Essential oils are the pure essence of aromatic plants. They’re highly concentrated extracts that are harvested from plants, herbs, and trees.
Pure essential oils are more potent than dried herbs and far more powerful than the botanicals from which they’re extracted.
Click the image below to learn facts and uses of Essential oils.
Over two decades ago, D. Gary Young discovered the profound power of essential oils. He founded Young Living Essential Oils to share his matchless knowledge of these benefits with millions around the world, supporting their health and transforming their lives. Gary's unrivaled expertise in the power of plants led to the creation of the world's largest and most diverse line of oil-infused products.
In his travels to study essential oil distillation techniques around the world, Gary discovered wide discrepancies in quality. He learned that in order to ensure purity and potency, rigorous and expert analysis of finished oils was critical. With a newfound commitment to essential oil science, Gary established what is now known as Seed to Seal®, Young Living’s industry-leading quality commitment to provide only 100 percent pure and natural oils that maintain their vital potency.
Gary’s deep conviction to sharing the power of essential oils embodied the spirit of Young Living. He left a legacy that continues to advocate total well-being for everyone, everywhere.
Uses throughout history
Essential oils have enhanced lives for thousands of years, offering a variety of benefits—from cosmetic, aromatic, and dietary purposes to spiritual and religious uses.
In fact, oils are mentioned in many historical texts from around the world. They are well documented for their uses and benefits in ancient times. For 25 years, Young Living has taken the lead in bringing this ancient tradition to modern times, introducing millions to life-changing nature-based wellness.
Click the image below to learn more about Essential oils throughout history.
How to use essential oils
You can access the power of essential oils many ways, but the most common practices include aromatic diffusion, topical application, and dietary consumption. These methods bring the pure essence of health-promoting botanicals to your home, family, and life.
Aromatic use is inhaling the scent of essential oils. Often, the body can react to the scent of an oil without your even realizing it. By simply inhaling or diffusing a scent, you can evoke a desired mood or emotion or even recall a childhood memory through the limbic system. Using oils aromatically is an excellent way to reap the benefits of essential oils and positively impact your emotions and mood.
Essential oils can also be applied to the skin. This is known as topical application. To demonstrate how quickly the body metabolizes essential oils, we’ll review a study conducted with Lavender essential oil. The study tested for linalool and linalyl acetate (the two major constituents of Lavender essential oil) in the blood following a gentle abdominal massage with a 2 percent Lavender/98 percent peanut oil blend. Amounts of both constituents were identified 15 minutes after the beginning of the massage, with the peak occurring at around 30 minutes. The study also calculated the half-life of the constituents: 13.76 minutes for linalool and 14.3 minutes for linalyl acetate.
In some of Young Living's global markets, our Vitality™ and Plus essential oil lines* are labeled and intended for internal use. They can be used in cooking, to flavor your favorite beverages, or even to take internally as supplements.
The rich, bright aromas of essential oils can add a delicious kick of flavor to your favorite recipes. Try adding a drop or two of Lime Vitality or Plus to [ES1] fresh salsa or to your favorite marinade. You might also add Lemon Vitality or Plus to grilled fish, Peppermint Vitality or Plus to hot cocoa, or Basil and Oregano Vitality or Plus to homemade pasta sauce. Get creative and enjoy all the culinary possibilities of essential oils.
Remember, essential oils are potent. When cooking, one drop goes a long way!
If you add oils to a drink, make sure to use a glass or stainless-steel bottle because oils will degrade plastic. Use caution when using essential oils on any soft, plastic surface.
While not all markets have oils labeled and intended for internal use, rest assured that regardless of the label color or language, all Young Living products are produced to the same stringent Seed to Seal® quality commitment.
*We encourage consumers to always check product labels for appropriate use in their market. See your local product guide for products available for purchase in your market.
[ES1]Glad we have both Vitality and Plus here. Unfortunately (unless something has changed) we need to identify every single EO suggested for internal use as Vitality or Plus. That would get pretty unwieldy of course, so when you run this through reg, please get their recommendations on how to streamline that verbiage.
There’s so much to learn about our amazing essential oils—how powerful they are and how each one provides the body with so many benefits! First, let’s take a few minutes to touch on safety and usage tips. Essential oils are very potent, so it’s important to know how to use them correctly.
If you have sensitive skin, are new to essential oils, or are using oils you haven’t used on your skin before, we recommend doing a patch test prior to use. A patch test is especially beneficial when using essential oils that produce a warm or tingling sensation on the skin.
Essential oils from herbs and spices—such as Cinnamon Bark, Peppermint, and Oregano—are examples of these “hot” oils.
Patch test instructions: Apply 1-2 drops of essential oil to the forearm. Reactions usually occur within 5-10 minutes.
If you experience any adverse reaction, apply a carrier oil on the affected area as often as needed instead of soap and water.
It’s important to remember that oils are fat soluble. This means they’re attracted to fat and repel water. The skin is made up of fat, which attracts essential oils. If an oil causes any type of discomfort, washing with water will only drive the oil deeper into your skin.
Dilution recommendations can be found on the back of each essential oil bottle and should be followed, especially if you’re new to essential oils or using them on children. Diluting essential oils means mixing them with a carrier oil.
Carrier oils are plant-derived oils, such as almond oil or coconut oil, that ensure that essential oils applied topically are comfortable to the skin.
Always consult your health care provider and follow label instructions. Listen to your body and use what you are comfortable with. Be smart, make empowered decisions, and use common sense.
Thieves® essential oil blend is a powerful combination of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon Bark, Eucalyptus Radiata, and Rosemary essential oils that fills any space with a rich, spicy aroma. As one of our most popular products, it’s no wonder that Thieves is part of so many of our home cleaning and personal care products. It’s a key ingredient in Thieves Household Cleaner, Thieves Waterless Hand Purifier, Thieves Wipes, and Thieves Foaming Hand Soap. Thieves is your go-to for an invigorating, clean, and spicy scent that smells like fall baking.
Extracted through careful steam distillation, resin tapping, and cold pressing, the purest essential oils are far more powerful than the botanicals from which they’re derived. Let’s dive deeper into each extraction process.
Steam distillation is the most common way to extract essential oils. Young Living is an innovator in essential oil distillation. Young Living Founder D. Gary Young’s years of research and innovation have led Young Living to establish a delicate distillation process that sets us apart from all the other oil companies. Young Living uses an innovative, gentle, and proprietary steam distillation process that involves using just the right amount of heat and pressure to extract essential oils. Distillation must be done correctly and carefully to ensure that each oil has the proper chemical constituent profile.
Essential oil constituents are easily destroyed by too much heat or pressure. That’s why we use gentle techniques to extract our oils to avoid causing any damage or loss of potency. Variation in temperature or pressure alters the oil. The beneficial compounds are just as powerful in the essential oil bottles as they are in their plant source when distilled properly. Residual plant material is then composted to create fertilizer.
Cold pressing is how we extract citrus essential oils such as Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime, Orange, and Tangerine. Historically, cold pressing was done by hand. People would press down with their bare hands on presoaked citrus rinds until a mixture of water and oil was obtained. Thankfully, a more modern method of extraction (and a less labor-intensive one!) allows us to obtain our beloved citrus oils.
During cold pressing, the rind of the citrus fruit is placed in a container with spikes that puncture the peels while the device rotates. Puncturing the rinds allows the release of essential oil, which is then collected and separated from the natural juices. The rind of the fruit is pressed, and the essential oil is separated from the fruit.
We use this process to obtain citrus oils because using other methods can break down and damage the delicate citral molecules. Steam-distilled citrus oils may have a bitter aroma because the heat breaks down these molecules.
This method is used to extract oils such as Frankincense, Myrrh, and Copaiba. This is accomplished by scraping the external plant source. Over time, the tree produces a sap-like substance to heal the wound. The sap hardens into a resin that is then collected and taken for distilling. If done properly, tapping trees causes no harm to the plant, and with our Seed to Seal® quality commitment, we comply with the most responsible and scalable sourcing practices available.
Young Living produces more than 80 percent of our oils through steam distilling. This method has been practiced for over 5,000 years! In steam distillation, freshly picked plants are suspended over boiling water. The steam from the hot water rises through the plant material and pulls the oil from the plant. As the steam and oil mixture rises, it gets captured in a vessel. It then travels through a condenser and is rapidly cooled. This causes the steam/oil mixture to condense back into water. Since water and essential oil do not mix, they separate and the essential oil is then collected.
Not all essential oils are the same. See what sets Young Living apart as the world leader in essential oils.
Millions around the world have discovered the benefits of pure essential oils derived naturally from plants. We’re committed to establishing and maintaining the ultimate, industry-leading standard in essential oil products. For us, the non-negotiable benchmarks for delivering a product that our customers can feel great about are multifaceted and exacting. We’re proud to offer an extensive line of essential oils and essential oil-infused, plant-based products that represent the best of nature—through the standards of our Seed to Seal® quality commitment.
Click the numbers below to learn more about the Steam Distilling process.
Getting started with Young Living is easy
There are hundreds of essential oils and oil-infused products to choose from. Young Living has made it easy to know where to start.
Get started on your personal Young Living journey by selecting one of our starter collections. These include our most popular products.
Product Availability
Not all products mentioned above may be available for purchase in your local market. Products marked with "NFR only" may be available through and NFR order. Please keep reading to learn more about NFR orders.
What is an NFR order and how can I place one?
"Not For Resale" orders (NFR) are a type of special order where it is possible to order product available in the United States catalog. Not all Young Living markets can process NFR orders. Please contact your local Member Services office for more information regarding the procedure and ability of your home market to process these types of orders.