Our Philosophy

Materia Aromatica is committed to sourcing only organic and natural products. We avoid the unnecessary use of chemicals, preservatives and other additives in our products    Our Philosophy

Our Objective

is simple; to provide essential oils, soaps and creams that are of the best quality available.

To do this we aim to only source oils that have been distilled either from certified organic crops or from wild-crafted crops. In addition we endeavour to ensure that

• we use the best suppliers available
• the production techniques employed by our suppliers are the purest available
• the oils are transported and stored in a controlled environment
• the quality of the oils is closely monitored

Isabelle Poignart & Gabriel Mojay

Wild

Wild plants are found in forests, mountainous areas and other non-cultivated areas. These wild plants are collected and then used to produce essential oils which are unique and have an unmatched vitality and wholeness. Plants in the wild are all born by pollination with their own personality, age, life force and botanical history. They grow without the intervention of man in an environment where only the toughest survive.

Organic Cultivation

The demand for essential oils cannot be sustained by wild plants alone and the cultivation of essential oil bearing crops has proven to be the solution for nearly a century. The vitality and energy of an essential oil and its closeness to its wild counterpart is ensured by the quality of a soil nourished with organic materials exactly as nature intended.

The term 'ORGANIC' is used to describe essential and vegetable oils that are distilled or pressed from plants

• grown in fields which are situated away from polluted areas
• without the use of weed killers or pesticides
• fertilized with organic compost and fed with plant extracts and minerals.

Organic Certification

Materia Aromatica's essential oils come from countries around the world. Our oils are certified organic either from the Soil Association Certification Ltd or the relevant certification body of the particular country where the oil is produced. For certain countries (for example India) no organic certification is available. In these instances we have visited the suppliers and have satisfied ourselves that the oils are produced to our organic standards.

Production & Quality

The essential oils are supplied directly to Materia Aromatica by growers & distillers of organic crops.

As much as possible we buy from smaller farms or family enterprises. This has the advantage that these farmers distil their own freshly harvested materials themselves. They carry out steam distillation on a small scale at low pressure in stainless steel tanks in order to maximise the essential oils therapeutic value and to retain the individuality and life force of the crops from which they originate. Every batch of oil is dated, numbered and tested to ensure the quality of the oil.

Prices

Oils from organically-grown or wild-crafted crops are generally more expensive, as the term itself is a guarantee of purity and wholeness. Organically grown crops must adhere to strict guidelines. The oils are sold in their pure form, without dilution or the addition of any synthetic oils.

Picking , carried out by hand in the wild, requiring extra labour, is time consuming and costly. This explains the price variations between two oils of the same species such as our organic and wild varieties of Lavandula angustifolia.

Stock & Storage

The oils are transported and kept in dark glass or vitrified aluminium containers. This protects the oils from exposure to damaging ultraviolet light.

Most of the oils maintain their vitality for up to two years, though the citrus oils last for about a year whilst some oils such as sandlewood mature with age. All the oils are stored in a cool temperature controlled environment, to maintain the freshness of the oils. In addition Materia Aromatica manages its stock so that the essential oils are from the most recent crop.

Accreditations

Materia Aromatica is a member of Soil Association Certification Ltd. Every oil and product listed as 'organic' is certified by this leading body (unless otherwise stated).

Materia Aromatica is a member of 'SOIL ASSOCIATION CERTIFICATION LTD'. The membership is renewed on a yearly basis after inspection of the company records. The Association ensures that the oils come from crops organically grown, conform to the EEC organic standards and are in no way adulterated or mixed with other oils of a lesser quality or synthetic ingredients.

Materia Aromatica is also a member of the Aromatherapy Trade Council whose primary object is to regulate the safety of the Aromatherapy trade. All applications for membership of the ATC are reviewed by its Membership Committee, and none are accepted until labels, bottles and literature conform to the ATC's requirements.