What are the Differences in Essential Oil Grades? (part 2 of 5)

Have you come across Grade A or Grade C descriptions of essential oils (EOs) yet had no idea what the differences were? Well, the answer is pretty simple: just like school grades (A for excellent work = 90-100%; B for good work which ranges from 80-89% and so on), essential oils also receive a grade depending on their quality.

Grade A Essential Oils are also called 100% pure or High Grade as they have therapeutic qualities. It means that these are 100% plant essence without any additional chemicals, solvents, or base oils to stretch the oil. The plants are usually organically grown and the various parts are mostly steam distilled. Grade A Essential Oils are non-greasy and will not leave a stain as they evaporate completely.

Side Note: If you are using essential oils in your creams, Grade A is what you want to be looking for. While Grade A is more expensive, it is undiluted, and you will need less oil to achieve a desired result.

Grade B Essential Oils are food grade. They may include synthetics, chemical/synthetical extenders, base oils, pesticides, or fertilizers.

Grade C Essential Oils are perfume grade.  They have basically the same synthetics as food grade with the addition of solvents that are used to get more out of the distillation process.

Floral Water is not an essential oil, rather it is a byproduct of Grade A essential oil’s distillation process.  Nevertheless, floral waters can be of poor quality if it comes from poor quality of raw materials as well as poor distillation processes. If you know where your floral water is coming from, it is nice to use for your skin and hair products.

Depending on the company you purchase your EO from, you may find quality differences. I can't remember where I read it but the article stated that almost 90% of essential oils that are sold in the U.S. is considered to be fragrance or food grade. 

If you would like to be certain of the quality of essential oil you are purchasing, ask the company to provide you with a Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) report. A respectable company will provide you with this information. Not to go too much into the chemistry of an essential oil but each essential oil has a "fingerprint" and their volatile compounds are separated into their individual components (GC report) and their percentages (MS report). With this process of identifying the individual components, it is easy to identify whether or not a particular essential oil has been adulterated. The chemical makeup of an essential oil determines to a great extend the therapeutic qualities of the particular essential oil. The entry on July 21st will cover the chemistry of essential oils.


Have a scentsational day!