14 Tips to Spot Fake Essential Oils
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The essential oils market is murky and full of corruption. Every company claims to have pure oils, and some claim to have the best oils, but the truth is there are plenty of companies that are sadly selling fake essential oils.
No one wants to waste money on essential oils that aren’t the real thing. So here are tips to spot fake essential oils so you know what essential oil brands are good and which ones you should avoid.
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Essential Oils: a Huge and Growing Market
The essential oils market is huge. In 2024, it was estimated to be $24.94 billion USD, and it was expected to grow at a CAGR of 9% through 2034. That means that in 2034, essential oil shares globally are expected to be 59.04 billion. That’s a lot of money being spent on essential oils, and that doesn’t include inflation!
The hype around oils doesn’t seem to be quite like it used to be; it’s still a massive business. Companies are moving away from artificial fragrances, plus there’s an increased focus on wellness in many countries. It makes sense that companies want to be part of this growth, but it also makes the marketplace more cluttered.
Some big players (and a few smaller ones) in the industry claim to have the best oils. That’s really just silly. Unless they were the only company that knew how to make the best essential oils or had exclusive access to the best oils in the world, it just can’t be true.
Here are ways to avoid the scams out there to ensure you’re spending your wellness dollars wisely.
14 Tips to Spot Fake Essential Oils
1. Pricing
The saying “if it’s too good to be true” can for sure be the case when it comes to essential oils. Now, just because essential oils are reasonably priced doesn’t mean that they’re low quality or adulterated, but the opposite is true as well.
Oils that are grossly overpriced aren’t necessarily better quality either. The multi-level marketing essential oils come to mind here. I’m not completely anti-MLM, but let’s face it, there are a lot of people getting paid, and sometimes the pricing in those companies is just way out of line with the market.
It’s a good idea to compare the prices of any one company with other essential oil companies to see if the oil you’re considering buying is in range. If it’s significantly less expensive, then the oils are more likely to not be quality or to be adulterated.
2. Company History
Another thing to consider is how long an essential oil brand has been around. While a company’s newness doesn’t mean that they’re selling fake oils, a company with a longer history is easier to check out based on reviews and their relationship with organizations. Of course, reviews can be falsified, but it’s at least one more resource to check.
More reputable brands are also more likely to exhibit at trade shows or to be involved with other training endeavors. You can also check to see if the company is registered with any professional aromatherapy organizations.
3. Packaging
Essential oils should always be stored in dark-colored (either amber or blue) glass bottles. The reason for this is that essential oils degrade from exposure to light, so they need to be packaged in glass that prevents light from hitting the oils. Also, neat (undiluted) essential oils are strong, and they can react with the plastic over time, leading to contamination of the oils.
Glass is inert and will not react with the oils. If the oils have been diluted heavily into carrier oils to be used as is on the skin, then it’s fine for them to be stored in plastic.
4. Botanical Information on Label
An essential oil label absolutely should include the Latin name of the essential oil. If that’s absent, you won’t really know what you’re buying in many cases. Plants that have the same common name may not share the same benefits or contraindications.
Orange essential oil is one good example of this. Sweet Orange Essential Oil (Citrus sinensis) is not phototoxic, but Bitter Orange Essential Oil (Citrus aurantium L.) is. So knowing the Latin name can be very important.
5. Paper Test
Most pure essential oils won’t leave an oily residue after doing the “paper test.” For this test, you put one drop of the oil on a piece of paper and let it dry. After several hours, there should be very little sign that the oil was there. If there’s an oily residue, that indicates that the oil might have been diluted with a carrier oil.
The reason this test works is that essential oils aren’t really oils, and they evaporate into the air, but a carrier oil won’t evaporate.
There are, however, a few important things to keep in mind. First, this test won’t work for resinoid oils, like myrrh, which will leave a residue on the paper.
Second, just because there’s no trace of the drop on the paper doesn’t mean that the oil is pure; it could be adulterated some other way. Most “bad actors” in the essential oil arena these days are doing much more sophisticated things to rip you off than just adding diluting with carrier oils.
Third, some essential oils, such as blue tansy, sandalwood, bergamot, lemongrass, patchouli, and German chamomile, will leave a color residue that could be misinterpreted as an oily ring.
6. More Label Information
In addition to the botanical name, a bottle of essential oil from a quality company will typically have the country of origin, ingredients (if there are any in addition to the oil itself), expiration date, processing method (cold-pressed, steam distilled, etc.), safety and storage information, and full company contact details on the label, including a website.
Some of these are preferences, while some are legally required by the country of distribution and/or manufacture.
7. Smell
The smell of an essential oil can also give you a clue as to whether it’s a quality essential oil or not. Organoleptic testing is the term for testing an essential oil’s scent. It’s of course a subjective test, but with a little experience, even amateurs can become at least fairly good at it.
When you sniff the oil, ask if it smells like a real essential oil should smell. Keep in mind that essential oils are all-natural products and plants don’t smell like candy.
Essential oils also shouldn’t smell like chemicals or alcohol. And hint: there are no essential oils of “apple” or “mint chocolate chip.” So if your essential oil smells like some of the above, or like a fake scented candle or something from a “body shoppe,” you just might be dealing with a bad essential oil.
8. Feel
When you rub a drop of the essential oil on your body or between your fingers, check to see if it feels oily or sticky. If it does, it’s likely that the oil has been diluted with a carrier oil. For the most part, pure oils shouldn’t feel that way.
There are some exceptions to this situation, however. Some thick oils, like patchouli, vetiver, myrrh, sandalwood, German chamomile, and cedarwood oils, are thicker than most essential oils, so they can sometimes have a sticky feel to them. Also, when oils oxidize, they can get sticky as well, so the oil might not be fake or adulterated; it just might be expired.
9. Pouring Mechanism
The best kind of pouring mechanism to have on the top of a bottle of essential oil is an orifice reducer. An orifice reducer is a plug that will still allow the oil to come out of the bottle drop by drop but also prevents air from getting into the bottle and oxidizing the oil.
What you don’t want is a top that has a pipette with plastic sitting in the oil. Because essential oils are so strong, the plastic from the pipette will likely leach into the oil.
10. Growing Conditions
Since essential oils are so concentrated, it’s very important to oils that have been contaminated with pesticides. You can do that by purchasing essential oils with the USDA seal, but wild-crafted oils are another good option.
Wildcrafted oils are made from plants that are typically unsprayed in contrast to oils from farmed plants. If the price point of organic and wildcrafted oils is a bit too much for your budget, at least make sure to avoid farmed citrus oils as they have been shown to be contaminated by pesticides.
11. Amazon and eBay Sellers
Yes, I know. It’s convenient to buy on these sites, but just don’t do it. So many rogue companies are selling there, and you literally could be buying who knows what. Even if the labels look good, unless a reputable company has its own site on there, you just can’t know what you’re getting.
12. Compare With Other Oils
You don’t have to do this with all of the oils that you purchase, but it’s a good idea to experiment with various essential oils from different brands. Since essential oils are natural products, they will vary by season and where the source plants are grown, but some things shouldn’t change.
If you have an essential oil that seems a lot different from others you’ve tried, and the supplier can’t give you a good answer as to why that is the case, you might not be dealing with a quality oil.
13. Readily Available GC/MS Testing
A reputable essential oil company should have GC/MS reports available for customers, and those reports should be done by a reputable third-party lab. Of course, it’s not a simple task to read GC/MS tests, but knowing that they are there is comforting because a company can be called out for having a bad GC/MS report by experts.
At the same time, GC/MS reports can be falsified. I’ve heard from reputable sources that companies will get GC/MS reports for different oils and will then put the report for whatever oil they want on their site. In addition, essential oil adulteration has become very tricky to test for because the “bad guys” are better and better at manipulating oils so that they’ll test well.
14. Company Transparency
A company’s response to questions can also be a good indication of their quality. A trustworthy and reputable seller will be open to questions and will be able to provide detailed answers that make sense.
Of course, not every customer contact can be expected to be stellar, but if you get the feeling that a company is hiding something, they just might be.
Conclusion
At some point, we need to trust one company or another, but in this confusing world of essential oils, it’s a good idea to consider all of these factors when trying to figure out where to buy your oils from.
It’s just not worth skimping on essential oils to save a few bucks. If you’re using essential oils responsibly (not putting multiple drops in your water throughout the day), you won’t be going through bottles that quickly, so spending a bit more to make sure you’re getting good products is worth it.
I sure hope that this list helps you use your healthy living dollars wisely and that you’ll consider sharing this post with others.
Because friends don’t let friends buy fake essential oils.
Hi there, thanks for the article. I was wondering if you could answer something for me. Can you use essential oils everyday? I just started using them and there’s so much conflicting information. Thanks in advance for your answer!
Hi there. You can use them daily technically but there is some concern building among some experts that overuse is leading to sensitization so I would be careful and for sure dilute appropriately. Hope that helps.
Could you tell me how you feel about Plant Therapy.I have been using YL and need to find something more reasonable.Thank you Denise
Hi there. Yes, I looked at them when I started this process and didn’t go w/ them for several reasons but of course many things change in the industry over time. I hope to revisit this issue hopefully in the not too distant future. In the meantime, if you’d like to sign up for updates you can do so here: https://wholenewmom.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-before-you-buy/
I’m inundated with other personal and professional things but I have started working on this again as I have been able.
Thanks much!
Plant Therapy is my favorite essential oil. For quality and for price. Then there is the fantastic customer service too. I have been blessed to be in one of their stores in Boise Idaho and had the best service. I react to a lot of oils that I have tried and I have not yet reacted to the ones I have tried from Plant Therapy.
After receiving EO as a gift, and never had used them, I started my research and ended it with your wonderfully informative article! Keep up the good work! Thanks!
Thank you so much–I hope you got to read some of the other posts in the series. Please do let me know if there is a topic you would like to see covered. I have some other posts on the blog here and am working on more. I also have a new Facebook Community where we talk about all kinds of health-related topics. If you’d like to join we’d love to have you: https://www.facebook.com/groups/171490083677560/
You’re not supposed to ingest EO’s in any way, shape or form. Waaayy too potent to do and could cause serious internal and skin problems.
Hi there. I agree that they are very potent and that one should be cautious. However if one is under the care of a physician or aromatherapist, many would agree that this is sufficient. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Have you ever ordered any oils from hopewell oils, if so what are your results? anyone?
You have too much time on your hands.
Nope – I’m rather busy :).
Well that was rude! She’s put her whole heart into this article AND her research. This is a tough topic to conquer. It’s nearly impossible to find the truth about anything we use for bettering our health, homes and overall wellness. Quite frankly I’m sick, tired and exhausted from these companies taking advantage of us. I’m sickened by the FDA recalls. Oh, oopsies! All the while they sleep soundly at night. Clearly YOU have too much time on YOUR hands to troll blogs and leave your nastiness in the comments.
Thanks for doing this research. There is so much to learn …..but worth not taking another pill for an issue that other meds havent healed.
sounds like you’ve been very busy! I sure appreciate the time and energy you’ve put into this. In your studies did you look at Edens Garden? If so how did they compare to Doterra?
Yes, I did look at them. I can’t really say how they compared to doTERRA–what exactly are you wanting to know? I more look at the company and what it tests for, etc., rather than scent but sometimes I bought the oils and smelled them, but I am not an aromatherapist and regardless, the scent part (organoleptic) is of course quite subjective. Hope that helps!
I thought on one of the articles Edens Garden was on your list of recommended suppliers?
No, it wasn’t. Sorry about that!
As a student for three years studying and double-majoring in CAM (Complimentary Alternative Medicine) and Aromatherapy, I would urge you to continue your research. There are a number of factors that must be considered when using and choosing essential oils. If you are looking for essential oils for health optimization, it is important to use therapeutic grade, certified organic oils. I would strongly recommend looking at how and where the oils are harvested as well. As you said many companies mix their oils with additives. Commercial oils smell good but have no therapeutic value. As far as price, a good quality oil isn’t going to be cheap. Price should not be a factor considering the price of conventional healthcare and pharmaceuticals. Do not expect quick results with essential oils. Natural medicines take time. They are not a quick fix. Overall health can be improved combining the use of oils, herbs, a healthy diet, and regular exercise. There is no one ‘miracle cure’ for anything. It is important to note too that everyone is different and can react differently and obtain different results using any type of naturopathic medicine. It is very important to obtain advice and knowledge from a professional before using essential oils to treat any health issue.
Side note: most essential oils are not recommended for internal use – definitely seek professional advice before doing so! And with oils – less is more. Overuse or misuse can be detrimental to your health.
Hi Tara.
Thanks for reading and for writing.
Actually I have a lot more written on the blog including this: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/pure-essential-oils-testing/
Therapeutic grade is not a defined term, however, and organic isn’t necessarily optimal. I have an email from a company that was selling certified organic oils and some of them were found to have been adulterated.
What do you mean by commercial oils?
I do not recommend internal use unless under the care of a physician or aromatherapist and I do talk about not overusing in this post: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/essential-oil-emulsifier/
tara, instead of encouraging more research by adrienne which she is obviously doing and blogging about, why dont you share some of your “three years studying and double-majoring in CAM (Complimentary Alternative Medicine) and Aromatherapy?” this area is largely anecdotal for obvious reasons and you could likely contribute knowledge. at least answer adrienne’s questions
First I’d like to say that I really enjoyed your article(s) and have great respect for the tremendous amount of time and effort it took to put them together. While I know you may not have been able to touch on each and every essential oil producer out there, there is one in particular that I was hoping to see your thoughts on. One in fact that I am a big fan of which is called Jade Bloom. I use their oils in products for my bath and skin care business as well as for personal medicinal use. I am very curious if you have any thoughts on Jade Bloom. Thank you in advance for responding.
Hi there and thank you so much for your kind words. It does take a ton of time. I would recommend that you look at this post to see what my standards are. I would recommend seeing if you can find some 3rd party test results for them and encourage you to do your own research about it. There are people in FB groups doing testing randomly on certain oils. Hope that helps :)! I’m trying to do more research into other companies but am actually researching a lot of things now – some hair products, CBD oil, omegas, gut supplements and more so I’m a bit swamped!
Thank you so much for responding so quickly. I was just curious if you had come across them by chance. You mentioned doing research on gut supplements and CBD oils. I am super excited and looking very much forward to what your results yield, as I suffer horribly from digestive issues myself. The research I have done is minimal at best. I make a daily drink and take essential oils, which help. There is a local company called Fairwinds (my sister in-law so works in the administrative office). Supposedly they are on the cutting edge of research with sublingual CBD (and other) digestive aids. Just thought I’d mention it in case you were interested. Keeping my eye out on your next post. Thanks again, enjoy your weekend!
Tracy
You are so welcome. I’m behind on comments (always) but saw yours come in and felt like responding so you are lucky :). I can tell you some of the results.
I would be very careful about ingestion of essential oils. I am working on a post on that. It’s a big problem potentially.
Fairwinds sounds interesting but looks like they are in store purchase only?
You can read some of the information here on the Biome Medic supplement: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/probiotics-and-adhd/
As for the CBD, this is a post that I wrote but I will be changing it up soon as I’m digging into more companies: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/cbd-experience/
I’m hoping to have some more info up soon but for now, I have one company I am confident in and another I am pretty sure I am going to be good with and I hope to have this info more in about 2 weeks.
Let me know what you think :).
Hey, just reading about the results you had from doTERRA (or lack there of.) I am wondering if you tried any of their blends? My husband has horrible allergies all year round it seems. When I first started using oils, ‘breath’ was one one of the first ones I started using. It has helped amazingly, not only with his allergies but also his snoring at night. Another one we use is ‘serenity’ for sleeping. its an amazing blend and really helps me get into a deeper sleep (I’m a very light sleeper). I tent to like the blends a lot better for specific needs. I use OnGuard VERY frequently (just about on a daily basis) and working in the medical field it has surely helped keep sickness away from me and out of my household. I would definitely recommend trying them again and trying some different mixtures.
For allergies, I was given a sample of YL ravintsara in a rollerball by a distributor. It worked great for me, stopped my sneezing and relieved sinus pressure. Doterra’s past tense tension release oil blend also works miracles on me, it’s like IcyHot!
Can you tell me anything about 100% Pure Essential Oils company. I need to make sure it’s safe and good for my son as well as the rest of the family thanks
Hi there. I would look at this post. https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/pure-essential-oils-testing/ I don’t see anything about testing on their site……
would have been nice to see one oil recommended , i have bought from Aura Cacia , Now essentials and Natures oil
Just go to this post: https://wholenewmom.com/health-concerns/natural-remedies/announcing-the-best-essential-oils-company-and-a-great-sale/ Hope that helps!
I find your blogs very interesting. As seller of frankincense oil distilled from boswellia carteri resins we import from Somalia, we are shocked by the very low prices of our competitors claiming to offer 100% natural and pure. The prices they offer are so low they cannot cover the resin price, forget about distillation costs and margins. We have our resins distilled here in the UK and we would like to send you a sample for your evaluation. Please drop me a line if you’d like to try it. Thanks.
I would be interested to try your frankincense and share it to friends who are eager too try it. We were gonna buy one and split the cost.. With your generousity we may just be lucky to be a believer
I’m interested in buying frankincense oil. Please tell me where I may purchase your oil
I’ve used Bach Essential Oils for about 20 years. Buy them at Whole Foods. Nobody ever asks me to sell anything that way. I really can’t stand Pyramid Schemes. Eventually people figure out that what they’re selling is overpriced and they can get the same oils at the store or at Vitacost.com for a fraction of the cost, then the scheme starts to fail and another one starts. Yes, I do believe in the healing power of plants. I just don’t like pyramid schemes.
Hi there. Bach’s products do not appear to be essential oils. Are they?
Hi Adrienne, I am so glad to see your website again. We haven’t spoken in years but I have always enjoyed talking with you and hearing your perspective in health alternatives. I just wanted to share my own experience with doTerra’s TriEase for allergies. I don’t have allergies myself but my son, Sam, does. His allergies are not to the extent that your children have but he did end up in ER a couple of years ago with anaphylaxis. We still are not sure what triggered it. He went to an allergist and was found to be allergic to about ten different things, food and environmental. We are thinking that the spring burning in our neighborhood that weekend combined with some of the foods he ate that we didn’t know he was allergic to overwhelmed him. Anyway, he was on shots for while until he couldn’t afford them. Most allergy meds work to start out then stop working. He is a skeptic of everything especially alternative therapies. He rolled his eyes when I asked him to try the TriEase and said, “Fine, I’ll try it but it won’t work.” But it did. Not for food allergies but the pollens and other environmental allergens. I expect his body will eventually stop responding to this, too, because it always does. But for now, he can breathe. Again, I’m glad I ran across you website. I hope the family is doing great. How old are your boys now? Sam is 23 and engaged. Alex and Abby are 16 and 15 and I’m still homeschooling them. Take care and keep up the wonderful work. You are a gem.
Hello Bette!
So great to hear from you!
I will get in touch on another platform — but how wonderful!
So I have personally tried essential oils for allergies and haven’t found them to be that helpful. Not sure why. We stopped shots b/c I am not happy w/ the ingredients in them. I researched it before but got kind of misleading information. I’m disappointed that we were putting that stuff in our bodies for so long.
That anaphylaxis issue is scary!!
And thanks for your kind words. You made my night. I don’t feel like a gem but I did really enjoy our talks as well!
I stopped reading at your comment, “f. Slim and Sassy – tastes great (with stevia in water), but no weight loss here. I’m not really heavy, but would love to drop about 2-4 pounds.”… eyerolled and almost didn’t leave a comment but if you HONESTLY think that the oil alone which your statement implies would be the reason you were to loose 2-4 pounds your blog isn’t worth a further read. DoTERRA is by far a superior EO, not only because of the quality of their product, but as a business. And by the way I am NOT a rep, but a user of DoTERRA and a Certified Personal Trainer.
Hi Elise -sorry you felt that way. I’m confused by your comment. I don’t understand what frustrated you. That I said that I didn’t lose weight using the Slim and Sassy? Your sentence reads “if you HONESTLY think that the oil alone which your statement implies would be the reason you were to loose [sic] 2-4 pounds” and that doesn’t make sense – I think you left some words out.
Please tell me what your concerns are. Can you tell me if you think it’s a far superior business why you aren’t a rep, then? And why you think they are far superior to other oils? I am happy to interact about it but just stating that without putting a reason why doesn’t help the conversation any more than my saying “my company is far superior in quality” would convince anyone if I didn’t state why. Thanks.