Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Below, you will find both simple answers to frequent customer questions and, in some cases, a more detailed discussion of the terminology at hand. We hope that this information answers your inquiry. If not, please get in touch with us directly!
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Q. Are EOX oils pure?
Short Answer: Yes.
Here’s the problem with the simple, short answer:
“Purity” in and of itself has meaning in terms of pesticides and chemical contaminants, but does not address the pervasive issue of adulteration wherein an otherwise pure essential oil can legally be diluted with a pure vegetable oil or less expensive essential oils and still be called pure as far as labeling requirements are concerned.
A Certificate of Analysis (COA) will give assurance of purity in terms of pesticides and chemicals, etc. As far as adulteration is concerned, the only way to have assurance for that is with Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrograph (GCMS) analysis.
EOX will make available (most likely in PDF format) all of the COA, GCMS, and MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) documents for each of the oils online in the near future.
It is our position that any purveyor can say that they test all of their oils, but it is another thing to specify as to what they are testing them for and then provide the documentation that proves it. It is a considerable expense that most companies do not wish to incur so they accept the testing that is provided by the distiller, which shows their sources, so they will not release the paperwork. It’s also a bit like letting the fox watch the henhouse! Independent testing is the only way around the issue and that is the EOX process.
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Q. Are EOX oils “therapeutic grade?”
Short Answer: Yes.
Here’s the problem with the simple, short answer:
“Therapeutic grade” has absolutely zero meaning under the law (no matter what any brand may state), so any company can claim that and there is no way to refute it, because there is no legal definition.
So, in order to give a real answer that addresses the real concerns of our customers and members, we first need to define “therapeutic grade” from the EOX viewpoint and then proceed from there. To do that we first have to know why the term has come into popular use in reference to the many different qualities of oil that can arise from varying distillation methods and the laws in different countries. Several of these factors have been discussed here:
Additionally, it is helpful to know that certain essential oil sellers have filed various trademarked permutations of the term “therapeutic grade” so that they can claim they are the only ones that have that particular grade of material. However, anyone really giving it any thought will come to the realization that a company having filed a trademark in an attempt to control a particular type of wording offers in no way any kind of validation for the actual quality of product.
It is up to each company to define their position on this term, but it is essential (pun intended) for each customer to understand all of the facets of the issue so they can make an intelligent choice for themselves and not be pulled into the hype.
[hr]Q. How are your essential oils extracted?
A. Most of the EOX essential oils are extracted by steam distillation of pure plant material under natural pressure. The citrus fruit oils are obtained by cold-pressing the peels of the fruits, with exception of the lime oil which is steam distilled… and quite yummy!
[hr]Q. Are your oils adulterated?
A. No, not in any way. We do not dilute or adulterate oils. If you wish to cut them with a carrier oil for topical use, as recommended, you must do that yourself. We will never, ever adulterate an oil.
[hr]Q. What is the difference between Ylang Ylang Extra and Ylang Ylang III?”
When aromatic botanicals are steam distilled the aromatic molecules within the essential oil that are the smallest and most delicate notes come over first and then throughout the distillation process the subsequently larger and heavier aromatic molecules come over.
Normally, for most distillations this process just collects all of the fractionated levels into one batch that is the essential oil for that plant; however, with ylang-ylang flowers the process is the same but the way in which the oil is captured is a bit different.
So imagine that a full distillation of ylang ylang will take 2 hours to complete. Then imagine that time frame being divided into 4 segments that are 30 minutes each.
The first 30-mintue segment is what is called “Extra” because it has the most delicate floral top notes, and is what is most often used in perfumery applications. The next 30-minute segment is then called Ylang-Ylang 1st, with the subsequent segments being called 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
The 4th segment, called Ylang-Ylang III, is the level of the aromatic notes that are less floral and more masculine, almost bourbon-like in scent.
Then there is Ylang-Ylang Complete, which is an equal blending of all 4 fractions to represent the full range of aromatic molecules were the oil just captured without segmenting the oil as it comes over the distillation column.
In essence any essential oil can be worked in this way, but it is only standard to show the levels this way for Ylang Ylang. So, even though EOX fully supports the idea of using a complete essential oil, for many reasons, this is our one exception… to follow the long-standing tradition of Ylang Ylang distillation.
Over time we have found that our customers either want the more floral notes of the Extra, or the more masculine, bourbon-type notes of the III, so that is what we currently offer online through EOX.
That being said, for inhalation applications of aromatherapy, it is widely thought that the Extra is more appropriate for getting the molecules into the bloodstream, due to being smaller in size, than the Ylang III. I say “widely thought” because that may be anecdotal folk type remedy information, and I am not aware of any serious clinical trial data that has been made available through any peer-reviewed journals to verify that one way or the other. Furthermore, we are not permitted to make those kind of claims because that would fall under prescription laws and we are not physicians. So all we can do is provide general information about the oil, but not instruction for its specific potential applications.
Want to know more? See our Policies and Procedures page.