We’re always searching for the cheapest essential oils with the best quality. At one point though, you’ve probably caught yourself asking, “Are expensive essential oils worth it?”
The answer is yes! Let’s go over several pros and cons of buying expensive essential oils versus cheap essential oils.
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Expensive Essential Oils vs Cheap Essential Oils
| Expensive Essential Oils | Cheap Essential Oils |
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Why You Should Buy Expensive Essential Oils
There are many reasons why expensive essential oils are worth it. Below we’ll dive into reasons you should buy expensive essential oils over cheaper essential oils.
1. Higher Quality
Some would argue that you can find high-quality essential oils expensive or cheap – This argument is true. Different essential oil brands charge more for their essential oils than other brands.
Sometimes you pay a little bit more for the brand name itself. Though most times, when an essential oil is more expensive than another essential oil, it’s for reasons listed in the chart above.
2. More Potent
Expensive essential oils are made through a different process than cheaper essential oils. They aren’t mixed, adulterated, or diluted with another solution like water, alcohol, or carrier oil, which lowers its potency.
Potency can be a good or bad quality depending on what you’re looking for in essential oil. Potent essential oils may not be ideal for a beginner.
If you’re knowledgeable in essential oils and have used them daily for many years, you probably know the correct amount of oil you should be using. Opting for more potent and expensive oils is more common in those who’ve used essential oils longer.
3. Stronger Scented
As you may have guessed already, more potency leads to a stronger scented oil. The less you dilute plant oil, the stronger the fragrance.
People enjoy smelling stronger scents from their diffusers. Ultrasonic diffusers already require adding water which will only further dilute your essential oil, which is why people buy more expensive essential oils.
4. Lasts Longer
More expensive essential oils last longer because they are more potent and aren’t watered down. This means you don’t need to use as much to get the desired scent you’re wanting.
5. For Intermediate and Expert Users
A big reason beginner users don’t normally buy expensive essential oils is because they are learning and experimenting with them. They don’t want to waste essential oil and they aren’t quite sure how often they will be using it yet.
As intermediate and expert users, they should feel more comfortable buying more expensive essential oils. They know they will use them and enjoy their rare and unique fragrances.
6. More Likely To Receive 100% Pure
We all wish we could trust what’s written on an essential oil bottle label, but that’s not always the case. Companies have the choice to label their bottles 100% pure essential oils, therapeutic grade, or 100% natural fragrance.
Just to let you in on a little secret, there’s no such thing as a therapeutic grade. Check out our article, “10 Ways To Test Purity Of Essential Oils At Home.”
7. Distilled From Organic Crops To Meet Specific Requirements
Anytime you buy organic, whether it’s fruit at a grocery store or essential oils from a health store, it’s going to be more expensive. Organic labels require more testing or specific requirements which ultimately makes them cost more.
People normally buy more expensive organic essential oils because they are safer and have undergone more testing than conventional grown essential oils. Organic oils are ultimately supposed to deliver the consumer a better product.
8. More Costly To Grow And Harvest Specific Botanical Plants
Depending on the type of plant that’s being grown and harvested, it can cost a lot more because the supply is low or the plant oil is in high demand. It may also take more people to harvest a plant by hand than other plants that can be processed in bulk.
A perfect example of this is Jasmine blossoms. Jasmine blossoms need to be hand-picked to make Jasmine absolute essential oil.
9. Extraction Methods Cost More
There are a handful of methods used when turning botanical plant material into your beautifully scented essential oils. The extraction method just so happens to be a more expensive method than for example, the distilled method.
Learn more about the different types of essential oil extraction methods by reading our article, “How To Extract Essential Oils From Plants.”
Reasons To Buy Cheap Essential Oils
There are many reasons why the cheaper route is sometimes a better option for you. Go through our reasons to understand the differences between expensive and cheap oils.
1. Budget-Friendly
Cheaper essential oils are more budget-friendly. If your wallet is feeling thin most days, then cheaper essential oils can be bought at a fraction of the cost.
2. Adulterated And Diluted
Some of the cheaper essential oils come adulterated and diluted. That’s not always a bad feature to have though.
If you’re planning to dilute your essential oils anyways, why not subtract a step and buy an essential oil that’s already mixed with a carrier oil? Some people prefer pre-diluted essential oils in carrier oil so all they have to do is buy it and use it on their skin.
For example, Eden’s Garden offers a pre-diluted ready-to-use Guardian Synergy Blend you can place directly on your skin as soon as you buy it. Pre-mixed oils are sometimes easier and quicker to use instead of making them yourself.
3. Weaker Scented
Cheaper essential oils can be diluted in other solutions making the scent weaker. Sometimes stronger scents give people headaches, so they opt for weaker scents.
4. Finishes Sooner
Since cheaper essential oils do come in pre-diluted forms, you’re most likely going to use them up quicker than you would with expensive essential oil. This is especially true if you buy an essential oil blend in a carrier oil.
5. For Beginner And Intermediate Users
There’s no shame in being a newbie with essential oils – we’ve all been here (seriously!). Cheaper essentials are used more often by beginners and intermediate users as they are less potent and diluted making them safer.
Beginners are unsure if they’ll stick to this new way of life and feel spending a lot of money on essential oils may be wasted. As a newbie, it’s smarter to buy a handful of cheaper essential oils to start your journey off.
6. More Likely To Receive Imitation
You can find some great cheap essential oils that are pure, but be careful you don’t accidentally buy an imitation essential oil. Read the label and see if it says pure essential oil or natural essential oil fragrance.
Fragrance labeling is an imitation of true pure essential oil. Imitation fragrances can smell stronger than the real deal, and sometimes nicer. Cheap imitation fragrance oils are a great alternative if you’re sensitive to 100% pure essential plant oil.
7. Grown Conventionally Without Specific Requirements
Non-organic essential oils are still great purchases, they just don’t have as much rigorous testing and requirements as organic essential oils need. Non-organic or organic, you decide which one better suits your lifestyle.
8. Cheaper To Grow And Harvest Bulk Botanical Plants
Lavender and Clary Sage essential oil are a lot easier to grow and harvest compared to harvesting and growing Jasmine and Rose essential oil. You can find lavender flowers at the store or in your neighbors front yard, jasmine, not so much.
There’s nothing wrong with buying a lavender essential oil made in bulk. They’re still one of the most popular essential oils sold and it smells amazing!
9. Distilled Methods Cost Less
The distilled method is the most traditional and commonly used essential oil extraction method used today. It’s also the cheapest method to use.
No wonder most essential oils are extracted this way! Find out more about the distillation method in our article, “How To Extract Essential Oils From Plants.”
List Of Expensive Essential Oils To Try
Here is a hefty list of some of the greatest expensive essential oils that won’t leave you disappointed:
- Jasmine Absolute
- Neroli
- Helichrysum
- East Indian Sandalwood
- Moroccan Rose Absolute
- Bulgarian Rose Absolute
- Rose Otto
- Vanilla Absolute
- German “Blue” Chamomile
- Angelica Root
- Melissa
- Hops Flower
- Australian Sandalwood
- Violet Leaf Absolute
- Ledum
- Agarwood Oudh
All Things Considered…
Expensive oils cost more money upfront, are more potent, but you use less making them last longer. Cheaper oils cost less money upfront, are more diluted, but you use them faster. In the end, the two even out.
Are expensive essential oils worth it? The answer is yes, so feel comfortable that your hard-earned money is going towards a rich product!
I currently work as a medical receptionist, but my ultimate goal is to work as an occupational therapy assistant. Helping others achieve a better quality of life is something I’m after. That’s one of the main reasons I started this blog. Learn more about me.