as well! I will be shopping for my oils at Rocky Mountain for sure as I want the best! Their prices are pretty good as well.
Cheers
Nichole
There are so many oil for sure! Thanks for the comment Nicole. We love Rocky Mountain Oils, they make amazing essential oil blends and single oils. Information is key when deciding what to buy, especially essential oils, as you want pure, therapeutic grade.
WOW Andrea you have given me more information to think about. I have always been very interested in certain practices to make oils which include the growing, harvesting and purity of the oils. The benefits and the education on how to use oils are extremely important. I have had some really good results with sleep, anxiety and cleaning with oils. I love the information on your site especially the recipes and how to’s.
Thanks Helen, I love using essential oils for cleaning, and they can really help to change your mood 🙂
When you say that you have gone through many sites and pooling the information all together to create one clear source such as your site here, you are not kidding.
You have presented a lot of information I was unaware of with how to consider which essential oils would be best. It’s obvious that I’ll need more time researching things through your site to get a better understanding.
Thanks for the great detailed article, looking forward to reading more.
You are right Travis, I put a lot of work into it!
I have never seen a better website on essential oils. It is amazing how many fakes are out there. You did a great job exposing them and making a case for Rocky Mountain Oils.
Have you found that oils can be effective in the treatment of degenerative brain diseases like Alzheimers?
Thanks for your comment John, I have not personally seen the use of aromatherapy on degenerative brain diseases but I have read about essential oils being used for the treatment of symptoms of dementia, such as anxiety, sleep problems, and even memory and cognitive function.
Lavender and lemon balm have been shown to reduce anxiety. Peppermint can stimulate the appetite, bergamot aids sleep, and rosemary helps memory and cognition.The studies are just beginning and there is no solid proof that essential oils can help, but what has been studied looks promising.
Your post is useful for me to select the best essential oil products. I really don’t know about it
There are a lot of brands out there so being educated really helps. Thanks for the comment!
I am currently a DoTerra rep and I love the product, I have been looking for a more cost effective way to go about treating a variety of ailments I suffer from and family members also suffer from. I wouldn’t ever stop using Doterra as it has proven to really help but something I noticed on Rocky Mountain Oils, (I just purchased 6 bottles and am very happy with them) Is that none of the ones I purchased are marked as proven to take orally. Is that the case with all of their oils? You were saying that they are 100% pure and many of the kinds they make are with other companies shown safe to take internally so I am wondering if they do not make them that way just to avoid possible law suits from people who may or may not cause problems. Are many of them actually safe taken internally but they leave that up to the person taking them or have I just bought 6 kinds that are not to be taken other than topically, diffused or for household use? Thanks so much for time, the article is excellent.
I believe that Rocky Mountain Oils has chosen to not explicitly recommend taking essential oils internally. They do not say that you shouldn’t and they do not say that you should. It is up to an individual if they want to take something internally. There is a lot of controversy about the internal use of essential oils. Companies such as DoTerra and Young Living say that their essential oils can be taken internally as long as they are within the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) category. These include oils from foods and herbs that we can normally eat such as lemon, thyme, orange, peppermint, etc. You would not want to take certain oils internally because they are from plants we cannot eat. The problem with companies that promote the internal use of essential oils is that their sales reps are not aromatherapists, they have little knowledge on ingesting essential oils safely.
There are people that argue that we should not take ANY essential oils internally, even the GRAS ones, unless we are working with someone who knows what they are doing. This is because essential oils are extremely concentrated. For example, if you consume one drop of lemon oil, you are actually consuming the equivalent of one pound of lemons.
The Alliance of International Aromatherapists gives this statement on the internal use of essential oils:
AIA does not endorse internal therapeutic use (oral, vaginal or rectal) of essential oils unless recommended by a health care practitioner trained at an appropriate clinical level. An appropriate level of training must include chemistry, anatomy, diagnostics, physiology, formulation guidelines and safety issues regarding each specific internal route (oral, vaginal or rectal). Please refer to the AIA Safety Guidelines for essential oil use.
Here is a statement found within the second edition of Essential Oil Safety written by aromatherapy experts and educators Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young. They recommend the following: “…only practitioners who are qualified to diagnose, trained to weigh risks against benefits, and have a knowledge of essential oil pharmacology should prescribe essential oils for oral administration.” [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 50.]
I cannot answer your question on whether the 6 oils you bought can be used internally, you would have to contact Rocky Mountain Oils and ask them 🙂
This is a question I’ve asked myself many times. there are so many great brands out there, and people have really strong feelings about them (probably informed by the MLM issue you mention). I personally have used both Eden’s Garden and Plant therapy but have never tried Rocky Mountain. I’ll definitely check them out after this thorough and helpful review, thanks!
Awesome, glad you liked the article Penelope 🙂
Andrea thank you for such a comprehensive review. I’ve only just started to venture into the world of essential oils and have been looking for this kind of honest information. I don’t like the MLM companies, mostly because I believe their interests lie somewhere other than with the best interests of their customers. I’m going to give Rocky Mountain Oils a shot, thanks for the tip!
You are welcome Shirley 🙂
Very informative and helpful, just what I needed! Thank you for doing the hardwork and research!
You are welcome Manika!
Do your receive any commission from RMO for writing this review ?
Hi Michelle 🙂 We do receive a commission. RMO is an excellent company that provides a small commission for us when someone buys. However, we wrote this article before signing up to receive commissions. The commissions that we receive on this site help keep us doing what we love and bringing our readers great information.
Hi Andrea, Reading through your article has shown me you throughly did your research and i am defiantley going with the rocky mountain oils, Your post was very informative and since you have tested it and you trust them, i can also purchase their oils. i just have a question Is there no need to select oil based on skin type or it is applicable for every skin? thanks
Hello Aweda, there are for sure oils that are better for certain skin types. We have lots of information on the site, you can have a look at some articles to learn more:
Essential Oils for Dry Skin Issues: Our Top 5 Picks
Using Essential Oils for Skin Care
The Best Essential Oils for Skin Care
The 10 Best Anti-Aging Essential Oils
Oh my Gog, I love essential oils, they are so relaxing after a day of work! Regarding their prices, I know they can be quite expensive but it all depends on the person and their priorities. They can be really good for health.
I have tried several and I loved every one of them. As you said, you can get better customer experience and better products maybe from companies that not under MLM. I don’t necessarily like MLMs so, I’d rather not buy from them.
Thanks for the article! Was really nice to find another essential oils fan!
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Stefania 🙂
Your website is extremely easy to read through. You provide so many beautiful pictures throughout– so visually pleasing!
I love essential oils and I use them for many things in my daily routine (skin care, making toothpaste and soaps). I loved hearing about the different grades of essential oils as I know there is a lot of controversy about people ingesting them. I love to support my fellow doterra suppliers, but their oils are extremely expensive and I wouldn’t be able to afford them.
I have purchased from Plant Therapy in the past, but I am absolutely going to look into Rock Mountain Oils.
Thank you for putting all of this together, this must have taken a lot of time and I truly appreciate it!
Also, if I use a link on your website to buy from RMO will you get a commission? I’d love to support you!
Thanks,
Ciara
Thanks for your kind words Ciara 🙂 I like Plant Therapy as well, they are a great choice if you are shopping on Amazon.
I do get a commission if you click on my links and buy from RMO, thanks so much for your support!
Purity, quality and price are important for me when choosing an essential oil brand. An ISO certified product is a good check for quality as well. After trying a few brands I also settled with rocky mountain oil because of its quality and service. It comes with various different fragrance and I like rosemary and lavender the most.
So happy to hear that you like RMO, Sanjay.