In a world with endless options, essential oil brand choices are no different. To help you get to know Edens Garden essential oil company a little better, we’re comparing EG to several other essential oil companies. 

And while there are many things that set each company apart, we are looking at the most important and giving you the tools you need to decide which company is right for you. Read on to learn more. 

How To Compare Essential Oil Companies

Check For Carrier Oil On Their Oil’s Ingredient List

Some companies offer pre-diluted essential oils to make them more affordable for consumers. In our case, we offer prediluted Roll-Ons so you can conveniently apply your essential oil topically. 

There are a few benefits to companies adding carrier oils to essential oils, including: 

• It makes the oil ready to be used topically 
• It can reduce the cost of the essential oil 

Cons to essential oils being pre-diluted with carrier oil include:

• You can’t change the dilution of your essential oil

One big problem that arises is companies adding carrier oil to their essential oils and not disclosing this on their ingredient list or avoiding marketing their oil as diluted. Be sure to check for carrier oil before you buy.[1]  

Check If It’s A Small Business

Size matters. While larger companies have pressures and obligations to keep shareholders and investors happy, small businesses oftentimes have a different set of priorities. Take Edens Garden for example. Since our inception, we’ve strived to put people above profit by only sourcing our oils from ethical and sustainable farms and distilleries. Rather than cutting corners, we’ve created rigorous standards to ensure we only provide the highest quality, pure essential oil. This may not be the priority of every small essential oil business, but we are proud to say it’s Edens Garden’s priority. 

Observe If You Have A Bad Reaction To Their Oil

Certain essential oils oxidize quickly and easily, like citruses for example. An oxidized oil will oftentimes have a rancid aroma and can cause skin sensitivity. If you buy a new bottle of Sweet Orange and it has an off-putting aroma, it irritates your skin despite being properly diluted or both, it could very well be oxidized. In which case, ask the supplier when the oil was produced. If they’re unable to give you an answer, it may be best to steer clear. 

Check How Their Oil Is Labeled

It’s important to note that all essential oils have a Latin name, which is their official botanical name. If you’re buying an essential oil that isn’t labeled with its Latin name, be aware that it might be an inferior oil. If it’s a blend, be sure to check for an ingredient list that arranges oils in order of greatest to least and includes the essential oil name and Latin name as well. 

Check If They Offer GC/MS Reports For Their Oil Batches

You can speculate about whether an oil is of low or high quality, but at the end of the day, it’s just speculation unless the oil is tested via GC/MS. At Edens Garden, we GC/MS test our essential oils because it accurately reveals if an oil contains synthetics, carriers, pesticides and more. After testing, both our third-party lab and our in-house aromatherapists analyze the tests, checking that the oil is pure and of the highest quality available. We offer these reports on our single oil’s individual product pages under “Reports,” because our oils have nothing to hide but pure goodness.  

Check If They Hand Pour Their Oils

In a world quickly becoming run by machines, there are still areas where we feel people are irreplaceable, and hand-pouring our oils is one of them. Hand-pouring allows for quality checks with every bottle and assurance that there’s no cross-contamination between oils because you’re using the same machinery. Not hand-pouring can lead to cross-contamination and removes far less opportunity for quality control.

Check How Long They’ve Been Established

When a holistic aromatherapy company was established can tell you a lot about them. Have they been around for over a decade – before essential oils became popularized and well-known, or have they jumped on the essential oil bandwagon in recent years? We’ve found that companies that have been around longer have the industry experience and knowledge necessary to provide high quality essential oil.[2] 

Check If They Promote Safety

While some things can be debated, we find that there are a few pillars that indicate an essential oil company promotes safety: 

When using pure essential oils, the user must be considered. Their age, medical history, medication intake and health all come with their own set of essential oil usage instructions. For example, Myrrh oil is perfectly safe for most individuals, but it is also considered fetotoxic and should be avoided by pregnant women. Companies therefore must also provide safety information specific to certain individuals.  

Comparing Essential Oil MLMs

An MLM business model uses its members to sell most of its products. There is often a hefty markup associated with MLM products because a portion of their sales must go to distributors and affiliates as a commission. For the small percentage of distributors who have enough members under them that they’ve recruited, this is a major perk because they’re rewarded with high commissions. But most distributors do not get this benefit. 

We recently released a full comparison of Edens Garden vs. Young Living and plan to release more if there’s interest. In the meantime, here’s a quick comparison of the difference between two popular essential oil MLM companies. 

Young Living

Established: 1993

Provides GC/MS tests: No

Price: $$$$

Safety: Limited**

DOTERRA

Established: 2008

Provides GC/MS tests: Limited*

Price: $$$$

Safety: Limited**

Essential Oil Company Comparison

We’ve given a quick look at how two MLM essential oil brands measure up, but what about non-MLM essential oil companies? Let’s take a look. 

AROMATICS INTERNATIONAL 

Established: 2005

Provides GC/MS tests: Yes

Price: $$

Safety: ✔

Small business: Yes

AURA CACIA

Established: 1982

Provides GC/MS tests: No

Price: $$$

Safety: Limited**

Small business: No

MOUNTAIN ROSE HERBS

Established: 1987

Provides GC/MS tests: Limited*

Price: $$

Safety: Limited**

Small business: No

PLANT THERAPY

Established: 2011

Provides GC/MS tests: Yes

Price: $$

Safety: ✔

Small business: No

ROCKY MOUNTAIN OIL

Established: 2004

Provides GC/MS tests: Yes

Price: $$$

Safety: ✔

Small business: No

The Edens Garden Difference

Since 2009, our passion for aromatherapy has led us to provide the highest quality, 100% pure essential oils at practical prices. As one of the first non-MLM aromatherapy companies to provide GC/MS tests for all of our single oils, we set standards in transparency for essential oil users that many companies have followed. And we hope to continue setting the bar as we strive for greatness, educate aromatherapy users and make pure essential oils accessible to all. We’re honored that millions of you have joined us in raising the bar, and continue to join us. We couldn’t do it without you. 

*GC/MS tests are not provided directly on their website. In some situations, they must be requested or a purchase must be made before access to these reports is granted. 

**Some safety guidelines are provided. 

SOURCES:

1. How Do I Determine the Quality of Essential Oils? https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/how-do-i-determine-quality-essential-oils
2. A Beginner’s Guide to Essential Oils Part 1: Essential Oil Extraction. https://tisserandinstitute.org/beginners-guide-essential-oils-part-1-essential-oil-extraction/