If you’ve popped into your local Target or Whole Foods, chances are you’ve seen Aura Cacia’s essential oils on the shelves. Aura Cacia has been a part of a member owned co-op since it was founded in 1982, putting its employees, growers, and the community at the forefront of its operations. Aura Cacia’s sustainably sourced oils are verified for purity with GC/MS testing, and they’re free of synthetic colors, fragrances, and preservatives.

You should be able to easily find out where it was sourced from. If the label doesn’t outright mention country of origin, you might see a “lot#,” which you can then look up. Compare the price. A very low price is something to be wary of. But the highest priced bottle might not be the best choice either. In recent years the sale of essential oils has become retail-driven, whereas it used to be more practitioner-driven.Grace Martin’s Edens Garden got its start in 2009, and this young company has sold over 20 million bottles of essential oils to date. Partnering with global farmers and distilleries, in little over a decade the brand has built an impressive portfolio of over 250 single oil and synergistic blends for you to choose from, for therapeutic use as well as aromatherapy. The essential oils are ethically and sustainably sourced, GC/MS batch tested for quality, and don’t contain synthetics, fragrances, fillers, or chemicals. Organic Peppermint Essential Oil – Huge 4 FL OZ – 100% Pure & Natural – Premium Natural Oil with Glass Dropper (Peppermint Oil) Again, if it doesn’t list the Latin name as well as the common name, don’t buy it. It’s likely a mix of synthetic perfumed “fragrance oil.” It might contain some essential oil, but who really knows? Stretch Mark and Scar Frankincense Massage Oil by Majestic Pure, for Softer & Smoother Skin – Visibly Reduces Appearances of Scars and Stretch Marks – 8 fl oz Neeti Mehra writes about sustainability for The Spruce. As a researcher and consultant, she has edited three magazines during her career covering a broad range of topics. She is committed to sustainable, slow, and mindful living. She personally uses essential oils as a mood booster and particularly enjoys tea tree, rosemary, lavender, and lemongrass, using them in baths, a diffuser, or applied on her skin after diluting them.

You can also add a drop of essential oil to water. “If the water becomes discolored or turns milky, then it has been diluted with water and an emulsifier has been used to keep the essential oil and water together,” she says. Sometimes they’ll come with an eyedropper cap, but more often they’ll come with an orifice reducer (the round, plastic part fitted into the bottle’s opening that helps meter out one drop at a time).Processing. How clean the equipment was kept during the distillation process matters. Some EOs may also be intentionally diluted during processing, and it can be really hard to tell… even if you’ve been working with EOs for years.