Guide To Essential Oil Shelf Life: Real or Unreal

by Kevin Smith Author

Essential oils are expensive, concentrated extractions that are valuable and demand investment to use. These uncommon and amazing medicinal ingredients come at a price because of the massive amount of plant matter, tools, and time needed to distill or express, then bottle them.

It makes sense that people frequently ask us, "How long do Young Living’s essential oils stay fresh?" "A long time!" is a straightforward response that is based on fact. If an essential oil supplier says their oils have a one-year or six-month shelf life, it's probably a ruse to get you to buy additional oil. Essential oils may generally be stored for several years at room temperature in dark, protected bottles without any problems.

Since essential oils are used up long before their quality degrades, most consumers won't have to worry about their personal lives. However, further specifics about the different oils' shelf life (by plant component) are provided below if that's of interest.

Citrus oils are the shortest

The lowest shelf life is found in essential oils extracted from the rinds of citrus fruits such as lemons, oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, mandarins, and others. These oils should be stored in dark, protected bottles and kept at room temperature.

While it's not required, you may opt to refrigerate citrus oils to help preserve and extend their shelf life by a year or two, as well as to give yourself peace of mind that you're doing all in your power to safeguard these extremely volatile and fresh oils. Use these oils often since they are great for cleaning, have a plethora of mood-boosting, anti-bacterial, and purifying properties, and enhance the aromatherapy mixes you create.

Barks, resins, and roots are the longest

Young Living Tree essential oils keep well in a dark, protected bottle at room temperature for up to 6–8 years, or longer. These essential oils don't deteriorate over many years of usage because of their exceptional shelf stability.

This comprises scent-rich oils such as Copaiba Balsam, Vetiver, Ginger, Frankincense, Sandalwood, Palo Santo, Cinnamon Bark, Patchouli, and Turmeric.

Mid-Range: Grass, seeds, flowers, and leaves

Rose, lavender, and chamomile essential oils, for example, are particularly stable and may be stored in dark, protected bottles at room temperature for up to three years or more. The same is true for grasses like lemongrass and citronella, seeds like cardamom and fennel, and leaf oils like eucalyptus, peppermint, rosemary, myrtle, and tea tree. These mid-range oils, which are often the center of a blend, have several uses, including respiratory (leaves), skin-healing (flowers), and digestive support (seeds).

Advice: To reduce oxidation and prolong shelf life, move the leftover oil to a smaller container after using the majority of it and leaving more than half of the bottle with "head room" (air).

The most concentrated type of smell, absolutes are highly valued in natural perfumery but are not the same as essential oils and do not have aromatherapeutic properties. These aromatics, which have undergone solvent extraction and alcohol filtering, are exceptionally stable and have a minimum shelf life of six years. You will definitely use up these oils before there is a problem with their shelf life if you store them in dark bottles at room temperature.

Use your nose to judge the freshness of essential oils; if they still smell good and true to their aroma beyond the previously stated predicted shelf life, they may still be OK. But if the oil smells "off," disagreeable, or different from what you recall, it might be best to discard it and get new. Its effectiveness may gradually diminish with time, but regardless of the kind of essential oil you use, if you use them frequently and finish them within three years, you should be alright.

The most crucial thing is to use and savor these rare and potent oils—not just to let them sit! They may brighten our days in a thousand ways and provide us so much joy and comfort.