Quality Control

Quinessence is totally committed to supplying you with only the very purest, therapeutically active essential oils and aromatherapy products, manufactured from ecologically grown raw materials and sustainable sources. You want products that really work, and our aim is to exceed your expectation at every level.

To achieve this high standard, more than 20 years have been spent building close working relationships with growers, distillers and suppliers around the world. Striving for excellence is what helped us earn our reputation, and ensuring our aromatherapy products continue to meet these very demanding standards is what helps us keep it.

What does this involve?

Quality control involves processes, equipment and people. And with essential oils it is our opinion that QC should begin at the earliest stage of production, which means inspecting the crop at the growing phase. This important aspect is often overlooked when considering quality issues, and this is precisely why we have insisted on working closely with our main suppliers.

Wherever it is possible, we will visit the farm to inspect their facilities, collect samples and generally get to know the people who we will be doing business with. Even at this early stage we will make checks to verify the botanical species of the plant, and where growers claim to have organic status we insist upon having copies of their documentation to support this. Nothing is left to chance.

Analytical testing

Before purchase, every essential oil goes through a series of searching analytical procedures to ensure that the oil has not been adulterated, stretched or otherwise 'adjusted' in any way. To achieve this tests are conducted to measure the physical parameters of oils, check the odour profile, and if all is well go for GC/MS analysis.

Failure to meet any one of our demanding quality standards - at any stage - will result in an oil or raw material being firmly rejected. Discover more about GC analysis.

Traceability

After passing quality control, the raw material is purchased in bulk and the consignment is given a unique batch number and entered into the records of our raw materials database. Information recorded includes; the product name, product specification, its geographical origin, date of purchase and name of the producer or supplier. This means we are always able to trace every ingredient, of every product, right back to its source.

The same level of meticulous checks are enforced on every one of the raw materials we procure to ensure that our high standards are continually upheld. Compromising on quality is not an option at Quinessence.

Manufacturing standards

During the process of manufacturing our aromatherapy products, the same exacting standards are rigorously imposed at every stage in order to support full traceability, whilst showing compliance with all relevant legislation and regulations.

Products are filled using highly accurate computer-controlled measuring equipment in our 'clean-room' facilities. Visual inspections are made at several stages of filling to confirm that the correct volume of product is being delivered. Further random samples are taken and checked for accuracy prior to the labelling phase. All of our filling equipment is checked regularly by the U.K.'s Trading Standards Authority to ensure that this accuracy is maintained from batch to batch.

Safety

Safety and quality are equally important for aromatherapy products, and we work hard to ensure that our products are suitable for the entire family. All Quinessence products provide full instructions for use, including how many essential oil drops should be used when mixing a massage blend or added them to a bath.

Tamper-evident closures are used on all essential oils, and integral drippers are incorporated to ensure that an unattended child could not swallow the oil. Four different sizes of drippers are used to ensure accurate and easy dispensing of our full range essential oils.

Essential oil product labels provide the botanical name of the oil, its country of origin, instructions for use plus any contraindications that are applicable to the oil in the bottle. These are not just 'generic' instructions - everything is specifically related to the essential oil in the bottle.

Every product has a batch number sticker on the bottle or jar which is recorded on our product database. To help you get the very best performance out of your products, suggested 'best before' dates are also recorded on products wherever applicable. More on this.

Customer Support

We want to provide you with the best Customer Support possible, and therefore apply our same rigorous quality control procedures here too. As a manufacturer and distributor with over 20 years experience we have developed a wide range of systems to deal with the speedy and efficient processing of all incoming and outgoing orders.

A telephone Helpline service is available to all customers, supported by qualified aromatherapists who are members of the International Federation of Aromatherapists (IFA), International Federation of Aromatherapists (IFPA), The English Société l'Institut Pierre Franchomme, or the Register of Qualified Aromatherapists (RQA). Our senior therapist is a qualified clinical aromatherapist who has over 22 years experience in the aromatherapy industry.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) are available for professional practitioners (where applicable), and can be obtained on request.

Next > Shelf life

Search this site

Newsletter Subscription

Subscribe now to receive expert Articles, Essential oil profiles, Skincare tips, Recipes and much more.

Plus, you will have exclusive access to our hugely discounted Special Offers, Free Gifts and Prize Draws.

We respect your privacy and hate spam as much as you do. We will never sell, rent or share your e-mail address with anyone.

Did you know?

The climatic conditions and type of soil in which a plant is grown in will produce wide variations in the chemistry of essential oils that are produced from the same species.

Rose harvesting

Above: Harvesting Roses (Rosa damascena forma trigintipetala) in the Valley of the Roses, Kazanluk, Bulgaria

Testimonials

"I love the oils and base creams that Quinessence produce - I find them to be great quality with lovely, pure aromas, and the base creams are really easy to blend.But what really impresses me is the quality of the service you give. I know I will receive my beautifully packed box promptly, and that all the contents will be intact.Keep up the good work, and thanks to everyone there."Hazel Taylor - Aylesbury - Qualified Aromatherapist

View all testimonials

Learn more

Discover more about the natural plant-based ingredients we use in our aromatherapy skin care products on these pages:

Shop online

Information

Help & Support