How to Store Essential Oils to Maximize Their Shelf Life

Store essential oils properly to prevent oxidation

Although essential oils do not go rancid, over time they can oxidize, deteriorate and lose their beneficial therapeutic properties. Oils such as citrus oils can oxidize and begin to lose their aroma and therapeutic properties in as little as six months. Not all essential oils lose their aromatic qualities over time. Essential oils such as patchouli and sandalwood mature in aroma over time, however, all essential oils oxidize and lose their therapeutic value over time. All essential oils benefit from proper storage and handling.

Store essential oils in a cool place or in the refrigerator

Renowned aromatherapist Robert Tisserand advocates storing essential oils in a refrigerated environment whenever possible. If this is not possible, store them in as cool a place as possible.

Keep essential oils in dark glass bottles

To avoid spoilage and to protect the aromatic and therapeutic properties of essential oils, store them in amber or cobalt blue bottles. Dark colored glass such as amber or cobalt helps prevent deterioration from sunlight. It is best not to store essential oils in clear glass bottles. Clear glass bottles are not harmful to essential oils, but clear glass does not protect them from sunlight. In contrast, you may have noticed that most bottled beer is often packaged in amber (brown) glass bottles to help protect the contents from light. Avoid buying or storing pure essential oils in plastic bottles, except in some cases where they are most commonly purchased in bulk, because the oils will eat up in the plastic bottle and the oils will spoil in a short time. Some suppliers sell oils in lined aluminum bottles. Aluminum bottles are said to be acceptable if the inside of the bottle is lined.

Finding the right packaging for your essential oils

Avoid buying essential oils stored in bottles that have a screw cap with a rubber dropper in it. Droppers with rubber bulbs should not be stored with essential oil bottles as the high concentration of oil can turn the rubber bulbs into chewing gum and destroy the essential oils.

For personal use, essential oils, pure oils and CO₂ are most often sold in 5 ml, 10 ml and 15 ml (1/2 oz.) sizes. Many essential oils sold to consumers in 1 ounce (30 ml) and smaller sizes are not rubber dropper tops, but are packaged in bottles with orifice reducers. An orifice reducer is a small, clear insert inside the mouth of the bottle that is used as a built-in dropper. They are also known as Euro droppers.K Unlike the material used for rubber dropper bulbs, orifice reducers are made of materials that can withstand exposure to essential oils. The name throttle orifice may seem a bit strange at first, but it is a handy little dispensing device. You simply tilt the bottle and dispense the oil drop by drop.

Not all essential oil suppliers offer orifice reducers. This is not necessarily a reflection on the integrity of the company or the quality of their oils. In particular, wholesalers often do not use orifice reducer packaging because their primary customers are artisans and larger natural/holistic formulators who do not dispense essential oils drop by drop. If this is important to you, it is best to ask your supplier what type of packaging is used when bottling your oils.