An Interview with Kath Koppen, Founder of Aromaceuticals

This week I had the pleasure of sitting down with a dear friend of mine, Kath Koppen, to discuss the world of essential oils, tips for beginner users, and the future of the industry. Kath is an experienced Clinical Aromatherapist and founder of her own essential oil company, Aromaceuticals. Much of what I've learned, experienced, and aim to create with my own company, Aromatic Vitality, is inspired by Kath and her work in the field. Click below to listen to the audio file of our interview, or if you prefer to read, see the full transcript below. 

 Full Transcript 

Maggie: “Well, hey ladies and gentlemen! This is Maggie with Aromatic Vitality and I am excited to be hosting this call tonight with one of my favorite people. She is a highly respected person and one I’ve known for a very long time, but before I introduce her, I want to just say a little bit about Aromatic Vitality. Aromatic Vitality is a botanical beauty company. We take quality scents and oils and infuse them into everyday life so you can enjoy nature wherever you are. We make real products for real life. Why and how we can do that has a lot to do with the lady I have on the line right now, Kath Koppen, an amazing wise woman indeed who has been a nationally registered Clinical Aromatherapist for longer than I’ve even known her. Kath, what’s it been nineteen maybe twenty years? I’m happy to have been enjoying Kath’s products for that long. Kath Koppen from Aromaceuticals, welcome to the call."

Kath: “Thank you so much for having me, Maggie.”

Maggie: “It is truly a pleasure, and I’m excited, very excited.”

Kath: “Me too.”

Maggie: “Well, let’s just jump right in! There are a lot of things I want to glean from you for our listeners here. First, lets hear a little bit about why you started Aromaceuticals, your Essential Oil company. This is not just any company in my opinion, Aromaceuticals is one that provides the highest qualities on the planet. Not just high quality, but also ethical, and I love that combination. Kath, what inspired you to start that? Can you say a little bit about that and what your passion is?”

Kath: “Okay, great! Well, Aromaceuticals is what’s known in the trade as a ‘boutique’ essential oil company, which means we are small and intend to stay small so we can provide continued quality products. The essential oil industry has expanded hugely in the last five years, and it has created a lot of sourcing problems, so we want to stay small so we can continue providing quality oils. At Aromaceuticals, we buy primarily from distiller/producers. These are the people who actually farm the oils, raise the plants and distill the plants. In many cases, these people are third or fourth generation grower/distillers. 

I started Aromaceuticals twenty years ago and I am actually the first company started by a Clinical Aromatherapists Practitioner. At the time, I started it because I couldn’t find a reliable source for essential oils in the quantity and quality I wanted to use in my own private practice. It was actually kind of selfish for me to want to do that, but I also started buying them in quantity I so I could share them with others. It was also to supply my own business, because the quality was just not out there. If you’re familiar with the industry, you’ll know providence and purity are talked about a great deal but aren’t always there when you actually purchase the oil. In other words, its a lot of talk and there are a lot of false claims made about essential oils. At Aromaceuticals, we keep everything as clear and accurate as possible."

Maggie: “That has been my experience all these years, there is a consistency and reliability that is always there with Aromaceuticals. You always have the quality that I’m looking for, and especially when I’m looking to produce a desired response."

Kath: “Thank you, and yes, that’s true. Consistency is definitely something to look for. There are a lot of essential oil companies out there that carry a handful of high quality products, but they also carry some that are lower quality. It’s a mixed bag. I never want to do that at Aromaceuticals, I’d rather not cary the oil than not carry the quality.”

Maggie: “That speaks to something I learned from you a few years back. You shared with me that the tree Sandalwood was in trouble, so you stopped providing that oil even though it was a divine oil. My experience with that oil was amazing, but I stopped putting it in products once I learned from you that the tree was in trouble. We needed to honor that, and I love that part about you and your business.” 

Kath: “Thank you, thank you. I’ve also followed through with Atlas Cedar and Jatamansi oil because those are also endangered in their natural state. This is according to the World Wildlife Federation, and these are the folks that know. They keep track of these things and when those plants are taken off the endangered list, I will start stocking them. Until then, I’m looking for essential oils with similar properties that come from a safe providence.”

Maggie: “Thank you for doing that. I appreciate that part of you. Well, there are a lot of people listening, with a lot more questions so lets talk a little bit more about you. Not only do you provide the essential oils, you also have classes and do a lot of education. Lets start with the beginning user. Do you have any suggestions for folks who are brand new and learning about Essential Oils?”

Kath: “Yes, and that would be to start slow and start small. I am on quite a few Aromatherapy social media groups that are quite active and I see the same question and the same issues come up over and over again. One is that people start to learn a little bit about essential oils, go to a party or someone’s presentation and end up buying four or five or six hundred dollars worth of essential oils. However, they don’t know anything about how to use Aromatherapy so sadly the oils sit there going to waste. Instead, I would suggest just three to four oils at a time. Start with the ones you’re most likely to use. Popular ones include Lavender, Geranium, Tea tree, Sweet Orange, Lemon, Peppermint, Rosemary and Frankincense. Get to know these oils. Learn what they’re best utilized for. Learn how to properly use them, because a lot of people don’t understand appropriate dilutions or how to formulate them differently. It will be different for an aging old parent, a baby and and adult. You do need to have some basic knowledge about safe usage and proper formulation, which is not anything terribly hard, but it does take a little bit of investment to learn. 

I recommend that everyone that’s trying to learn essential oils take a one or two day class to learn with a practitioner in your area. Make sure the practitioner is legit and make sure they have a true professional background, not just sales. Sit with them and learn the basics. Get a basic Aromatherapy book too. A favorite from my good friend, Mindy Green, is the True Art of Aromatherapy. Mindy is a great herbalist, a founding member of the American Herbalist Guild as well as a Clinical Aromatherapist. She has a phenomenal background and is very experienced. Dr.  Kurt Schnaubelt's Advanced Aromatherapy, despite the title, is also a good basic book. Those are the two I recommend to beginners. There are a lot of nice coffee table books out there that look nice, but they don’t really tell you how, why or for what to blend them. It’s really important to know that. 

The other thing I want to encourage, and this is based on my social media experience, is don’t crowd source your education on Aromatherapy. Social media groups are fun to participate in, but you don’t know if you’re in a group of professionals or not, and people post crazy advice. I see people post all the time asking for advice on very serious medical question when they should be asking about basic home healthcare. If you’re going to be a home user, that’s what you’re going to be using Aromatherapy for. Things like pollen allergies, sunburns, PMS, stress headaches, your mom’s arthritis, etc. We’re talking simple healthcare you can handle your self. You don’t want to try to treat serious conditions like cancer, multiple sclerosis, or something like that using essential oils if you’re a beginner. You want to call a professional, book a consult and get their advice. 

So those are just some starter tips. Start slowly and be really thorough. Learn the basics, the basics are the same if you want to be come a hobbyist, a professional aromatherapist or if you just want to help your family and friends. The basics are still the same for all of those. It’s just the level of education after that that makes the difference, does that make sense?”

Maggie: “It makes great sense, and was extremely well said. Thank you for sharing all that. As you pointed out, there may be a lot of really great issues that aromatherapy can be tremendously helpful for and we often like to leave people with are simple self healthcare tips. People often times think these are things they should do on a daily basis. However, with oils, they are best used for actions on a specific situation and less for every day. Can you talk a bit more about that?”

Kath: “That’s a great point Maggie. I see this with a lot of beginners. They are making up Aromatherapy blends and in some cases some that aren’t even diluted and using the same blend on a daily basis for “daily health” or for some kind of preventative maintenance. For example, I see people using a blend all winter long to prevent getting a cold or or flu, but that’s not really what the oils are designed for. Essential oils are not preventive per say. You want to use them when you’re ill, when you’re having a stressful day, or when you just want to relax and diffuse some bergamot and lavender into your environment. It’s not something you should be doing everyday though, not the same stuff day-in and day-out, because you can get to the point where your daily blends are no longer working. Your body becomes immune to them, starts rejecting them, and if you’re not diluting them correctly, can become sensitized to the oils so you won’t be able to use them again. You do want to be judicious in your use of essential oils as far as what you pick and how often you’re using them.”

Maggie: “Beautiful, well said. One of my favorite things to do, if I have a lot of things on my mind and my mind just wont turn off, I use either Lavender or Marjoram, but only in that moment. So it might be several weeks or several months between when I use the blend, but I know it’s there when I need it.”

Kath: “Right, right.”

Maggie: “And that’s just phenomenal help. What’s one way you might use oils?”

Kath: “One of my favorite ways to use Aromatherapy, and one really simple one for beginners, is an Aromatic Bath. Which is a very pleasurable aroma use.”

Maggie: “Deeevineee!”

Kath: “Yeah, yep, and a lot of people don’t realize it only takes five or six drops of essential oils. You can dilute a few drops in a bit of heavy cream, some sulfated castor oil, also commonly called Turkey Red Oil, or some other sort of dispersant. Shake the blend up and add it to warm running bath water and it will disperse in the water. If you have a hectic life, it only takes as little as fifteen to twenty minutes to feel the effects. If you’re like me though, you’ll stay in the bath an hour.”

Maggie: "Yes, definitely!" 

Kath: “Yep, it’s great, especially if you suffer from insomnia or you want to take the edge off a stressful day. Same too, for first thing in the morning, one of the most restorative things is to take a Rosemary and Lavender bath. That’s a particular favorite for me for morning bathing.”

Maggie: “Ahh that’s fantastic. See, there are such simple ways to use Aromatherapy to enhance our lives. Having those tools at hand, wow, that’s fantastic. I don’t want to keep you too long, so I want to keep it short and sweet. Before we go, I want to take a minute to promote you shamelessly. Folks, if you go to Kath’s website, she has a lot of things there that are great for the beginner user. She also teaches, has a lot of advice for the advanced user and you can even get some of Kath’s time there as well. 

So Kath, having done this for as long as you have, you have a lot of wisdom to share. We already talked a little bit about the trees that are in trouble, but taking a global look from your eyes, what do you see as the greatest piece of advice for the common user. What can they do to make an impact and make ethical essential oil choices. For example, we know to stay away from Sandalwood, Atlas Cedar and Jatamatsee, but anything else you see down the road that we should be aware of and mindful of in the bigger picture?”

Kath: “Well, as the essential oil industry evolves, I think we’re going to see more and more countries develop their own indigenous plants as oil producing crops. There have been some plans in action already. A recently deceased acquaintance of mine was actually doing this for the German and Swiss governments. He went into Yugoslovia in the former Soviet Republic, these largely agricultural economies, and worked with the governments to build several very successful essential oil companies. 

A lot of people have started to distill their own hydrofoils, which in the old days were called floral waters, and that can be done easily at home in a pressure cooker. You’re not going to get any essential oils out of the process, but you’ll get a healing water you can use. A lot of those floral waters are great for skin care as well. 

In regards to the global industry, I see the price of essential oils going up across the board, simply because they’re so popular and there’s a limited supply of plants being grown for essential oil purposes. For instance, you’d think there would be a ton of Lavender oil available, but there is not. Lavender oil grows in temperate climates all over the globe but it is not necessarily raised specifically for essential oil production. I do see people ramping up essential oil production, and I also see substances such as CO2 extracts being taken over in some areas. Or things like flower extracts, which on an emotional and spiritual level may be more appropriate and more environmentally friendly than essential oils. Did that answer your question?”

Maggie: “Love it. That was huge, and I like it because that also reminds us that there are a lot of resources out there to help us and support us in our daily vitality. In creating the health we all desire.”

Kath: “Yes, botanically speaking. Yes!” 

Maggie: “Exactly, botany in your own backyard. Awesome. Before we say goodbye, is there anything else you want to leave us with?”

Kath: “I can’t think of anything offhand, but I would encourage people to come by the website and peruse through the Aroma blog. As Maggie mentioned there is a lot of useful information on the Aroma blog, there is also a Facebook page @Aromaceuticals that you can like and follow. I do post things there that aren’t always strictly essential oil related, but a lot of things having to do with botanical medicine in general. I also have two classes coming up, one in May and one in November. I’ll also travel anywhere to teach provided I have the students. I will also do custom classes for spas, hospitals, or hospice you name it.”

Maggie: “Yes! I remember we had you by the house one weekend, and it was an awesome weekend. Thank you so much for your time and wisdom Kath. I look forward to catching up with you again very soon.”

Kath: “Thank you, as I appreciate you, Maggie. Namaste."

Maggie: “Namaste.”