Lavender Essential Oil Is Often Adulterated
When I first started using essential oils I didn’t know anyone else who used them. Within a year it seemed many people I knew had joined the essential oil game with either one of two popular multilevel market 
companies. For those not interested in that commitment or structure some people turned elsewhere. It seems even Target and Wal-Mart are carrying oils now-however not all bottles labeled “Lavender” are Lavender essential oil. You could be getting a lot of synthetics along with your lavender!
Beware of Labeling
Some “Lavender oil” may carry the word “infused.” This means it is not an essential oil but inexpensive oil that had the lavender plant soaked in to carry some of the lavender properties. This can be useful for many things-however it is not an essential oil.
Fragrance and Essential Oils are Very Different
Fragrance is another word that tends to pop up in place of the real deal. Fragrance may be one word but that word may contain any number of over 3,460 possible ingredients, including phalthates. Many of the ingredients in fragrance have never been tested for safety. If it says “Fragrance” it is not a lavender essential oil and is packed with synthetic ingredients.
What About Lavandin?
Often times you may see Lavandin on the label. Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia) is a hybrid from true Lavender (lavendula augustifolia) and spike lavender (Lavendula latifolia). They tended to grow near each other at different altitudes and where they tended to meet they would cross-pollinate and Lavandin came 
into being. Lavandin has some similar aromatherapy benefits, but it does not carry all of the same therapeutic benefits of Lavender. One example of this is it would make a burn worse instead of better.
How Can You Be Sure of What You are Getting?
Lavender is the most adulterated essential oil on the market. What are some ways to find out if you are buying real lavender? Honestly, I would skip buying any oils at your local drug store or Amazon. It has been proven in the past that the Young Living and Doterra oils sold off Amazon are not always the real deal. The sealed caps can be replaced after diluting the oils. If you want those brands please look to the companies themselves and not Amazon. You will find many reps on Amazon from both companies who follow our Instagram page (link to Instagram at bottom) if you are looking for a multilevel market oil company.
Another helpful route is to always look for a botanical name on the bottle. If it just says, “essential oil of lavender”, or “oil of lavender” do not buy it. Look for something like “Lavandula angustifolia” on the bottle. This tells you that the company marketing the oil at least knows that there are different qualities of oil from different species of lavender. Many brands and bottles are sold as lavender that has proven with third party testing to contain synthetic chemicals. (Unfortunately some do carry the proper labels too but that is another issue we will save for another day.) If the deal looks too good to be true price wise –it also likely is in fact too good to be true.
There are still some great companies out there selling pure lavender essential oil: Get Lavender and even providing the proof along with it: Lavender Report
