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STEAM DISTILLING
Steam distillation is the most common way to extract essential oils. Young Living is an innovator in essential oil distillation. Young Living Founder D. Gary Young’s years of research and innovation have led Young Living to establish a delicate distillation process that sets us apart from all the other oil companies. Young Living uses an innovative, gentle, and proprietary steam distillation process that involves using just the right amount of heat and pressure to extract essential oils. Distillation must be done correctly and carefully to ensure that each oil has the proper chemical constituent profile.
Essential oil constituents are easily destroyed by too much heat or pressure. That’s why we use gentle techniques to extract our oils to avoid causing any damage or loss of potency. Variation in temperature or pressure alters the oil. The beneficial compounds are just as powerful in the essential oil bottles as they are in their plant source when distilled properly. Residual plant material is then composted to create fertilizer.
COLD PRESSING
Cold pressing is how we extract citrus essential oils such as Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime, Orange, and Tangerine. Historically, cold pressing was done by hand. People would press down with their bare hands on presoaked citrus rinds until a mixture of water and oil was obtained. Thankfully, a more modern method of extraction (and a less labor-intensive one!) allows us to obtain our beloved citrus oils.
During cold pressing, the rind of the citrus fruit is placed in a container with spikes that puncture the peels while the device rotates. Puncturing the rinds allows the release of essential oil, which is then collected and separated from the natural juices. The rind of the fruit is pressed, and the essential oil is separated from the fruit.
We use this process to obtain citrus oils because using other methods can break down and damage the delicate citral molecules. Steam-distilled citrus oils may have a bitter aroma because the heat breaks down these molecules.
RESIN TAPPING
This method is used to extract oils such as Frankincense, Myrrh, and Copaiba. This is accomplished by scraping the external plant source. Over time, the tree produces a sap-like substance to heal the wound. The sap hardens into a resin that is then collected and taken for distilling. If done properly, tapping trees causes no harm to the plant, and with our Seed to Seal® quality commitment, we comply with the most responsible and scalable sourcing practices available.