Oil Quality - What are you buying?
We have been supplying essential oils to aromatherapists and the general public since 1985. There are unscrupulous traders around now just as there were then, selling so-called "aromatherapy oils" with little indication as to what is in them.
At Bay House we have always tried to take a responsible attitude and to supply oils that are pure and of good quality. There are various scientific methods that are used to analyse essential oils - finding their specific gravity and their refractive index are important but the most useful is gas chromatography analysis (GC).
This involves an oil being vaporised in a column and its components being detected and illustrated as a series of peaks on a chromatogram.
Essential oils consist of up to three hundred I components, some of which may be present in minute trace amounts. Armed with the GC analysis it is possible to compare the sample taken with other samples of the oil, and to see whether it conforms to existing knowledge about that oil. If it doesn't it is likely that it has been adulterated with a synthetic or with a component from a cheaper oil and it is rejected.
This scientific testing is important, but essential oils come from all around the world. Lavender oil for instance is produced in England, France, Bulgaria, Croatia and Tasmania, to name just a few places. Because of the differing climate altitude, and methods of production. lavender oil from these different places smells quite different. It may all be pure, but which one do you want?
This is not an easy question to answer, personal preferences in aromas are deeply felt and not much understood. Sometimes we do provide alternatives but generally we rely on our buyer's nose to get it right.
Of course we use computers and other automated aids to handle our workload, but we are very conscious that it is the personal touch that counts and we hope you will be pleasantly surprised by our service.
Sometimes you may disagree with his opinion, just as a wine drinker might disagree with an expert's opinion about a wine.
If you do, we are always very willing to give you a full money back refund, no questions asked. But we think on the whole you will be pleased with our oils. Our business depends on it so we don't make this claim lightly!
As well as getting the oils right, there are of course a number of other issues involved in selling this type of product.
| Bay
House is a founder member of the Aromatherapy Trade Council the professional trade organisation for companies
supplying essential oils. This name probably won't mean much to you, but here at Bay House we would say that even if you don't buy from us, do buy from a company that is a member of ATC. It is the lead body in the attempt to raise standards in the industry. All members have to reach stringent membership requirements regarding their labelling and the claims they make for their products. |
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Legislation appears to be changing all the time, new products keep appearing, as do traders who have no interest in anything but an easy market. Our philosophy at Bay House is simple. We sell products which we all use ourselves, we think they're good. and we like making a living out of selling them to other people.
We hope you will give us the opportunity to show you what we have. Thanks for reading all this. If you have any questions please email us.
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