Short answer: “Therapeutic grade,” “food grade,” “cosmetic grade” and “pure” are not a universal quality ladder. Ask what each term means for the exact product: a named standard, a defined supplier specification or marketing language. Then check the documents that support it. A grade claim alone does not prove therapeutic benefit or permission to swallow or apply the oil.

Ask what the grade is supposed to mean

Copy the exact word, capitalization, location, and surrounding claim. A seller may use “grade” to describe a specification, a market segment, a marketing position, or a product line. Ask whether the term refers to identity, purity, compositional limits, intended use, manufacturing controls, certification, or only a promotional description. Without that definition, the word cannot carry a technical conclusion.

“Food grade” is not a blanket statement that any product may be added to food. “Cosmetic grade” is not a safety guarantee for every skin area. “Therapeutic grade” is not an FDA approval or proof of clinical effect. IFRA standards and certificates also have a defined scope; they do not turn a raw material into a universal grade or approve every finished-product use.

Separate identity from quality claims

QuestionRecord neededWhy a grade word is insufficient
What material is it?Botanical or chemical identity, plant part, extraction, supplier, lot, and label.A grade name does not identify species, chemotype, fraction, or dilution.
What is in this lot?Specification, COA, analytical method, constituent limits, and date.“Pure” does not reveal a complete compositional result.
What may it be used for?Finished-product category, label, intended route, market, and directions.Use is governed by the exact product and claim, not a generic grade.
What outcome is promised?Advertisement, claim, evidence, population, endpoint, and substantiation.A quality word cannot prove a therapeutic or performance effect.

Use technical records at their scope

NIST’s Chemistry WebBook is a reference-data resource for identified chemicals and spectra. It can support an analytical comparison when the material and method match; it is not a retail quality certificate. FDA cosmetic and aromatherapy guidance keeps intended use and claims separate from a product name. IFRA guidance explains category and certificate responsibilities. Together these sources support a record-based review, not a universal grade ranking.

For a supplier comparison, request the exact label, botanical identity, plant part, extraction method, carrier or dilution, lot, COA, SDS, specification, storage conditions, and test method. If the supplier declines a field, record it as unknown. A third-party seal or “tested” statement can be documented, but ask what was tested, against which specification, by which laboratory, and for which lot.

How to compare a grade claim

  1. Copy every grade or purity word and the exact claim surrounding it.
  2. Identify the material, species, plant part, process, dilution, supplier, lot, and intended use.
  3. Match COA, SDS, specification, analytical method, and certificate to the same lot.
  4. Separate identity, composition, manufacturing, intended use, regulatory category, and efficacy questions.
  5. State what the record supports and what remains unresolved; do not call a grade a treatment or safety approval.

For example, two suppliers both call lavender oil “therapeutic grade.” One defines compositional limits and provides a matching lot report; the other supplies only the phrase. You can compare the first supplier’s stated specification with its results. You cannot infer the second oil failed a test—or that either oil treats a condition—from those words alone.

Also separate a missing document from a failed test. “No COA supplied” means the record is incomplete; it does not prove contamination or poor quality. “Pass” on one constituent or method does not prove every specification, stability condition, or intended use. Keep those conclusions narrow so a purchasing note does not become a safety or therapeutic claim.

Where this page stops

This page does not create an official grade system, rank brands, certify purity, authorize food or therapeutic use, or provide a dose or route. A grade word is not a substitute for the exact product record, applicable label, current standard, and qualified technical or regulatory review.