The purity of an essential oil is its most important characteristic. When an essential oil is adulterated or contaminated, it becomes less effective and can even be dangerous. Above all else, purity is doTERRA’s first priority when producing essential oils. 

From the beginning, they’ve made it their mission to share pure, quality essential oils with the world. However, without a definitive standard for essential oil purity, doTERRA decided to set the standard for purity in the essential oil industry. 

Not all essential oil companies choose to enforce high testing standards for their oils. In fact, many companies skip important steps in the testing process in order to save money or time. Unfortunately, when proper testing measures are not taken, it’s impossible to ensure that an essential oil is truly “pure.”

To ensure that each bottle of essential oil is pure and free from contaminants or synthetic fillers, doTERRA created the CPTG Certified Pure Therapeutic Grade® protocol. 

The CPTG process includes a rigorous examination of every batch of oil, along with third-party testing to guarantee transparency. 

Some people ask, “Does essential oil purity really matter?” Or, “What happens if I use essential oils that aren’t pure?” 

The answer is yes—essential oil purity matters. If you use an oil that has been adulterated, contaminated, or loaded with synthetic fillers, you will not receive the full natural benefit of the plant. And in some cases, low-quality oils can even be dangerous and pose serious threats to your health. 

This is why doTERRA cares so deeply about essential oil purity. If you use an impure oil, it can be difficult to feel the benefits of the oil and can possibly put your health at risk. However, when you use pure, unadulterated essential oils, they’ll be more effective, and you can stay within the bounds of safe use.

How can you tell if your essential oils are pure? Before you buy essential oils, do a little research to find out how essential oil companies source, produce, and test their oils. 

Here are a few questions to ask during your research: 

doTERRA begins the CPTG testing process shortly after distillation, when each oil is reviewed for its chemical composition. The doTERRA production facility carries out a second round of testing to ensure that the oils distilled and tested during the first round are the same ones that arrived at our facility. A third review of the chemistry of the oils is conducted as the oils are packaged into the bottles before they’re shipped out to consumers. 

Each test confirms that our essential oils are free of contaminants and that no unexpected alterations occurred during production.

The CPTG quality testing process includes eight main steps to guarantee that every batch of doTERRA essential oil is pure, unadulterated, and safe for use.

Here are the tests doTERRA uses to ensure essential oil purity: