SourceIngredients

Essential Oils

38 ingredients from 23 Chinese manufacturers

Essential oils are steam distilled volatile fractions, and each is judged by the content of one or two marker compounds measured by gas chromatography. Peppermint Oil is assessed on free menthol and menthone, and Dmo-Peppermint Oil is the same oil after menthol crystals have been removed, which shifts both the profile and the price. Clove Oil is judged on eugenol, Star Anise Oil on anethole and Spearmint Oil on carvone.

The rest of the choice concerns origin and integrity. Ginger Essential Oil, Dong Quai Oil and Angelica Dahurica Oil are distilled from roots, and their profile moves with crop year, growing region and how long the root was dried. Because these oils cost far more than their synthetic constituents, blending with isolated or synthetic material is the standing risk, which is why full chromatograms and physical constants serve as identity checks rather than any single assay figure.

Sourcing from China

Star anise oil is a Guangxi product, since almost all of the tree crop grows there. Dong quai comes from Gansu, where the root has a long cultivation base, and angelica dahurica from Sichuan and Hebei. Mint oils are distilled in Jiangsu and Anhui, while clove oil generally starts from imported Indonesian or Madagascan material. The trade is fragmented, with many small distillers and traders between grower and exporter, so a batch specific chromatogram, refractive index and optical rotation are the practical defence against blending.

All Essential Oils

Manufacturers of Essential Oils