As our world gets smaller, we become more and more overwhelmed with information. We are spoils for choices. Or are we?
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The global essential oil market size exceeds USD6.0 billion in 2015 and it is expected to reach USD11.67 billion by 2022, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.
Many new companies are cropping up, jumping on the opportunity to cash in on the world’s demand for essential oils and natural products. Many existing companies are suddenly launching an essential oil range that they have never had before.
How do we sift through all that information and know what we’re paying for is legitimate? – Genuine, unadulterated, and free of harmful synthetics. We could try brand after brand after brand, like many of us have done over the years. Some of us may research to the death, afraid of making a decision in case it’s a wrong one! And then there are some of us that are lucky enough to be educated by friends and family members that we trust, who have already experienced the products for themselves and who have our well-being in mind.
What it comes down to is integrity. Both that of the people we trust and the company those people trust to supply the products. Integrity is the backbone of any company.
The demand for essential oils will continue to fuel demand in the upcoming years. Here are just a few reasons for the growing demand –
- There is more awareness and growing consumer preference for natural products as well as health foods
- A growing need for spa and relaxation applications to escape the stress of daily living
- Higher consumer spending power
- Pure natural oils have no side effects like conventional products
- Demand for more food and beverage has lead to an increase in production for food-grade oils
Several major companies have products that cut across all essential oils industries – pharmaceutical, chemicals, and food or household products. How do they make enough essential oil to do this? Demand and the supply of genuine oils just don’t add up.
An exorbitant amount of plant matter is required to create a single ounce of oil. Sustainability is a major concern. As one might expect many manufacturers will resort to different kinds of methods to overcome these challenges. This could mean rushing the growth of plants which result in poorer quality plants; using fungicides and insecticides to ward off pests so that crops have a better yield; using cheaper or synthetic ingredients in the bottle to substitute the more expensive pure essential oil; uncontrolled distillation temperatures to get a oils faster which result in therapeutic components being destroyed. The list goes on.
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Let me give you a couple examples of what I mean by cheaper ingredients. Corn Mint. It is the 2nd highest produced oil in the world (supplied to various industries). It smells exactly like Peppermint but is a lot cheaper to grow and distill. Although it has some benefits, it does not have the same potent, therapeutic benefits as Peppermint. Yet it has been sold under the guise of Peppermint by well known companies to their unsuspecting consumers who think they’re getting Peppermint.
Another example of a cheaper ingredient is the hybrid Lavender called Lavandin. This is found in most commercial body and beauty products. The Lavandin plant is hardier and produces more oil than the other higher quality Lavender plants (like the Lavendula Angustifolia which Young Living uses) making it much more profitable for companies. The world production of Lavandin oil is 1000 metric tons per year – 5 x that of high quality Lavender.
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What’s worse than cheaper ingredients? Synthetic substitutes! Using synthetic substitutes is very common. In fact many fragrance/cosmetic quality oils/products will even list it on their ingredients list. What’s more insidious though is the fact that there are companies selling adulterated essential oils as “pure” essential oils. They may do it knowingly or they may not even be aware of it if they procured their oils from a broker. The majority of essential oil companies do this as they do not have access to any farms. Advantages of creating synthetic substitutes include lowered production costs, stable pricing and a constant supply. The problem with this is there are no therapeutic benefits and can actually do a lot of harm to your health.
Since there is no regulatory body governing how essential oil companies should label their bottles, it makes it very difficult for the layman to determine how pure an oil is. 100% Pure may sound attractive but it could mean that only a small % of the content is 100% Pure. “Pure” these days don’t mean much. In the U.S. only 5% real oil needs to be present to be labeled “100% Pure”!!!
When it comes to constant supply, Young Living may disappoint. When a crop does not yield the right therapeutic components for the oil, or the distilled oils tested do not meet the stringent criteria to be sold, Young Living WILL NOT release it. They will not compromise. They would rather lose millions of dollars than sell a lower quality product and risk a product recall. You simply cannot produce the real thing in a laboratory. Sustainability and Stewardship of the planet is vital to Young Living. That is why Young Living continues to create new farms and also work with partner farms across the world to ensure sustainable supplies of plant material. But it cannot promise constant supply. And that is ok with me. They have many alternative oils to choose from.
Young Living has built a wellness business based on integrity. Something they have done consistently for over 24 years. What started as a home built essential oil distillery by Founder Gary Young (creating essential oils for his own use), is now a billion dollar company supporting the wellness of millions of people around the world. Try it and you’ll feel the difference. Each product is carefully created for a specific purpose. They were never created for the sole purpose of making a profit.
It is pretty hard to match Young Living’s 30+ years of knowledge, research and experience. Their seed to seal promise to families is what sets them apart. They have an open door policy where you are able to visit their many farms and distilleries around the world and see for yourself what goes into that promise. Players come and go. Those that thrive do so because of Integrity.
Here is the Young Living Seed to Seal Promise.
Finding a company with integrity is getting more difficult these days. Knowing what further questions to ask will help you in your quest. Reach out to us to find out what you should be asking.
