Because an enormous amount of raw material is used to make pure, natural essential oils, a surprisingly large amount of products on the market have been mixed with chemical substances or diluted with lower quality, commericial-grade oils. After discovering that many manufacturers taint their essential oils with foreign substances in order to save on production costs, Nature's Sunshine (NSP) resolved to find premier sources of genuine and complete essential oils.

We don't just take our suppliers' word for it when it comes to quality. You can be sure that Nature's Sunshine analyzes its complete line of essential oils to ensure that each oil measures up to our strict quality standards. Using Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry, the NSP Quality Assurance Department tests every lot of oil we receive to make sure it meets high-quality standards and is 100% pure. We also test for the proper components.

Just because an oil is pure doesn't mean it's good enough for NSP. Plant quality and growing conditions also affect quality, so we get our oils only from reputable growers and distillers.

In addition, Nature's Sunshine:
Conducts strict olfactory (smell) evaluations.
Checks oil color and clarity.
Verifies species and place of origin.

Using several different testing methods, the NSP Quality Assurance department recently compared our pure Lavender Oil with the Lavender Oil from a well-known competitor. These tests included sensory evaluation, color and clarity analysis, and laboratory analysis using both Gas Chromatography and Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS). The GC/MS is widely known as the most important tool for identifying and analyzing volatile oils.

Nature's Sunshine Lavender outperformed the competitor's Lavender in every test. The NSP GC/MS tests specifically showed that NSP Lavender Oil contains greater amounts of many key constituents than the competitor's Lavender Oil. Using Mass Spectometry (MS), NSP can identify individual peaks (constituents) represented on the chromatograph and verify that each is a pure substance. Many competitors do not use MS in analyzing essential oils. Consequently, they can neither detect impurities nor positively identify constituents.

The label on our competitor's bottle of Lavender Oil indicates the use of two different species of Lavender - something you'll never find in NSP's pure Lavender Oil. With two different species listed on a label, you never know exactly what you're getting. At NSP, we use pure Lavendula angustifolia rather than a lavender hybrid. Our "true lavender" is harvested from specific, quality-controlled, high-altitude lavender fields in France, thereby earning it the prestigious and difficult-to-obtain "AOC" (Appelation d'Origine Controlee) certification from France.

Not all of our oils come from France. Therefore, not all of our oils have the AOC certification. However, we have duplicated all of the tests and procedures the AOC submits their oils to. By doing this, all of our oils have the same properties and standards as being AOC certified. Additionally, all of our oils are wildcrafted and are produced to a pharmaceutical grade standard (this is much higher than merely organic).

Test Your Essential Oils For Purity
Do you wonder if your essential oils are pure? If they aren't, they're not going to work for what you're using them for. Some can be downright toxic especially if you're using them in quantity or on pets and children. A simple test will tell you if your essential oils are pure or if they include petroleum-based solvents which can cause environmental health problems.

Petroleum-based solvents are often long-lasting in the environment, are stored in our fat, and are a source of volatile organic chemicals (VOCs) that negatively affect indoor air quality.

Here's the test: Put a few sample drops of your oils on a blotting paper. Pure essential oils will not leave any residue once they have evaporated. Petroleum solvents will.

Cheap oils give cheap results. It's a matter of price vs. cost. You can buy them for a lower price, but they've cost you more because you didn't get the potency or quality you thought you were getting. Be Smart! Buy Pure!

What about Therapeutic Grade Essential Oils?