25/05/2025
The Harsh Reality Behind That Bottle of Essential Oil
This infographic captures a truth the industry doesn’t like to talk about:
More than 80% of essential oils on the global market are adulterated.
What does that mean?
• Farmers, the backbone of this industry, remain in poverty and debt, unable to compete with synthetic substitutes and middlemen-driven pricing.
• Multiple layers of brokers and traders take advantage of the system, diluting oils, cutting corners, and pushing products that appear “natural” but are chemically manipulated.
• Most labs are not equipped to detect these adulterations only basic fingerprinting is done, missing the subtle but dangerous markers.
• As a result, end users suffer. Many report skin rashes, headaches, or hormone disruption often without realizing it’s due to impure oils.
• And all the while, governments and regulatory bodies remain silent, turning a blind eye to the widespread fraud.
Look closely at the image:
• The distressed farmers are surrounded by poor soil, unpaid debts, and helplessness.
• A bottle boldly labeled “More than 80% Adulterated EOs” stands in the center of a broken supply chain.
• Consumers are misled, and businesses unknowingly sell compromised products while only a few profit from deception.
This must change.
We need transparency, advanced testing, fair trade practices, and a voice for those at the source.
If you’re in the EO, fragrance, or wellness space ask yourself:
Do you really know what’s in that bottle? And at what cost it came to your hands?
