Quality

Young Living has their lab with all of the necessary state of the art equipment for testing each batch of essential oil we sell. We go the extra mile to make sure each essential oil is the finest quality available. Using Gas Chromatograph, NMRI carbon testing, and the Mass Spectrometer Young Living Essential Oil user's are assured they are getting the highest quality aromatherapy essential oils in the world. Young Living Essential Oils are therapeutic, not recreational or novelty aromatherapy oils.

Gary Young, founder of YLEO, is passionate about purity and is obsessed with making sure our essential oils are just perfect. At the 2008 Convention he described how a batch of essential oils failed to produce the quality of oil we demand and expect. After distillation, gallons were poured back into the earth instead of being sold. Apparently the problem was homogenization - the tiny oil molecules, rather than being extracted, rolled back around the top of the distiller and back into the plant material. This is not acceptable when producing a therapeutic grade essential oil.

That is an important story because if an essential oil company does not have their own lab and testing equipment... how do they really know what's in the essential oil? Do they simply trust what the distiller says? No, that's foolish and you could potentially risk your health using an inferior essential oil.

By owning 4 farms and working closely with independent farmers, Young Living has control over the process, from seed to seal. Gary Young has become a true pioneer in developing and creating new standards in the industry - providing the world with exceptional oils and essential oil based products. Every batch of Young Living essential oils is tested in house and by 3 to 5 independent laboratories before it is sold to Young Living customers and distributors.

You never have to wonder if Young Living Essential Oils are missing active compounds, or wonder if they contain heavy metals, or if they have solvents or unwanted chemicals that adulterate the oil. You are protected by Young Living's unconditional guarantee of purity and quality.

The only way to distinguish if an essential oil is "authentic" rather than "adulterated" is by rigorous analytical testing using state of-the-art gas chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and NMRI carbon testing.

Essential oils that are steam distilled are far different from those that are solvent extracted. When odorless solvents are used, high heat and high temperature's are used during distillation most of the aromatic compounds are left behind. When all of the compounds are present in the distilled essential oil this makes a true therapeutic-grade essential oil work and why other grades of oils will not work (when a low quality oil works it has only worked through a placebo effect). This is why when someone who has used lavender for instance, does not get the desired effect they thought they would get, and call it snake oil. It's because the essential oil was inferior, the molecules were fractured while making it a low grade/cheaper  oil.

Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) has 187 constituents, while synthetic lavender only has 4 constituents. Adulterated and mislabeled essential oils present dangers for consumers. One woman who had heard of the ability of lavender oil to soothe burns used lavender oil from a local health food store when she spilled boiling water on her arm.  But the pain intensified and the burn worsened, so she later complained that lavender oil was worthless for soothing burns.

When her "lavender" oil was analyzed, it was found to be lavandin, a hybrid lavender that is chemically very different from pure Lavendula angustifolia.  Lavandin contains high levels of camphor (12-18%) and can itself burn the skin, which intensified her burn. Lavendula angustifolia,  on the contrary contains virtually no camphor and does have a burn soothing agent, which is not found in lavandin.

The key to producing a therapeutic-grade essential oil is to preserve as many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the essential oil as possible. Fragile aromatic chemicals are easily destroyed by high temperature and pressure as well as contact with chemically reactive metals, such as copper or aluminum. This is why all therapeutic-grade essential oil should be distilled in stainless steel cooking chambers at a low pressure and low temperature.

Essential oils that are subjected to high heat and pressure during distillation have a distinctly simpler and inferior profile of chemical constituents. Excessive heat and temperature fractures and breaks down many of the delicate aromatic compounds within the oil -  some of which are responsible for the therapeutic action can make it useless.  When that happens you no longer have therapeutic-grade essential oil.

 

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 Length of time in distillation is crucial

Let's take Cypress for instance, it requires 2000 lbs. of Cypress to get 1 pound of essential oil, distilled at 0 pressure and 220 degrees, when it's finished it contains 280 aromatic compounds.

Each plant has an optimal length of time, amount of heat, and an optimal amount of pressure to produce a high quality therapeutic grade essential oil. When Cypress is distilled for 20 hours you get only 20 of the 280 properties. When it's distilled for 26 hours you get 0 properties. Therefore, the correct length of time for distilling Cypress is 24 hours, which gives you the full 280 aromatic compounds. Most distillers, distill cypress for only 3 1/2 hours, which is an extremely poor quality oil without any healing benefits - this is what you find on store shelves and on the internet around the world at dirt cheap prices. Do not allow yourself to be fooled - essential oils sold in health food stores are low quality too!

Perfume, Grade A, and lower grade essential oils are not distilled in the same manner as 100% pure therapuetic-grade essential oils.  It is not necessary, although it is preferred by those who know the difference, to extract all of the constituents in lesser quality oils which are primarily used for novelty reasons; such as - perfume, scented candles, food, personal care products (soaps, shampoo, lotions, body washes, etc), or household products (detergents, cleaners, degreasers, air fresheners, etc).

However, it is important for 100% pure therapuetic-grade oils to have ALL of the medicinal constituents in them in order to get the full effect of the essential oil.

Young Living believes that not only should we 'not' produce an inferior essential oil but we should 'not' include inferior essential oils in our personal care products, supplements, and household products. This means when you buy a Young Living shampoo, supplement or Thieves Household Cleaner you are getting a product that 'does' contain a high quality 100% therapeutic grade essential oil, rather than an inferior oil that could potentially harm you, your family or the environment. Our commitment to produce the absolute best products you can buy anywhere is taken very seriously and to extremes.

A therapeutic essential oil should be stamped with the  AFNOR/ISO Standards (Association French Normalization Organization Regulation) or ISO certification on the Gas chromatography, saying they are 100% pure therapeutic-grade essential oil. This standard is more stringent and differentiates true therapeutic-grade essential oils from similar, but not the same, Grade A essential oils which have an inferior chemistry.

The AFNOR standard was written by a team headed up by the government, certified botanical chemist /Doctor Casabinca. Dr. Casabianca introduced these standards in the year of 2000, into North America when he collaborated with Sue Chao who is Young Living's Research Lab Manager to the European standards. Dr. Casabianca combined his studies with other research scientists and doctors to make sure everyone who wants therapeutic-grade essential oil will get therapeutic grade oil being stamped with the AFNOR standards.

Young Living Essential Oils meet AFNOR/ISO guidelines on oils for which guidelines exist. In addition, where an AFNOR quantitative (GC) standard has been defined, Young Living Essential Oils meet those standards and carry the AFNOR designation on the label.

If AFNOR does not appear on the label, it simply means that AFNOR has not defined standards for that particular oil.

Young Living's® essential oils are known for their purity and for being therapeutic-grade.  We have very strict guidelines and perform Gas Chromatography testing on every batch of oil prior to its release.  Analysis of Gas Chromatographs (GC) provides valuable information about the nature of our pure, unadulterated essential oils. Young Living® has established a range of values for each oil that must be met, which recognizes these varying conditions while still requiring the highest quality and effectiveness. 

Basil

Cassia

Roman Chamomile

Cistus 

Clary Sage

Clove

Coriander

Cypress

Douglass Fir

Elemi

Eucalyptus dives

Eucalyptus globulus

Eucalyptus polybractea

Galbanum

Ginger

Goldenrod

Helichrysum

Hyssop

Lavender

Lemon

Melaleuca ericifolia

Myrtle

Nutmeg

Oregano

Petitgrain

Rose

Rosemary

Rosewood

Sage

Sandalwood

Spearmint

St. Marie's Lavender

Tarragon

Thyme

Western Red Cedar

Bergamot

Black Pepper

Cedarwood

Cinnamon Bark

Dill

Eucalyptus Radiata

Fennel

Frankincense

Geranium

Grapefruit

Idaho Balsam Fir

Idaho Tansy

Jasmine

Juniper

Laurus Nobilis

Ledum

Lemongrass

Marjoram

Melaleuca Alternifolia

Melissa

Mountain Savory

Myrrh

Orange

Patchouli

Palo Santo

Peppermint

Spikenard

Spruce

Tangerine

Tsuga

Valerian

Vetiver

Wintergreen

Ylang Ylang

Young Living® recognizes and supports the standards set by AFNOR and ISO for essential oil commerce, we pride ourselves on meeting all AFNOR and ISO standards. In addition to these external regulations, however, Young Living® also sets and exceeds a higher internal standard, built upon the magnitude of our own rigorous QA requirements. This standard is commonly known as "Therapeutic-Grade."

In order to achieve "Therapeutic Grade" classification, each essential oil must scientifically prove the designation naturally, without excess manipulation, refinement and or spiking, and meet specific criteria in each of 4 key areas: Plants, Preparation, Purity and Potency.

1. Plants: Young Living® products are produced from quality plants grown in exceptional soil and harvested at the optimal time.

 

2. Preparation: Honoring a strict commitment to respecting and protecting the time-honored wisdom, tradition and art of distillation, Young Living® makes every effort to preserve "nature's living energy" in a manner as close to its natural state as possible.

 

3. Purity: Achieved through the use of quality plants and meticulous preparation, and not through ultra-refinement and sanitization, our finished product is 100% pure. Young Living® essential oils are unadulterated, uncut and totally free of chemicals, pesticides and metals.

 

4. Potency: A passion for plants and our quality guarantee result in the production of the world's finest essential oils, and the right phytochemicals at the right amounts, representing unmatched strength and efficiency.

While there are oils produced by competing companies that meet AFNOR and ISO standards, they don't match Young Living's® stringent "Therapeutic-Grade" requirements, and should never be considered a similar class.

Although we pride ourselves in meeting established industry requirements, Young Living sets the bar for quality standards and stands alone in the production of "Therapeutic Grade" essential oils.

There are essential oils for which AFNOR does not have guidelines. For this reason, some essential oil labels cannot carry the AFNOR acronym. This does not mean that these particular essential oils are not therapeutic. It simply means that AFNOR doesn't have any guidelines thus we follow the guidelines from International Standards Organization (ISO), Ernest Guenther's The Essential Oils, Krieger Publishing and The Journal of Essential Oil Research (JEOR) just to name a few credible resources.

 

 

 

 

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