Here are some of the terms that are loosely used in the EO industry to describe an essential oil: (Remember, there is no standards in the EO industry to date. These are terms used around the globe by EO experts.)
GENUINE: when a plant is first cut, something may come out, like a resin, as in Frankincense and Myrrh. This is called genuine because it comes from a passive extraction. It does not necessarily mean "authentic".
PURE: unadulterated; in other words, the oil hasn't been changed by some unnatural product or chemical.
NATURAL: for a distiller, this refers to what is extracted in the 1st distillation; it doesn't necessarily mean that the oil isn't artificial.
COMPLETE: not purified, decolorized or re-colorized in any way.
PURIFICATION, RECTIFICATION, REDISTILLATION AND COHOBATION:
These terms refer to what can happen in some distillation processes. These processes remove components with a higher boiling point and may increase the yield of some oils, like Yarrow and Melissa. The same water is basically used over and over, keeping the same herb or flower in the water. Some commercially produced oils may also be done this way in order to get a bigger yield. It can produce oils that are clear and colorless which is good for perfume manufacturing and can increase the value of certain oils. It is a more mechanistic approach, a more pharmacological approach, which can sometimes destroy the synergy of the oil. Synergy is when all the chemical constituents of an EO are present, as representative of its uses in the plant, thereby insuring the most balanced and therapeutic efficacy of the EO. (For example, a certain chemical component may help protect the plant from viruses and/or bacteria, but it may be too strong if not balanced with another chemical component from the EO. If only one component is taken out of the EO during distillation and isolated, there may be side effects, which is what we see in the pharmachological industry.)PURE, NATURAL AND COMPLETE: Dr. Kurt Schnaubelt of the Pacific Aromatherapy Institute uses these terms to describe "therapeutic grade" EO's. (The term is under contention in the EO community. Some experts say, "medical grade" and others say "therapeutic quality".) These terms are used to describe oils that originate in the country where they are grown. They may be resold, but they come from the regions where they are best grown naturally. They are grown organically. Dr. Schnaubelt says there is some evidence that pesticides and herbicides do not enter the distillation process, but he also says that organically grown oils have a more valuable and synergystic composition. (Other experts say that pesticides do carry over into floral waters, so be careful.) Conclusion: it's best to buy wildgrown oils!
GENUINE AND AUTHENTIC: (can mean the same as pure, natural and complete). They refer to the ultimate quality attainable in an EO. They are never redistilled or rectified. The terms originated in France when French insurance companies began to pay for the administration of EO's by doctors. These oils are slowly and carefully distilled. (You can begin to understand why high quality EO's are more expensive than lower quality oils.)
Picture this: You are distiller and you want to get the most money you can for your time. You are paid by weight, so the more you can distill in the shortest amount of time, the more money you make. When an oil is distilled quickly some of the constituents of that oil (especially the therapeutic ones) may not be captured. Take Lavender oil for example, 3/4 of the total yield of lavender can be distilled in the first 25 mins. However, the coumarins in Lavender take 50 to 80 mins. This longer process doesn't affect the weight of the oil, just the chemical components. So...the moral of this tale is that you want the oils that are distilled by people who care about getting all the components. 100% COMPLETE: This refers to oils that are not decolorized, recolorized or deterpinated. The food industry uses deterpinated oils (taking the terpenes out). Deterpination increases the bioavailability of the oils, but, for example, in Thyme oil, it can actually make it toxic.
ADULTERATION: When anything "other than a neutral base" or another EO is added to an oil. The FDA says that a company can call an EO "Pure" if there is at least 5% of the actual oil in the bottle!
DILUENT: Usually an odorless compound added to commercial oils (not wildgrown). It is most commonly alcohol or vegetable oil. Make sure to check your labels. Sometimes an organic vegetable or nut oil will be added to make the oil more affordable or more liquified. Keep these in the fridge as they may go rancid over time. There is a recent practice of making oils water soluble by adding an emulsifier. (To check for emulsification, put a drop of the oil in water; emulsified oils dissolve and produce a milky, opaque solution.) Oils can also be extended by adding another oil; like synthetic substances duplicated from geranium will be added to Rose, etc. Some common diluents are:
DEP - diethyl phthalate. It has a bitter and unpleasant taste. When it is absorbed through the skin it can depress the nervous system and is a possible carcinogen. It makes the tongue numb when tasted. It is most commonly found in low quality sandalwood and benzoin (onycha) oils.
DPG - dipropylene glycol. Gives oils a sweet taste. Often found in sandalwood. Can also be very bad for the body.
Synthetically duplicated plant substances - like linalyl acetate and linalool. Low quality lavender often adulterated with these. Chamomile commonly adulterated with azulene. Rose, rhodinal (extracted from Geranium and Palmorosa).
Fatty oils - animal oils and some plant oils.
Alcohol - alcohol may make the aroma harsh.
EXTENDER: Used to describe substances added to oils to get more weight and make them more affordable. Extenders are inexpensive and usually synthetic. They may or may not have the same aroma as the original EO. They are more of a problem than diluents because even though they may mimic the aroma and chemical compounds of the EO, they behave differently and metabolize differently. Oils that are extended feel greasy and when dropped onto a piece of white paper leave an oil stain. For example, Lavender oil has been known to be extended with Lavandin, hazelnut oil or alcohol.
Usually only expensive and rare oils are made synthetically (i.e; rose and melissa), so unknowing buyers will think they are affordable. If you see these oils on the store shelf, you can bet your bootie they aren't genuine and authentic!
LABELING:
"100% Natural" refers to the absence of commonly permitted substances such as synthetic esters, emulsifying agents (such as Tween and Octoxynol-1) and petroleum-based diluents such as mineral oil.
"100% Pure" refers to the absence of similar oils like lavandin in lavender, etc.
Some of the above may seem confusing, but remember, there are no "standards" in the EO industry. We need to be discerning when choosing EO's because the terms used in marketing may have completely different meanings than the ones used above. As always, do your own research about the source of your oils; know the practices of the company for growing, harvesting, distillation, storing and transporting. Once again, it comes back to YOU sourcing your own oils. If you are curious and want more understanding of "sourcing", check out this page from Young Living Essential Oil's website where they explain the "Seed to Seal" process:
http://www.youngliving.com/en_US/company/seedToSeal/#Step3.
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