Why We Don’t Buy Essential Oils from Grocery Stores (or Random Amazon Sellers)
If you’ve ever watched Meghan Markle’s Amazon special, you probably noticed her joyfully whipping up DIY soaps and lotions with store-bought essential oils. It’s charming, it’s relatable… and it’s exactly how so many of us get introduced to essential oils.
But here’s the catch: just like you wouldn’t expect boxed mac and cheese to nourish your body the way a home-cooked organic meal would, you can’t expect a $4 bottle of lavender oil from the clearance aisle to truly benefit your health.
Let’s talk about it.
The Problem with Grocery Store & Unverified Amazon Oils
Essential oils are highly concentrated plant extracts — and they’re powerful when pure. But when you buy oils from typical big-box stores or random online sellers, here’s what you’re often getting:
1. Synthetic Additives
Many cheap oils are cut with fragrance chemicals to mimic the scent but have zero therapeutic value. These synthetic fillers can irritate skin, disrupt hormones, and defeat the entire purpose of using natural plant oils in the first place.
2. Dilution with Carrier Oils
Some oils are watered down with coconut oil, almond oil, or other cheap fillers — and sold without disclosure. That means you’re not even getting a full-strength essential oil.
3. Lack of Transparency
With unregulated sources, there’s no way to confirm:
• Where the plants were grown
• If pesticides were used
• How the oil was extracted
• Whether the final product was tested at all
4. Mislabeling
Shockingly, a label that says “100% pure essential oil” doesn’t have to mean anything. In the U.S., labeling laws are incredibly loose when it comes to essential oils.
Why doTERRA is Different — and Trusted
Now that we’ve talked about the Wild West of essential oils, let’s get into why doTERRA stands alone.
1. Extensive Testing
Every batch of doTERRA essential oil goes through:
• CPTG® (Certified Pure Tested Grade) standards
• Multiple rounds of third-party testing
• Tests for contaminants, adulteration, and potency
This includes Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, microbial testing, and more. It’s rigorous and scientific — not marketing fluff.
2. Sourcing from the Source
doTERRA doesn’t just buy oils from bulk brokers. Instead, they:
• Partner with local growers and farmers around the world
• Harvest plants in their native regions (which ensures proper chemistry)
• Practice co-impact sourcing, benefiting local economies
3. Batch Transparency
Every bottle of doTERRA oil has a batch number. You can visit Sourcetoyou.com and look up the actual test results for that batch. That’s not just transparency — that’s accountability.
Why It Matters: Your Experience Depends on Quality
When you use truly pure essential oils — like doTERRA’s — your body knows the difference.
You might find:
• Lavender that actually calms you
• Peppermint that clears your head and airways
• Frankincense that lifts your mood in real, measurable ways
This is how you build trust and respect for the natural power of oils. When they work, you understand why people have used them for centuries.
Final Thought
Meghan Markle may make her DIY soap look stylish (and she’s not wrong — it’s fun), but when it comes to your health, skin, and home, it’s worth going one step further. The quality of your oils matters. In fact, it changes everything.
So the next time you’re tempted by that $6 peppermint oil on a shelf or screen, pause. Consider what’s actually in that bottle — and what’s not.
Because when you’ve experienced the real thing, there’s no going back.