Are my EOs still good?

[AliOop]

Friends, I placed an order with one of my regular suppliers for rose hip EO and helichrysum EO. Both are ridiculously expensive and not the most shelf-stable, but they are key ingredients in some of my favorite handcrafted personal care products.

The seller shipped it promptly, and it arrived to my city within two days of my order. However, my mail carrier accidentally switched my package with one for my neighbor. As a result, my package sat for two days in a metal parcel locker exposed to full sun at all times (no shade). Both days reached 100ºF; no doubt the inside of the parcel locker was 120ºF or more. Once I was able to retrieve the package, surprisingly, the bottles didn't feel much hotter than about 80ºF to the touch. I did immediately put the EOs in the fridge to cool down, and have left them there for now.

It would kill me to toss these EOs, but I also don't want to use them if they are oxidized. Anyone have thoughts on whether these are still safe to use?

 

[lsg]

I would request a return and replacement of the product. Contact the seller with the information.

 

[AliOop]

I would request a return and replacement of the product. Contact the seller with the information.

I should have mentioned that I contacted the seller. Per their stated shipping policy, they instructed me to make a claim against the insurance that was included with the cost of shipping. The USPS personnel said the claim would be denied as the parcel was delivered, and there is no proof that it is unusable.

 

[DeeAnna]

I think you have to evaluate whether the actual delivery method used did or did not comply with the method you paid for. If the delivery method is in compliance with the method you paid for, I don't see that you have a basis for making a claim. A carrier's insurance is usually covers non-delivery or lost merchandise, not for care that exceeds the shipping method paid for.

Packages shipped with a standard shipping method may be exposed to high temps, especially in summer. The fact that you know this package happened to be exposed to a warm/hot environment at one point during its route doesn't change the fact that this isn't any different than any other package shipped by normal shipping methods -- they're not kept in temperature controlled environments.

 

[AliOop]

I think you have to evaluate whether the actual delivery method used did or did not comply with the method you paid for. If the delivery method is in compliance with the method you paid for, I don't see that you have a basis for making a claim. A carrier's insurance is usually covers non-delivery or lost merchandise, not for care that exceeds the shipping method paid for.

Packages shipped with a standard shipping method may be exposed to high temps, especially in summer. The fact that you know this package happened to be exposed to a warm/hot environment at one point during its route doesn't change the fact that this isn't any different than any other package shipped by normal shipping methods -- they're not kept in temperature controlled environments.

That's how I see it, as well, @DeeAnna. While the package was temporarily "lost" for two days, it was eventually delivered. The insurance doesn't cover any failure to deliver within X number of days, or that the package arrive "fresh," or anything else like that.

Hence my initial question: are these EOs likely to still be good enough to use, or did the excessive heat for two straight days oxidize them to the point that I should toss them? Rosehip seed oil in particular is recommended to be refrigerated.

I realize that this question cannot be answered definitively, but opinions based on knowledge of these EOs are welcome.

As an aside, my husband suggested ordering these during the cooler times of year. He's not wrong.

 

[paradisi]

The rosehip isn't an essential oil.
It's also got a very short shelf life at the best of times.

If it smells ok right now, I'd treat it with ROE if I was going to risk the other materials in the product I was making, make what I could use up quickly, and freeze the rest of it.

The other.. has been hotter already in distillation and while its shelflife has just been thrashed with the heat, I think I'd use it as above.

You could think of this as a trial run, practice with those ingredients. And if the vendor represented the rosehip as an EO, not a seed oil, I'd look for a different vendor.

 

[AliOop]

You are 100% correct, @paradisi the rosehip seed oil is not an EO... that was my fault for misstating it as such. I really appreciate the suggestion to use ROE. It smells fine, so I will do that asap.

 

[paradisi]

You are 100% correct, @paradisi the rosehip seed oil is not an EO... that was my fault for misstating it as such. I really appreciate the suggestion to use ROE. It smells fine, so I will do that asap.

I'd hate to see you lose materials like that completely , might as well use & enjoy.

 

[AliOop]

I'd hate to see you lose materials like that completely , might as well use & enjoy.

The rosehup seed oil is for a face lotion that I adore, so I’d hate to lose it, as well. I’m going to make a batch and put it into small dispensers. That way, I can keep unused ones in the fridge till the daily-use one on the counter gets used up.

The helichrysum is for my varicose vein lotion. I’ve been using the hydrosol and wanted to see if results were any different with the EO. We shall see…

 

[DeeAnna]

The other thing to keep in mind is stuff isn't rancid until it's rancid. Even if the high temps shortened the life of the rosehip oil, it's still fine at this time. ROE and refrigeration will help, like Paradisi says.

It's been my experience that even the freshest rosehip goes "south" even with care and refrigeration, so it's not an oil to dole out and use slowly.

As far as the EOs, some can and will eventually oxidize, but EO oxidation can be kept at a minimum by reducing exposure to oxygen in the air. Reputable EO suppliers ship EOs in bottles with a minimum of headspace, thus there's not much oxygen to drive oxidation when EOs are bottled like that. It's more likely your EOs will oxidize when you've used up half the bottle so the EO is sitting in a bottle half full of air.

 

[AliOop]

The other thing to keep in mind is stuff isn't rancid until it's rancid. Even if the high temps shortened the life of the rosehip oil, it's still fine at this time. ROE and refrigeration will help, like Paradisi says.

It's been my experience that even the freshest rosehip goes "south" even with care and refrigeration, so it's not an oil to dole out and use slowly.

As far as the EOs, some can and will eventually oxidize, but EO oxidation can be kept at a minimum by reducing exposure to oxygen in the air. Reputable EO suppliers ship EOs in bottles with a minimum of headspace, thus there's not much oxygen to drive oxidation when EOs are bottled like that. It's more likely your EOs will oxidize when you've used up half the bottle so the EO is sitting in a bottle half full of air.

Thank you! Fortunately, I bought a fairly small bottle of helichrysum EO because 1) it’s expensive; 2) it’s for lotion, not for scenting soap; and 3) I don’t know yet if results will show that it is worth using the EO instead of the hydrosol.

The whole (small) bottle of EO will go into this batch of lotion. Per the great advice given so far, I’ll be sure to package the lotion into containers with very little headspace, and refrigerate the ones not in use. That way, only the bottle in use will be exposed to some air as the amount of lotion in the container gets used.

That’s exactly the type of advice I was seeking when I posted. I sure appreciate the wisdom and recommendations from this group!!

PS: here is the reply from the seller:

Wonderful, Alison, so glad your package has now been delivered.

Essential oils and carriers are shipped all year long by all companies who deal with these oils, and they hold up fine with temporary temperature variations - even extreme temperatures.

With essential oils, we like to wait until the bottle is at room temperature before we open them. Keep in mind that refrigeration will help improve shelf life.