The lab:  Our interest, lab and instrumentation is devoted to and optimized for the analysis of essential oils in determining their purity and quality, primarily for aromatherapists.  All analytical work is done by GC/MS, the instrument of choice for essential oil research.  A Gas Chromatograph (GC) used by most labs give only a two dimensional analysis, whereas our GC/MS give a three-dimensional analysis, allowing direct identification of essential oil  constituents and percentages. 
Spectrix GC/MS/Specifications:

• Mass Spectrometer:  Upgraded Finnigan 4500 (E.I.-C.I. Quadrapole, 1-1000 AMU.)
• Gas Chromatograph:  Hewlett-Packard.
• Data System:  The latest Hewlett-Packard MS ChemStation including the latest NIST98 chemical search library along with two fragrance and essential oil libraries.  Sophisticated analysis like single Ion Monitoring for hydrosols and chiral column analysis to validate certain essential oils may be employed.

Sleuthing our purity and quality:  A pure essential oil is one that is distilled or extracted from a single botanical variety.  Nothing added or taken away.   Some producers, importers and distributors boost up the oils to standardize their product and/or to make a larger profit.  May oils labeled "100% pure" are not, and even "certified organic" oils may not be pure.  Essential oils for aromatherapy have to be thoroughly analyzed regularly, batch by batch for purity and quality, even if the oil is coming directly from a known source.  Spectrix analyses for:

• Non fragrant solvents
• Parts of inexpensive essential oils
• Synthetic "nature identical" essential oil components
• Synthetic fragrance materials and their isomers
• Synthesis by-products of nature identical and fragrance components
• Fermentation products
• Oxidation products
• Fractional distillation
• Deterpination
• Other chemical treatment
• Quality.  Spectrix analysis is also used to determine quality.  Plant quality, harvest and productions technique has a lot to do with quality.  Environmental conditions also directly effect the percentages of each component of the essential oil.  Botanical variety, chemotype identification and origin are also a part of quality determination.

The "organic" dilemma:  Most all essential oils are organically grown or wild crafted.  However, a "certified organic" essential oil depends on the integrity of the Certifying Agency.  Pesticides and anti fungal agents used on foods are routinely analyzed but it is not practical to analyze for them in essential oils as to the kind and quantity of these chemical agents.  Even in cold pressed citrus oils, the quantity of these chemical agents is so low it requires intensive, costly and special GC/MS analysis.  Organic has become an overused word that may or may not mean the essential oil is pure and/or high quality.  Analysis is the only really objective way to know.

I hope this is helpful to understand something of the extent we go to in assuring you, the customer, the value, safety and effectiveness of essential oils.

Lawrence Jones
Analyst and Owner, Spectrix GC/MS Lab

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