Here is the e-mail I received from them:
Thank you for your interest in Aromatics International!
We are a small company dedicated to the plants that create the essential oils; and to the people who grow, harvest and distill them. We work with many small growers and cooperative distillers all around the world. We have developed wonderful relationships with our distillers over the years. We generally buy in small quantities in order to preserve freshness. We have every single batch of oil we buy tested with GC/MS analysis through a lab in France. Although some companies are testing their oils, we make the results of that test available to everyone on our website. Regardless of the quantity of essential oil you purchase from us, you have access to the GC/MS.
Our GC tester is Daniel from the company, Pyrenessences. Daniel and Francoise have been farmers and distillers for 17 years. They grow and harvest their own organic plant material to distill their essential oils. Francoise makes her own therapeutic products and Daniel is a chemist who analyzes essential oils.
Daniel has a wonderful laboratory with his Gas Chromatographer/Mass Spectrometer equipment. The laboratory also houses a flame ionization detector, and the tools to analyze the physical characteristics of the oils such as the refractive index, density and optical rotation. His analysis reports are excellent. He not only analyzes the oils for his own business but also for many other essential oil companies around the world. With his sophisticated equipment he is able to analyze 100% of the oil. On our labels, we provide a batch number, so you can always see the GC/MS, as well as the distillation date. These coincide with the batch reports provided online beside each specific oil. These reports are always available for you to see.
We buy essential oils that have been distilled from organically grown plants. Not every farmer has the organic certification, as that is simply not available to some growers in remote areas, or because they cannot afford the certification. In thee cases, we know they are growing according to organic standards- indeed many growers in many countries do this naturally. It is important to us to support small growers who put great effort into their crops and oils.
We maintain the quality of the oil by purchasing in small quantities, storing everything in glass in a dark, temperature controlled room. We serve our customers- many of whom are very educated Aromatherapists and consumers of natural products, buy providing the GC/MS analysis which gives you great insight into the variations of an oil from year to year, and assists one in knowing how to use it therapeutically. We are educators at heart, so our website is full of information about every oil, along with professional references to research articles that pertain to a given oil. We also keep the MSDS reports on file for most of the oils.
We ship via the USPS Priority Mail. We make every effort to get orders out within 24 hours, many times they ship out the same day they arrive. This translates into getting your oils within 3-4 days within the US.
I am the owner of Aromatics International and am a certified Aromatherapist. I've also had extensive training in the Chemical aspect of the oils. I have a deep appreciation for the oils and am a constant student of aromatherapy, always learning more. Aromatics International is very highly regarded in the Aromatherapy world. Our customers have expressed nothing but gratitude for the oils. Because the GC reports are available online, you know exactly what you are purchasing before you purchase. We stand 100% behind our products.
You also asked if we claim to sell Therapeutic Grade essential oils. I know that this has become an ambiguous term lately. I might just say that our oils are only the pure plant extract.
I invite you to take a look at our website: www.aromaticsinternational.com
I hope this helps you to understand a little more about us. Please do not hesitate to ask more question or clarify anything I have written.
Thanks you again for your interest.
Karen j Williams
She however forgot to answer the question about endangered essential oils and when I pointed this out she happily e-mailed me back:
Hello,
It's certainly not a bother and I'm sorry I missed this question the 1st time. We do sell Rosewood which is not an endangered species but they actually have to kill the tree to harvest the oil. It is getting harder and harder to obtain. However in saying this, the distiller we use for this oil uses responsible farming in that he replants any tree that is used. The reason Rosewood is so popular is for its high Linalol content. We do have a Ho Wood that is very similar in chemical composition that we are gravitating towards. Andrea Butje does extensive teaching through Aromahead.com and talks about this issue. She is the founder of Aromatics International.
As far as Aromatics Internationals stand on endangered essential oils, we find there is usually a good substitute and we don't carry any of the endangered species. I hope that answers your question. I'm also interested in your background, how you use the oils and your stand on this issue. Maybe if I have a better idea of your needs I can address more of your concerns.
Karen j Williams
After reading everything she sent me I feel very comfortable buying and having a relationship with this company! They get a **** 1/2 out of 5 untill I get to sample their oils! WONDERFUL COMPANY!
