In today’s market, products of alternative medicine and therapy have been gradually gaining popularity. Maybe this trend stems from the fact that modern healthcare isn’t cheap at all. Another reason could be the growing distrust of modern medicine among the public. No matter what the reason might be, people from all over the globe continue to point out and promote the benefits of alternative medicine. Because of this, the trend of using essential oils has dominated the world of alternative therapy.

Despite the fact that aromatherapy dates back to ancient Egypt, this long-standing practice has sprung back to the public interest at present. Aromatherapy is well-known for its all-encompassing health benefits, from relieving stress to treating headaches. It’s no surprise that almost everyone has their hands on these oils. That’s why the essential oil business is a pretty lucrative one, especially at present. However, just like other industries, there are a few stumbling blocks in making and selling essential oils. Possibly the biggest one is controlling the volatility of these oils. 

Similar to cooking oils, essential oils do spoil eventually. And when they do, their aromatic and therapeutic properties deteriorate, leaving you with less useful oils. Expired essential oils can also cause harmful side effects, such as skin irritation and burns. In other words, using spoiled essential oils will not be a pleasant experience for anyone.

When products go bad, the business suffers. That isn’t to say there’s no coming back from the brink of failure. In the case of essential oils, there’s a simple solution to prevent them from degrading. So read on and find out how to protect the essence of your essential oil line.

Factors That Affect the Shelf Lives of Essential Oils

Before solving the problem of essential oil spoilage, it’s important to understand the factors that affect the shelf lives of oils. That way, it’ll be easier for you to identify what exactly causes your essential oils to go bad. Knowing the root cause can also help you find the most effective way to tackle the problem.

Oxygen

When liquids are exposed to oxygen, the by-product is oxidation. This natural process causes evaporation, which reduces the quality and amount of liquids. Prolonged exposure of essential oils to air thus results in their degradation and evaporation. While they can still be used for diffusion and cleaning products, they cannot be used for aromatherapy. Moreover, oxidized oils are not recommended for topical use.

Moisture

When moisture permeates the bottles containing your essential oils, these oils will likely turn cloudy. Another result is that water coming from the moisture will bead up the bottles’ interiors. This scenario can cause your essential oils to gradually lose their purity and overall quality.

Heat

Oils are essentially flammable, which is why essential oils should not be stored near high temperatures. This means they should not be left near sources of heat or fire, such as open flames, stoves, and candles. When they do get exposed to high temperatures, they might reach their flashpoints, and they will likely ignite. Aside from this, essential oils that are often exposed to heat will deteriorate more rapidly.

Light

Exposure to sunlight can adversely affect your essential oils. When these oils are placed directly under the sun, their chemical constituents can lose their quality. As a result, the appearance, color, aroma, and effectiveness of the essential oils will be lost, and there’s no way for the oils to regain these properties.

Signs of Expired Essential Oils

When essential oils have gone bad, they can still be used for home cleaning and diffusing. However, most of your customers might want essential oils that are still effective for topical and aromatherapy applications. Using expired essential oils can also cause side effects, especially if they are applied to the skin. But before you throw out your essential oils that have been stocked for a long time, you might want to check if they are indeed expired. Here are the general signs that essential oils have expired:

The Smell

One of the ways to tell that your essential oils have gone rancid is its scent. Since essential oils are distinguished for their various aromas, how they smell is the first thing you’ll notice when they expire.

Any business owner should, at least, know their products. In this context, it’s best if you are familiar with each and every scent of the different essential oils you are selling. This will help you remember how each essential oil smells like. Consequently, it will help you distinguish if there are any changes in the aromas of your essential oils. 

Some expired essential oils might smell stronger and more unpleasant. Others might have weaker aromas. While the scent of each essential oil is unique, you can easily recognize the difference between fresh essential oils and expired essential oils.

The Feel

Another sign that indicates expired essential oils is the reaction of your skin. If your skin gets irritated when it comes in contact with essential oils, your oils might be expired. It’s worth noting that increased sensitization can occur if the oil is too potent or concentrated. On the other hand, when the oil is diluted for topical use, your skin should not react like so when exposed to the oil. If it does, the essential oil must be expired. It isn’t suggested, of course, to check whether your essential oils have gone rancid by means of applying them to your skin.

The Appearance

Lastly, you can tell if your essential oils have spoiled when their appearances have changed. Depending on the types of essential oils, they might turn darker or lighter in color, or they might lose their colors altogether. They can also become cloudy or foggy instead of having their usual translucent colors.

Another thing to check is the consistency of the oils. Expired essential oils are usually thicker in consistency rather than being smooth and fluid.

Tips on Bottling Essential Oils

Choosing the right bottles for your essential oils is a sure way to preserve their quality. Like perishable goods, essential oils can have longer shelf lives with proper packaging. This will especially come in handy for business owners who keep a great number of essential oil batches in their storerooms.

Apart from storage and preservation, another reason for selecting the right bottles for your essential oil line is branding. Bottles with distinctive designs can catch the attention of any customer. This fact rings true in the essential oil business. As the demand for essential oils rapidly increases, so does the market become competitive. Since there’s a wide variety of essential oil brands today, investing in the right packaging can make yours stand out. Here are some useful tips on how to bottle your essential oils:

Select the Right Sizes

When bottling your essential oils, the first factor you must consider should be the sizes of your bottles. Most essential oils come in travel-friendly bottles, and the most common essential oil bottle size is 10mL. Some customers might opt for these bottles to try some samples and decide whether certain essential oils work for them or not. Others might simply want oils that they can carry wherever they go. The bottom line is it’s still a good idea to use traditional essential oil bottle sizes.

That said, it doesn’t mean you should not diversify your bottle sizes and just stick to selling essential oils in small bottles. The needs and preferences of the market vary from one consumer to another. It should come as no surprise that there are customers who like to order bigger bottles, like 50- or 100-milliliter bottle sizes. If they figure out which essential oil scent they like, they might want to stock up on that oil in the future. Moreover, storing your essential oils in bigger bottles might seem to other customers as if there’s a high demand for those scents. That’s why it’s a good business strategy to widen the options of bottle sizes for your customers.

Ensure the Durability of Bottles

Packaging essential oils entails ensuring that the bottles in which they’re stored are durable. It’s more costly to use cheap yet easily breakable bottles than to invest in reasonably priced and sturdy bottles. Needless to say, your customers will not be happy if they receive essential oils in bottles that have broken during transit. 

Glass bottles are the ideal containers for essential oils, but it doesn’t mean that all of the glass bottles sold and used out there won’t break eventually. Because of this, doing your research on the best essential oil bottles can go a long way. Making sure that the bottles are durable can also be practical when you plan to buy in bulk. 

Some great examples of durable glass bottles are the wholesale essential oil bottles available on Infinity Jars. Because of their European-made glass, these bottles are thicker in construction than other glass bottles in the market. With these top-quality, durable essential oil bottles, you can take peace of mind knowing that your essential oils can be safe and sound throughout the delivery process. 

Check If the Lids of the Bottles Are Airtight

As was previously mentioned, oxygen and moisture are the common factors as to why essential oils expire. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem, and it’s ensuring that the lids of the bottles are airtight. Airtight lids or seals can lock in the aroma of essential oils. At the same time, they can prevent moisture and oxygen from seeping in the bottles and ruining your oils. 

When customers receive essential oil bottles with airtight lids, there’s no doubt that they’ll be satisfied with your products’ long-lasting qualities. Airtight lids can also prevent your essential oils from leaking out of their bottles. Simply put, quality lids beget quality essential oils, and quality products guarantee customer satisfaction.

Remember That Color and Style Matter

Competition never fails to be present in any industry. Specifically, in the essential oil business, one of the ways to beat the competition is to use unique essential oil bottles. When your bottles sport eye-catching colors and styles, your brand will surely stand out among all the other brands. Choosing one-of-a-kind bottles can influence the purchase decisions of customers and, in turn, help your business gain traction. 

Selecting the right color does not only help catch the attention of customers, but it also protects your products against damage. Since sunlight can hasten the degradation process of essential oils, it’s best to store essential oils in bottles made of colored glass. That means you should steer clear of clear, colorless glass or plastic bottles, which can allow light to damage essential oils. 

Apart from transparent bottles, amber glass bottles and other colored glass bottles are not really the best packaging option for essential oils. These types of glass bottles cannot completely block out harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. The perfect bottles for essential oils are those that sport a dark violet color, like the essential oil bottles on Infinity Jars. Because of their rich violet color, these bottles can prevent damaging rays from entering the glass and spoiling your essential oils. Plus, Infinity Jars has incorporated UV technology into the bottles’ glass composition. That’s why these essential oil bottles can not only block out UV-A and infrared rays; they can also allow in beneficial rays to restore and sanitize the products. When it comes to preserving the aroma and overall quality of your essential oils, UV glass bottles are your best bet. 

Getting Wholesale Essential Oil Bottles

Lastly, whenever you buy bottles for your essential oils, it’s more practical to order in bulk than to purchase small quantities. As long as the goods aren’t perishable, ordering products in bulk is one of the most effective ways to save money, time, and effort in any business. You won’t also have to worry about running out of containers when you stock up on them.

Here at Infinity Jars, the wholesale essential oil bottles offered are certainly worth the purchase. Quick order processing plus deep wholesale discounts are just some of the few things you can expect when you order in bulk. With their airtight lids and UV-filtering technology, these essential oil bottles are guaranteed to prolong the shelf lives of your essential oils.

Infinity Jars offers a wide range of sizes of empty essential oil bottles, from 5 to 100mL. There are essential oil bottles with Euro droppers, which are specially engineered for essential oil application. There are also essential oil glass roller bottles, which are perfect for topical use. No matter what style and size you choose, you can rest assured that the essence of your essential oil line will be well-protected against spoilage and leakage.

References:

1. https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/essential-oil-storage-tips 
2. https://www.bottlestore.com/blog/guide-to-bottling-and-selling-your-own-essential-oils/ 
3. https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.com/blog/articles/how-to-store-essential-oils-to-maximize-oil-life.html 
4. https://www.carowpackaging.com/blog/6-big-trends-in-essential-oil-bottles-and-packaging 
5. http://info.achs.edu/blog/do-essential-oils-have-a-shelf-life 
6. https://www.sourcevital.com/blogs/insights/how-to-tell-if-your-essential-oils-have-expired