5 Legit, Affordable Essential Oil Brands in 2022 (Non-MLM)

Essential oils (EOs) carry the concentrated essence of an herb or a certain part of a plant. Each has its unique scent and flavor associated with the aromatic compounds the extract contains.

These oils are typically used for their potential therapeutic effects in the alternative medicine practice known as aromatherapy, which is largely based on anecdotal evidence with little scientific backing.

An important fact many people may not know is that essential oils in general aren’t meant or advised to be consumed orally (eaten). Because of their high concentration, they are so potent that some of them may cause serious health problems, like skin burns and even poisoning, if ingested in certain amounts.

The safest way to use essential oils is by diffusing them (using a diffuser) or directly inhaling their aroma. Some of them can be safely applied/rubbed directly on the skin, but first they should be diluted in a carrier oil, such as almond, argan, jojoba or coconut oil. Applying undiluted EOs directly on the skin can cause irritation, itching, redness, burning and/or dryness of the skin, especially with frequent use.

Before You Buy: MLM Warning!

The online essential oil market is notorious for being dominated by MLM (Multi-Level Marketing) companies and their recruiters. There is an army of thousands of profit-driven bloggers and social media influencers out there promoting outrageous and untrue therapeutic claims about EOs on blogs, forums and social media.

Those marketers in disguise have created a huge hype and lots of misinformation about essential oils with the aim of getting as many credulous consumers as they can to subscribe to whatever starter kit or special deal they are pushing. Not only are the products they promote overhyped, they are usually quite overpriced too (typical of get-rich-quick MLM schemes).

Truth is, essential oils are NOT a treatment for any medical condition. Some may have a positive effect on your mood and mental well-being, but for the most part, you don’t really get anything more than a nice scent — and some oils don’t even have that!

I’m not saying all EOs are a total scam, but most of the health claims being circulated via the internet have no convincing scientific evidence to back them up. Even the few benefits that have some limited evidence are way overblown by review/affiliate sites. So don’t buy into the hype and don’t expect dramatic results, if any at all!

Essential oils mainly offer natural aromas that may help improve your state of mind. Contrary to what many MLM marketers assert, EOs have no proven major medicinal effects on the body, despite the “potential” therapeutic properties of some oils; e.g. antibacterial activity. Take all therapeutic claims and rave reviews with a grain of salt.

Alright, let’s get back to the main point of this post: Where can you buy some quality essential oils?

5 Best Affordable Essential Oil Brands

The following are five of the best brands of pure essential oils worth buying in 2022. These are all trustworthy suppliers of reasonably-priced, quality essential oils — no sketchy MLM schemes and no membership is required.

1. NOW

NOW Foods is one of the most renowned brands of nutritional supplements and health food products in the USA and many other countries. They are known for their high quality standards, extensive ingredient testing, and very competitive prices. If you are looking for a brand to trust for all/most of your supplement needs, NOW is one of the top recommendations to consider.

They offer a large selection of essential oils that are tested for purity and safety. The company performs analytical lab tests on each batch of essential oils to ensure they are free from adulterants, synthetics, pesticides, heavy metals, and other risky contaminants.

All of their essential oils — except for jasmine fragrance oil — are made from 100% natural plant parts. They only use synthetic ingredients in their jasmine fragrance oil due to the fact that pure, natural jasmine oil is extremely expensive and most people are just interested in the fragrance. If you want the natural stuff, you can choose the jasmine absolute oil, which consists of natural jasmine absolute diluted in jojoba oil.

In terms of price, NOW sells some of the cheapest (yet high-quality) essential oils on the market. Their organic essential oil collection is a little more costly, but still it’s a fraction of the price you’d pay for any of the overhyped and overpriced brands that many review/affiliate sites rave about.

2. Spark Naturals

Spark has been in the essential oil business for about a decade and they’ve maintained a solid reputation for the quality of their products as well as their great customer service. As a direct-to-consumer brand, this makes a much more affordable alternative to expensive MLM brands.

You can find a large election of pure single oils, specialty blends, diffuser blends, and carrier oils. Each batch of the raw essential oils they receive from their global suppliers undergoes GC-MS lab testing to verify its authenticity and purity.

Spark Naturals is located in Orem, Utah, and they offer free domestic shipping on orders totaling more than $45. They also ship to a few other countries including Canada and the UK.

3. New Directions Aromatics

This Canadian company is one of the finest wholesale suppliers of natural oils in Canada, the USA, and globally. They make all sorts of pure essential oils, carrier oils, fragrance oils, floral waters, and other natural materials that are sold at discounted bulk prices.

New Directions Aromatics conducts in-house and third-party GC-MS lab tests to verify the purity and quality of their oils. Many of the essential and carrier oils they sell are certified organic by Quality Assurance International (QAI): A USDA-accredited organic certification company.

Whether you are looking to purchase small quantities for personal use or make a bulk order for your business, this is a solid supplier you can count on to deliver quality and pure essential oils.

4. Mountain Rose Herbs

If you haven’t heard about Mountain Rose Herbs yet, then you must be a newcomer in the realm of herbs and essential oils. One thing you can bet on is that you’ll only hear positive things about this company from the thousands of customers who have dealt with them over the years.

Mountain Rose Herbs is one of the most trusted online shops from where you can source essential oils, herbs, spices, herbal teas, and other natural products. This is an outstandingly transparent company that is often praised for their sustainable souring and manufacturing practices.

All of MRH’s oils are tested by their in-house lab technicians to ensure they meet the company’s stringent quality control standards. On top of that, their prices are quite reasonable, so if you are looking to buy low-cost, pure essential oils without compromising quality, you’d be grateful to give their products a try.

5. Plant Therapy

Plant Therapy is another supplier you will likely fall in love with as you won’t easily find better quality EOs anywhere else. This brand may not be the cheapest option on this list, but still, compared to the (overrated) big players in the industry, this is a fairly affordable choice.

The company offers a massive selection of pure essential oils that are third-party tested. If you want extra assurance that the oils you use are free from GMOs and harmful chemical pesticides, you can opt for their USDA organic certified collection.

And in case you are making your own beauty or cosmetic products, Plant Therapy also sells bulk essential and carrier oils at discounted prices.

Essential Oils: Facts and FAQ

The following are some of the basic facts about essential oils every consumer should be aware of before using them for any purpose.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential oils are concentrated oily extracts of plants that contain fragrant natural compounds unique to each plant. These oils are extracted using different methods, such as steaming and pressing certain parts of a plant (seeds, flowers, stalks, roots, etc.)

What is Therapeutic Grade?

You may have seen the term “therapeutic grade” being used to distinguish certain brands of essential oils from others, but the truth is, that’s just a made-up marketing term that has no official, standard definition or guidelines. Each company may have its own definition of the term, but at the end of the day, it’s mostly just a vain marketing claim.

As long as the oils are produced in compliance with the industry’s commonly accepted quality standards, whether the label says “therapeutic grade” or not won’t really make a difference.

Do Essential Oils Have Any Therapeutic Benefits?

Well, this is the million-dollar question here! And the answer apparently depends on who you ask. If you search Google for “health benefits of [insert any essential oil here]”, you’ll find endless articles with a tall list of health and therapeutic benefits for each oil, and with scientific references too.

The problem is, most of those articles and authors (including some experts and doctors) are not entirely objective. Many are just trying to make a profit in this booming industry by recommending products and companies they are affiliated with, right after telling you about all the amazing health benefits you can gain by using a certain essential oil.

Well, there’s nothing wrong with including affiliate links to legitimate online stores in itself. As a matter of fact, some of the links in this article are affiliate links (not part of any MLM scheme), which means I do get compensated for referred sales at no extra cost to the buyer. This is a way for writers to support themselves and get rewarded for their research and writing efforts. But it does become a problem when the writer puts profit before facts and impartiality and they start making all sorts of unproven and even totally false claims just to get people to click and buy. Unfortunately, many of the online reviews, blogs and social media posts that rave about the benefits of essential oils do exactly that!

But what about the numerous personal stories on Reddit and other non-commercial forums; they can’t all be affiliates or MLM marketers, right? Sure, you can’t simply discredit anyone’s personal experience or claims, but you also can’t ignore the fact that some people will take a sugar pill and say it cures their depression! Some people will say that a placebo, which is even less effective than a sugar pill, works for them!

This is not saying all health claims about essential oils are made by unscrupulous affiliate/MLM marketers or people who can’t tell the difference between a placebo and a real effect. However, with little to no conclusive human studies, and with varying anecdotal evidence, using any essential oil for any health problem is largely a hit or miss.

There is one undisputed benefit of many essential oils, however, and that’s their pleasant, mind-refreshing scent. All other benefits are debatable.

What About All Those Positive Studies?

There are indeed numerous positive studies that have shown the potential medicinal properties that some oils possess. However, most of those studies were either in vitro (outside the body) or animal studies. Look for human studies that show a clear-cut evidence of efficacy, and you’ll find almost none.

For example, studies found that both lavender and chamomile essential oils possess potential anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and antidepressant activity (1)(2)(3)(4). But did they conclude that either of these two oils is an effective treatment for anxiety or depression? No, they didn’t.

Most of the positive studies conclude that it “may” be helpful, or possesses “potential” therapeutic properties, or produced “statistically significant” results, etc. None of that is proof it “will” produce any noticeable results for the ordinary user.

You see, studies have also shown that coffee helps reduce depression (5), and green tea lowers anxiety and stress (6). So, if you want to call lavender oil a remedy for depression, then the same can be said about coffee. And if chamomile treats anxiety, so does green tea. But that’s not exactly what those studies (and others) affirm.

Think of the potential health benefits of essential oils as comparable to those of healthy food. In other words, unlike what you’d experience when taking pharmaceutical medications, you aren’t likely to experience any significant or distinguishable results when using EOs, although perceived results vary from one individual to another.

How to Use Essential Oils Safely?

Here are some of the common ways to use essential oils that are generally considered safe:

• Diffusers: Electric diffusers are a simple and effective way to reap the scent of essential oils. All you have to do is fill a small tank inside the device with water and add a few drops of your favorite oil (single or blend), and the device will do the rest. A heated mist of water vapor mixed with natural aroma will be constantly emitted and will cover a small area of your home or workspace that varies depending on the device and settings used. There are also cold ultrasonic and fan diffusers that don’t use heat. Remember to be mindful of people around you as some may find certain scents irritating and unpleasant.
• Skin/Body Oil: Some essential oils can be applied directly to the skin. A crucial step before rubbing any EO on your skin is to first dilute it in a carrier oil, such as jojoba, argan, coconut, and other carrier oils. Applying undiluted essential oils can cause skin irritation, burning, dryness, redness, and may end up doing more harm than good in the long run.
• Personal Inhalers: Also called aroma sticks, these come in the form of a portable inhaler stick that is filled with your choice of essential oils. They are perfect to use on the go or when you don’t want to fill the whole room/home with aroma. Whenever you want to use it, you just remove the cap and take a few whiffs of your favorite scent.

Are All Essential Oils Safe For Skin Application?

Definitely not! First of all, any undiluted essential oil can cause adverse reaction when applied directly to the skin. But even when diluted, each person’s skin may respond differently and there is always the possibility of experiencing adverse effects, like burning sensation, redness, swelling and even blisters, according to what Dr. David Petrillo, an LA-based cosmetic chemist, told The New York Times. Essential oils are “one of the leading causes of allergic contact dermatitis,” adds Dr. Annie Gonzalez, a Miami-based dermatologist, in the same NYT article.

Some essential oils are particularly known to be risky when applied to the skin. Lemon, bergamot, orange, and other citrus oils can cause skin burns when exposed to sunlight. Other oils — like peppermint, clove and lemongrass — may cause skin irritation. Cinnamon oil can cause serious burns when used undiluted, but even when diluted, it can still cause burning sensation and redness.

Be very careful when applying any essential oil on your skin. Always dilute it in a carrier oil and first try it on a small area of your skin — like a small spot on your arm — to see how your skin responds to it before you apply it to your face or a larger area of your body skin.