Common Objections to Essential Oils

Answers From Two Former Skeptics

I’ve mentioned before that essential oils were a “hail Mary” in my health recovery journey. When my mom first introduced the idea of using them, and I was not a fan. I had tried so many different “remedies”, and essential oils seemed like more false hope. Thankfully, my mom’s determination paid off. It wasn’t long after introducing oils into my daily routine that I was able to regroup, refocus, and start taking personal ownership of my health.

And then there was my husband. As an engineer, he came with an extra dose of skepticism, but for him, the proof was in the pudding. After witnessing lavender oil’s ability to make a hive disappear in minutes or heal a minor burn in a day, he agreed that there was something to the whole “oil thing”. Fast forward three years and I can safely say that Chris has fully embraced the idea that the essential oils of plants have powerful medicinal properties.

If you’re interested in reading more about our personal experiences with health and oils, you can find more about our stories on the About Us page.

Given our skepticism, we’ve had to find answers to our own reservations. We suspect that you probably share some of the same concerns about essential oils and have compiled a list of common objections.

1. Essential Oils Are a Bunch of Stuff and Nonsense

“Stuff and nonsense” is probably the mildest way of phrasing this objection. In short, the main point is that essential oils don’t work. They may smell nice and even “relax” you (in the same way that a bubble bath or candle will relax you), but there’s no evidence to prove that they can improve the overall health of a person.

To start, I would say that the main reason this such a strong objection is because of how essential oils have been marketed, both in the past and today.

Like my husband wrote in his testimonial:

“Part of my scepticism was rooted in what I still believe is a problem that plagues the essential oil community – the marketing of oils as historic, mystic, and even biblical miracle cures instead of focusing on scientific results based research.”
Christopher Miller

With that said, there is a significant amount of research-based evidence that suggests that essential oils are a powerful addition to conventional medicine.

Hundreds of Scientific Studies – Most people are under the assumption that little research has been conducted on essential oils. This simply isn’t the case. For example, in the following blog articles, we make it a point to cite several studies regarding each topic. Our hope is that we will one day correct this misperception.
- Why Use Essential Oils? – In this blog entry, we cite twenty-five different PubMed publications regarding the benefits and uses of various essential oils.
- Lavender Uses and Benefits – In this blog entry, we cite nineteen different scientific publications regarding the benefits and uses of lavender essential oil.
- Essential Oils That Can Help With Constipation – In this blog entry, we cite twelve different scientific publications on various essential oils and their effect on constipation.
- Benefits of Lemon Essential Oil – In this blog entry, we cite sixteen different scientific publications on the benefits and uses of lemon essential oil.
- Rosemary Essential Oil Benefits – In this blog entry, we cite fifteen different scientific publications on the benefits of rosemary essential oil.

There are still a LOT of unknowns surrounding the benefits and uses of essential oils. At the same time, nearly ALL of the evidence concludes that the benefits are exceptionally promising and that additional research should be conducted.

The Original Source – While we have certainly entered the era of synthetic chemistry, it is important to acknowledge that the majority of the blockbuster drugs that have been introduced to the market of the last several decades are plant derivatives. To say that there are no medicinal properties in essential oils simply doesn’t ring true historically or scientifically. [1]

Hospital Use – It’s one thing for moms to adopt the use of essential oils (not knocking moms who use essential oils…I am one) but it’s another thing for a hospital to incorporate them into its routine. But that’s exactly what is happening.
- CHI Health Mercy has started giving ER patients peppermint, lavender, ginger, and spearmint oils to sniff in order to help with nausea and vomiting. [2]
- Vanderbilt Hospital has started diffusing various types of essential oils throughout its ER in order to reduce stress and improve the morale of its medical staff. [3]
- Christie Hospital uses essential oils to help combat MRSA bacteria. [4]

In fact, Jacqui Stringer, the Clinical Lead of Complementary Therapies at the Christie Hospital states that,

“The reason essential oils are so effective is because they are made up of a complex mixture of chemical compounds which the MRSA and other super bug bacteria finds difficult to resist. The problem with current treatments is that they are made of single compounds which MRSA relatively quickly becomes resistant to, so treatment is only successful in around 50% of cases.”

The main point is that essential oils are more than a nice smell or placebo, and you don’t have to “drink the kool-aid” in order to join the bandwagon.

2. “I Tried Essential Oils and They Didn’t Work”

Obviously, there is no way for me to speak directly to your personal experience because each one is different. But that would also be my main response. Each of us is uniquely made. Our bodies are different, our nutrition is different, our response to drugs will be different. And essential oils are no different.

We know this to be true in the process of picking pain medication. Some people respond well to Tylenol, while others feel no relief until they take Excedrin Extra Strength. Knowing how your body responds to particular pain medication is a process that we’ve all worked through. Essential oils are no different.

“Essential Oils Are No Different”

If you have a particular ailment, it may take you two or three tries to find which oil will have the best effect on your body.

For example, I get cold sores frequently and for a while, I only treated them with melaleuca. Because of its antibacterial and antiviral properties, I figured that it should work. While I saw some improvement it never really did the trick (although, I know people who have had great success with this method). It wasn’t until I introduced lavender and used it in combination with melaleuca that I saw faster and complete healing.

Helpful Tip – In many ways, this is what makes oil blends so useful. You get exposure to multiple different compounds and have more of a scattergun effect to an issue. Chris improved our cold sore game ten-fold when he created a roller blend that contains several different essential oils. He swears by this recipe!

3. Essential Oils Are SO Expensive!

Another common objection to essential oils is their price point. While I’m addressing this objection, I would also like to discuss the importance of sourcing. In many ways, both topics go hand-in-hand. Ultimately, finding a quality essential oil is KEY to their effectiveness and your safety. Cutting corners on price can have an adverse effect in both areas.

The price of essential oils varies based on the type of substance being used. For example, rose essential oil or melissa essential oil will be incredibly pricey. On the other hand, wild orange or lemon essential oils will be on the lower side of the price scale. If you find a company that is selling an essential oil at “bargain” prices, then chances are that there is something amiss.

Two common ways to reduce the price of essential oils are:

Significantly dilute the essential oil with a carrier oil, reducing product efficacy and potentially creating health concerns.
Cutting corners in sourcing, distillation, or distribution.

How to Choose an Essential Oil – Steps you can take to ensure you are buying quality essential oils that you can trust.

Changing Your Perspective on the Value of Essential Oils

If you simply view essential oils as pleasant fragrances, then I would agree that the price doesn’t match the value. Although, let’s be honest about how much we are willing to spend on perfumes and cosmetics.

On the other hand, if you recognize the multi-purpose benefits of essential oils, then your appreciation of their value will increase and the price point begins to make more sense.

For example, when buying lavender essential oil, I see a multi-purpose product, including,

Stress management,
Pain relief,
Anti-inflammation (helping my body heal from all sorts of things like sunburns, hives, small wounds, and bug bites),
Sleep aid,
And so much more.

It’s true that I wouldn’t likely spend $23 on something that simply smells good, but I am willing to spend $23 for a product that I can literally use every day to improve my quality of life.

4. You Have to Buy Oils Through Multi-Level Marketing (MLM)

This was one objection that Chris and I wrestled with a lot before starting this blog — not because we didn’t believe 100% in the product, but because we weren’t entirely sure we wanted to hang out under the banner of multi-level marketing (MLM).

And yet here we are holding the banner sign for probably one of the most well known MLM companies.

Is doTerra a Pyramid Scheme?

It’s a misconception to believe that in order to buy essential oils from doTerra (or Young Living for that matter), you must start selling essential oils yourself. {Insert all comments about pyramid schemes here}.

The truth of the matter is that you can view a membership with doTerra in a similar light as you would a Costco membership. You buy an annual membership and get to buy products at wholesale…sounds similar, no?

Decent People Sharing a Product That They Love

It is true that the individual who walks you through the membership process will benefit monetarily. We understand that MLM “peddlers” can be jerks, take advantage of friendships, and all-in-all be incredibly annoying.

What we don’t understand is a dogmatic avoidance of MLM. We’ve literally heard friends say that “we won’t buy from an MLM because we know that person is making money off our transaction.” Our response?

If you’re interested in a product, and that person can get it for you at a lower cost and help you use it effectively and efficiently, then WE DON’T UNDERSTAND.

At the end of the day, this product has helped Chris and me tremendously, and we simply want to share that information with all of you.

Why we’ve planted the doTerra flag:

Personal Experience: I’ve used doTerra’s essential oils for more than half a decade and my experience couldn’t be better (either with the product or the service of the company). I kept coming back to the fact that this is literally the only product that I have consistently used over the years in my health journey — why wouldn’t I share it with others?
Great Product: We mention this point in the blog, but doTerra checks all the boxes when it comes to testing and reputability. The company not only works hard to produce a quality product and service, but it also goes the extra step of testing the purity of its oils (read “3 Simple Steps to Identify Fake Essential Oils” to learn more).
Great Company: doTerra is a reputable MLM company and has ranked in Forbes “Best Employers in America” list for the last three years. I recently called the main office to get an issue resolved with my account and it was a stress-free interaction that took less than five minutes – on a personal level, my experience with the company has only been a positive one.

With that said, we promise that not all our research revolves around essential oils. In fact, we are very intentional to tell people that oils are NOT a “one-stop-shop” for healthy living. There are a host of other things that contribute to a healthy, balanced lifestyle.

Do You Have Additional Objections?

If you have additional objections or have a follow-up that you would like to make, please commit below. Chris and I are always up to discuss the topic of essential oils and would love to hear your perspective or questions!