Bloomingdale, IL—NOW Foods has released new analytical testing results on lavender essential oil products sold on Amazon. The company explained that lavender essential oil, which is one of the most recognized and widely used essential oils in aromatherapy and personal care products, is vulnerable to dilution, substitution, and fragrance formulation practices that can impact authenticity and label accuracy. Genuine lavender oil has a naturally balanced chemical profile dominated by compounds such as linalool and linalyl acetate, NOW explained, along with a characteristic terpene distribution unique to authentic lavender.
About NOW's testing of lavender essential oil products
The goal of NOW's testing: to determine whether products marketed as “Lavandula angustifolia” or “pure lavender essential oil” were consistent with the composition expected of authentic lavender essential oil, according to ISO standards for French/Bulgarian lavender oils. The company purchased 28 lavender essential oil products from Amazon, which were evaluated using GC-MS/FID analytical testing.
Testing was conducted using Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry/Flame Ionization Detection (GC-MS/FID) with a non-polar analytical column. According to NOW, the testing focused on confirming authentic lavender species, detecting carrier oils and extender materials, and identifying synthetic or fragrance-related compounds not expected in pure lavender essential oil.
NOW's finding: The majority of tested products failed authenticity and adulteration standards.
NOW reported that only three of the 28 tested products (11%) met ISO criteria for authentic Lavandula angustifolia essential oil and showed no evidence of adulteration.
Among the tested products, NOW reported that:
11 samples showed profiles inconsistent with authentic Lavandula angustifolia and appeared to contain lower-grade lavender materials, blended lavender-type oils, or non-authentic lavender species.
- 12 samples showed evidence of dilution with carrier oils, mineral oil-type substances, fatty esters, or other extender materials.
- 13samples contained synthetic fragrance-related compounds or compositional patterns not expected in genuine lavender essential oil.
- 8additional samples failed because they did not claim or contain Lavandula angustifolia.
NOW also noted that several samples showed severe suppression of natural lavender constituents, while others appeared to be heavily formulated fragrance blends rather than true essential oils.
NOW further stated that eight of the tested brands were from China and four were from India, with all of those foreign brands failing testing according to the company’s criteria. The company also reported that imported brands represented four of the five lowest-priced products tested, while the three products that passed testing—NOW Lavender Essential Oil, as well as First Botany Cosmeceuticals and Pure Body—were among the four highest-priced products on Amazon.
“These analyses underscore the importance of analytical testing in the essential oil marketplace,” the company stated.
NOW said it plans to continue evaluating products sold through major online marketplaces and sharing analytical findings to support transparency, authenticity, and higher quality standards across the industry. The company added that the report will be shared with the FDA and Amazon.
See NOW's full report, including more details on brands that passed and those that failed NOW's testing, here.
Previous NOW testing includes:
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NOW also has reported multiple supplements sold on Amazon impersonating the NOW brand, as well as another prominent industry supplement brand.
Opportunity for natural products retailers
NOW generally does not test health food store brands or practitioner brands, as the company says quality issues do not seem to be a major issue with those brands. In 2022, WholeFoods Magazine recognized NOW and other industry leaders for their industry self-policing efforts, naming the Person of the Year: The Amazon.com Quality Activists. Dan Richard, VP of Global Sales and Marketing, NOW Health Group, told WholeFoods: “Stores can publish NOW’s results to let consumers know ‘buyer beware.' They can share some of the many articles published about our testing programs in their newsletters or on social media. The low prices online are sometimes too good to be true. Local stores have many advantages that online stores can’t offer including service, in-person experience, sampling, and more. It’s not easy these days for any business, but many natural retailers still succeed by finding a worthwhile niche, providing quality health products and at a reasonable price."
Related: The Natural View: NOW's Commitment to Supplement Quality & Transparency
- Concerns around adulteration in the supplement industry, and how NOW’s in-house testing helps protect against these issues.
- Some of the challenges labs face in maintaining rigorous standards, and how NOW deals with these challenges.
- Key takeaways from NOW Foods' testing of supplements sold on Amazon.
- ..and more.
FAQ: Lavender Oil Authenticity
Q: Why is lavender essential oil vulnerable to adulteration? According to NOW, its popularity and relatively high cost make it susceptible to dilution, substitution, and fragrance formulation.
Q: Did the lavender essential oils found on Amazon pass NOW's testing? NOW reported that only 3 of 28 products tested met its authenticity criteria.
Q: What issues were identified with lavender essential oil products sold on Amazon? NOW reported evidence of non-authentic lavender species, dilution, and synthetic fragrance compounds in many of the products the company tested.
