Shelf Life of Essential Oils - Martin & Chris

[Guest guest]

I will commment on the below .. many Essential Oils are produced but

one time each year .. others can be produced from dryed materials so

they can be produced more than one time .. but 6 months is certainly

not a logical time frame to consider not using them. We must take

into consideration the time from still to market .. if we do not do

this then we can say that Aromatherapy is a seasonal thing .. at best

practiced 2-3 months a year.

 

Martin's Plant Aromatics Safety Manual is a very valuable Safety Pub

and everyone should have a copy of it .. but it does NOT in ANY PLACE

mention .. nor does it hint at .. or give any other form or indication

that the oils used in ALL the testing throughout that manual .. met

the 6 month limit suggested here.

 

Even if one were to strive for the 6 month turn around they would not

be successful .. so I think it is not a credible goal .. nor is it a

necessary goal. If we want to ensure we are always safe then lets

keep our butts out of the water cause Great Whites got big teeth.

 

Y'all keep smiling. :-) Butch http://www.AV-AT.com

 

 

http://health./message/22009

 

Shelf Life of Essential Oils

 

Sat Jun 19, 2004 5:17 pm

 

Re: Expiry Dates

 

While I have a good deal of respect for Butch and his knowledge of

the trade in essential oils, some things in his recent post might be

confusing or misleading to home users or therapists.

 

I would agree with Butch that many expiry dates on bottles are simply

because most AT suppliers are covering their backs or complying with

legislation requiring an expiry date. These labels should indeed be

viewed with caution. You need to equip yourself with real knowledge

on this subject and not rely on what AT oil suppliers tell you. It is

very important to your health and those that you use essential oils

on. The date of production is of course the best to use, but since

most AT suppliers get oils via a long chain of supply (except for a

few oils), that date is often impossible to ascertain.

 

Firstly there is a huge difference between if an essential oil

has " gone off " and smells bad or weak and if that oil may contain

skin sensitizing chemicals because of age. Similarly the fact an oil

smells better with age is not necessarily an indication that it is

safe for use on the skin.

 

The example was given of myrrh oil. That oil can smell the same

after 10 years as the day it was produced. That should never be

taken to say that this oil is safe for skin application. Myrrh oil -

depending on its source which you can never rely on - can contain

quiet a lot of the two pinene's. These chemicals are well

documented as changing their nature within months of production and

skin sensitizing peroxides develop.

 

In particular you need to watch your citrus and pine-type oils. Many

producers of oils with a lot of pinene's or d-limonene add

antioxidants at source to stop this chemical decay. I note that

Butch said " up to 18 months and longer if stored under nitrogen and

refrigerated " . Yes maybe, but that is NOT how most people store

their oils. So do not assume a date of 18 months but better to

assume a date of 6 months. Likewise for lavender (see my web site

for the latest on that).

 

Butch said " Tea Tree - shelf life is a minimum of Four Years " . I

strongly disagree with that, again maybe if stored as above, but

certainly not for the home user or therapist. It is known that tea

tree oil deteriorates and forms skin sensitizing peroxides as it

ages. I reckon a safe bet would be no longer than 6 months to a year.

 

So for the occasional user, you would be far better off assuming a

use-by-date of 6 months for most oils, particularly if you know the

oil contains alpha or beta pinene or d-limonene. Very few oils - such

as rose and patchouli - are known to be skin safe for years.

 

Lastly, you must bear in mind that the smaller AT suppliers and shops

may have oils in stock for months or more before you buy them. Very

few of those places store oils correctly. I have seen such poor

storage conditions even in larger UK and USA aromatherapy suppliers.

So do not put your health at risk by using old oils on the skin,

instead use them up in diffusers and buy fresh ones for any skin

application purposes.

 

Martin Watt: Author of Plant Aromatics safety manual, etc.

http://www.aromamedical.com

 

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http://health./message/22015

 

Shelf Life of Essential Oils

 

Sat Jun 19, 2004 10:11 pm

 

Hiya Martin,

 

So if that is the case should folks really just steer clear of using

EO's on the skin at ALL and in ANY product, unless one distills it

themselves or lives right next door to a distiller? I ask that cause

if one thinks about it logically, by the time pretty much any oil is

distilled, then sent off to market, and gets into the hands of an

essential oil distributor and then a product manufacturer (cosmetics,

toiletries, etc ..) and then what they produce is able to be sent off

to market and sold, that any oil in it is almost guaranteed to be over

6 months old ...

 

*Smile*

Chris (list mom)

http://www.alittleolfactory.com