The shocking truth about essential oils are that they are powerful, highly concentrated natural plant products and can eat through plastic. Essential oils are volatile and extremely potent and shouldn’t be used without knowing a few basic lessons. You may not know that due to their highly concentrated nature they can eat through plastics. Even an oil as safe as lavender stored in a plastic bottle will, over time, turn a plastic bottle into a muddled form. Read on to find out why we shouldn’t store essential oils in plastic bottles.
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Hopefully you know that we store essential oils in dark glass bottles because they can oxidize over time. This means that exposure to oxygen when you open the bottle, exposure to sun (UV light) and heat can cause oxidization. Why is oxidization so bad? Because it can cause your skin irritation, to burn, or blister. So even in a glass bottle, treated incorrectly, overtime can cause your oils to degrade and become unsafe.
Why Does Lemon Essential Oil Eat Plastic?
In addition to oxidization, essential oils can eat away at plastic if stored in a plastic bottle. Why? You might ask. Essential oils are corrosive and acidic despite being a natural and safe, if safely used, healthy alternative to other chemical laden products. An essential oil that people often ask about is Lemon. Lemon has a high acidic level and breaks down plastic faster than an essential oil with a lower acidic level. The constituent d-limonene is responsible for this.
Try It Out
For instance, applying a few drops of lemon essential oil to polystyrene also known as plastic number 6 will immediately start to break down the plastic. You can try this with a piece of Styrofoam, such as a plate or cup. Simply drop a few drops of lemon on the Styrofoam and see the process yourself. The lemon essential oil eats away at the Styrofoam very quickly. Don’t be mistaken, all essential oils will break down plastic, some just take longer than others.
When essential oils are stored in plastic bottles the bottles start to break down. Causing the chemicals from the plastic to enter your essential oils. This causes them too no longer be pure. Would you want to use an essential oil, for instance lavender, on your skin if it had been contaminated by plastic?
Besides glass and metal are there any other type of containers you can use to store essential oils in?
Yes. P.E.T. or plastic no. 1 and HDPE or plastic no. 2 are higher quality plastics that can withstand the corrosive powers of essential oils. P.E.T. is a food grade, safe plastic and is BPA free. HDPE is a high-quality plastic. HDPE is what the droppers and lids are made from on essential oil bottles.
You could theoretically store essential oils in plastic no.1 or no.2 for long periods of time with out corrosive behaviors. However, due to the bottles being plastic and possible clear, you will be exposing your oils to UV lights from the sun causing oxidization, unless of course you store them in a dark location. I personally wouldn’t risk it. Essential oils routinely come in a dark color glass bottles and there would be no need to store them in plastic.
Can diluted essential oils be stored in plastic containers?
If you were to mix up a massage oil with essential oils, there is no reason to believe that it couldn’t be stored in a plastic bottle if it was properly diluted. However, if you plan on storing it for a long time, it would be best in a glass container.
Wrapping It Up
So, in conclusion, it is best to store your essential oils in glass containers. Metal would be fine too. The lesson here is that essential oils and plastics do not mix well. I would hate for you to lose any of your precious essential oils by storing them in plastic. The whole point of essential oils is to have a safe healthy alternative to chemicals and mixing your oils with plastic makes that all the harder to accomplish a healthy lifestyle.
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Did you try it out? Did your lemon essential oil eat the plastic? Let me know in the comments!
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Resources:
One of my favorite resources is Lea Jacobson form Using Essential Oils Safely. She has a ton of free resources such has 30 days of Free Essential Oil Safety Files and a Learning Center with tons of information. You can get free recipes, what to do in an essential oil emergency, information about EO’s during pregnancy and so much more! Simply click HERE to find out more!
Sources:
Tisserand, R and Young, (2014) Essential Oil Safety, 2ed. Churchill Livingstone
Purchon, N and Cantele (2014) The Complete Aromatherapy and Essential Oils Handbook for Everyday Wellness. Robert Rose, Inc.