Industry Terms

100% Pure And Natural: From The Named Source

These are aromatherapy grade essential oils and are 100% pure and natural. The oil is sourced from one named botanical species, and only one geographical location or origin. The oil specifically comes only from the ‘named source’.

For example, Lavender Bulgarian comes from Lavandula angustifolia, sourced from Bulgaria.

There has been no tampering with these oils, and no artificial or natural components have been added. 100% pure and natural oils are genuine and true representatives of the plant from which they are derived.

The Nature/Nature Identical Argument

Nature identical refers to an oil which has had a component added, either natural or artificial, with a chemical structure identical to that found in nature.

It is possible to identify a natural product compared to a nature-identical one through Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) analysis. Australian Botanical Products conducts GC/MS trace analysis on every batch of essential oil. The ability to identify true natural oils is critical in meeting our customers' expectations.

The vast majority of essential oils produced worldwide are for the flavour, fragrance, and hygiene industry - an industry that does not need a botanically pure product but rather a consistent and reasonably-priced product.

It is possible to create natural products using natural isolates and essential oils. ABP are able to manufacture these upon request for anyone who has a use for this type of product. These oils are not suitable for aromatherapy or TGA applications but perfectly satisfactory for commercial and industrial applications such as perfumes, cosmetics and toiletries.

Nature-identical oil is often traded commercially. It is still 100% natural; that is, it does not contain any chemical constituents or synthetic fragrances.

Within every essential oil, there are naturally occurring constituents. For example, Rose Oil contains elements of a natural fraction called Citronellol. As Rose oil is very expensive, the price can be lowered by adding the cheaper fraction Citronellol (derived from Citronella), to the Rose essential oil.

Technically, the end product is still Rose Oil, but has been ‘diluted’ by the addition of a cheaper constituent. All components of the oil are still 100% natural, but are the end product is now considered to be of a commercial grade.

Growing Methods

Australian Botanical Products’ 100% pure essential oils are predominantly grown by four methods. The way in which a plant is grown has an effect on the quality of the end product. It can also have an effect on the actual yield of oil gathered from the crop, which will in turn affect the price in the market.

The four identified growing methods are:

Wild
Plants are grown and harvested from natural or wild growing crops.

Pure
Natural Authentic Plants grown are true to species. They are 100% pure, natural, authentic botanical species. In the case of ABP, a pure essential oil is one that has not been adulterated. Oils produced in this manner have adhered to strict quality standards and are produced and farmed according to internationally accepted procedures.

Organic
Organic farming can briefly be described as using methods of crop and natural systems to sustain and build soil fertility, minimise pollution and damage to the environment. Organic plants are grown without the use of agrochemical pesticides, weed killers, synthetic fertiliser etc.

Organic essential oils come from plants grown using this method, but the farms in which they are grown have not achieved “Certified Organic” accreditation.

Certified Organic
Certified means plants have been grown according to strict uniform standards which are verified by an independent state or private organisation. A farm that produces certified organic plants and essential oils has met the strict standards criteria, and has been issued with certification that all products produced are organic.

Botanical Origin

ABP have direct relationships with suppliers and can guarantee the botanical species origin for each essential oil. Testing and analysis physically support these relationships.

When choosing an essential oil, it is important to understand the relationship between botanical origin and its effect on the quality and properties of the essential oil.

The same essential oil type can sometimes be produced from a number of botanical species. For example, the most common Lavender type comes from Lavandula angustifolia. There is also a less expensive type known as Lavandin, which comes from Lavandula x intermedia.

When some companies do not specify the botanical species of an oil, it could be an indication that they have combined two separate botanical species, creating a product of less definable quality. Technically speaking the product is still an identifiable essential oil, but it is of an inferior quality compared to an oil that has been produced solely from one botanical source.

Often the properties of an essential oil are indicated by the botanical species from which they are derived. Therefore, if you are purchasing an oil with an unknown botanical species, the expected properties of the oil may be different to the actual.

ABP always states and guarantees the botanical species when supplying essential oils – so quality and origin is always assured.

Sourcing And Country Of Origin

There is a perception in the marketplace that the country of origin is of utmost importance when purchasing an essential oil. This is not necessarily the case, and can be considered more of a political argument than a quality one – similar to the argument that champagne can only come from France.

Within a country or origin, there can be a large number of producers with a range of individual qualities. This means that there is not necessarily one standard produced from a single origin.

In some instances, certain origins are known as the traditional source of a product and may have a strong claim for quality. For example, that the best Eucalyptus oil comes from Australia. This is true in most cases but not always. Many oils have moved from the original producing countries to new ones. These oils can be just as good or sometimes even better than their original home.

It is also important to note that some companies do not specify country of origin at all. This may be because they are selling an oil that is sourced from a number of countries, which would indicate the oil is likely to be inferior quality and not a pure product.

Therefore, when considering the country of origin as an indication of quality, it is better to assess each batch and oil in its own right to determine suitability for the needs of the buyer.

Due to political, climatic and environmental changes around the world it can often be difficult to guarantee continuity of supply of an essential oil from a single source or country of origin.

It is for this reason that Australian Botanical Products source essential oils from a variety of countries. We are able to provide an oil produced in a specific country, if a customer requests it, but this service attracts a premium due to supply issues.