Which Brand of Essential Oils Should I Use?

I ran across this amazing article about essential oil brands and the debate about which one is the best. This writer broke it down so perfectly and expressed my exact thoughts on the matter, rather than trying to write it in my own words I will re-post her article (with her permission of course). 

 Which Brand of Essential Oils Should I Use?
By MindbodyandSoulonline.com

 I LOVE when I hear this question because it means the person is concerned about quality, and it means I have an opportunity to educate. So what do I tell them? I tell them that as long as they’re using a therapeutic grade essential oil, I don’t care which brand they purchase. This really surprises them because there are so many companies claiming that their oil is the only oil anyone should use. Their next question is, “Well, don’t you use Butterfly Express?” I respond that I do, but that there are many brands of therapeutic grade essential oils and if they’ve found one that they love then by all means use it. I explain that my intent is not to sell them an oil, but to help them understand how essential oils can bless their lives and then they can choose which brand to purchase. Their next question is typically, “Well I thought that XYZ company was the only company that had pure therapeutic grade oils?” This question really excites me because this is when I really get to educate!

First, I explain that that there are a LOT of essential oils on the market and the majority of them are fragrance grade. Within the group of fragrance grade oils, there is a smaller group of food grade oils, and within the group of food grade oils is an even smaller group of therapeutic grade oils. What this means is that every oil that is therapeutic grade is also food grade but every food grade oil is not therapeutic grade. Then I tell them my Lexus story. :)

If I were a Lexus dealership and wanted to sell Lexus cars, I would contact the Lexus manufacturer in Japan who would sell me a Lexus. Now, prior to leaving the Lexus plant, the cars undergo an inspection to make sure they are good enough to be called Lexus. However, when the Lexus arrives at my dealership, I ask my mechanic, Joe Hinckley, to re-inspect the automobile. Joe has created a checklist of items that he inspects, so he makes sure that the Lexus has 4 tires that are properly inflated, and he checks to make sure it has a glove compartment with the owners manual, and he makes sure the oil and fluid levels are correct, and he checks the alignment, and several other things too. After he completes his inspection, he signs off on the inspection check list indicating that this car really is a Lexus. Then, I market my cars as “Hinckley certified genuine Lexus automobiles.” In my marketing campaigns I promote that only my cars are Hinckley certified. How can I do this? Because Joe Hinckley only works for me. :)

 After telling my Lexus story, I explain that certain oils can only be purchased from certain countries because that’s the only place the plant grows. Every country has a testing entity (think of our FDA) that determines whether the oils are fragrance grade, food grade, or therapeutic grade. What this means is that every company selling that particular oil is purchasing it from the same country and it’s undergoing the same testing before it leaves that country stamped as “therapeutic grade.” Now, upon arrival at the warehouse, most companies, including Young Living, doTERRA, and Butterfly Express will conduct their own testing to determine if the quality meets their standards. However, one company has registered the phrase “certified pure therapeutic grade” and from a marketing stand point this is brilliant because it gives the consumer the impression that only their oils are the real deal. But what it really means is that only their oils are “Hinckley certified” because only their oils can receive the designation “certified pure therapeutic grade.”


 “So why is there such a big difference in price?” This is where it becomes enlightening. :) Every company selling therapeutic grade frankincense boswellia is purchasing it from the same country. However, when it gets here the company will determine it’s price point based on over-head and profit. Some companies need to mark the price up enough so that their up-lines can all make a profit. They need to make sure they can afford their office buildings both in the US and abroad. They need to make sure the price allows them to take their top dealers on cruises or vacations. And they need to make sure the price allows them to buy a car for the top company seller. The price might even need to cover the company jet. That’s why I purchase and sell Butterfly Express essential oils. When I purchase a bottle of essential oil from Butterfly Express, I’m paying for the oil and a modest profit. I’m not paying the up-line, I’m not paying for a cruise or a car or a company jet. The intent of the owner, LaRee Westover, is to get the oils in the hands of the people who need them by making them affordable. Her intent is what really sets this company apart from the others. Before being bottled and sold, every oil is prayed over. Employees having “a bad day” or problems at home are not allowed to work in the oil rooms but are given other tasks to complete. Why? Because LaRee understands frequency. She understands essential oils. It’s this commitment to the oils and to the consumer that are the reason I purchase, and sell, Butterfly Express essential oils.