But it's hard because there is always that one unscrupulous vendor who makes the whole industry look bad. As with the herbal supplement market, many of the plants used to make essential oils for aromatherapy are gathered from the wild. Issues of sustainability concerning the two most popular scents, rosewood and sandalwood, have been questioned. Green says some botanists have advocated not purchasing rosewood products because the tree is being decimated along the river corridors where it is harvested in Brazil. Others argue that the tree is not rare farther back in the forest.
Sandalwood faces similar problems.
But, again, you will find companies that say they use a small farmer using sustainable growing and ethical harvesting practices. Although many of the essential oil herbs are wildcrafted, a lot are planted each year, too. As more and more aromatherapy products surface, consumers will be increasingly burdened with the task of deciding which are healthful and which do harm.