In the Philippines, Dr. Turvill’s work is involved with MC Spa Essentials Inc. and Spa Professionals International Development Center, prime movers of spa education. And since the inception of the two companies, Dr. Turvill has been giving workshops and seminars about essential oils.

"Nowadays, enjoying an aromatherapy session is a very common past time of Filipinos. Since it has become a fad, many spa centers offer their services at more affordable rates, and inexpensive essential oils are now available in the market. It should, however, be noted that these cheap essential oils are poor in quality. These are fake aromatherapy oils so they are unable to deliver complete therapeutic benefits," he stresses.

"Essential oils are expensive because pricing of oil reflects time and energy to grow and harvest plants and the weight of material or number of flowers to produce oil. Harvest affects pricing due to some flowers that bloom only for a short season and some that must be harvested by hand. Some can only be harvested at a certain time of day," relates Dr. Turvill.

There are several ways of oil adulteration according to Dr. Turvill. One is through dilution where aroma is maintained but with no therapeutic value. Examples of these are perfumes or pot pourri oils. Stretching is another form of sullying oils. This process involves expensive oil mixed with cheaper oil or with artificial product. Isolation and substitution are also common malpractice.

"Essential oils are very complex chemical structures. To understand their properties and effects, we need to know a little about chemistry. Aromatherapists need to know which oils contain what organic compounds to know which oils to use in particular treatments. It is the unique combination of these different organic compounds that give pure essential oils a particular synergy that produces the healing effects. Synthetic or adulterated oils cannot copy this," Dr. Turvill explains.

Recently, Spa Essentials developed a range of aromatherapy products to deliver solutions that people may need in their every day life, using essential oils which have not been adulterated or diluted in any way. Called Spa Essentials’ Wellness Oils, these oils are specially formulated to work wonders in the body – cleansing and taking away all its stresses and strains.

Scientific studies prove that these unadulterated Wellness Oils increase metabolism, speed up healing process, relax muscles and the nervous system, enhance removal of metabolic waste, improve circulation of blood and lymph, relieve mental and physical fatigue, reduce pain, tension and anxiety, make muscles and joints more supple, and improve skin tone.

"When inhaled, Spa Essentials’ Wellness Oils work on the nervous system and brain through stimulation of the olfactory nerves. When absorbed through the skin, stronger components of the Wellness Oils are released into the bloodstream, allowing its healing powers to get to the source of the discomfort or sickness. So, whenever you feel your body’s stress and strains disappear after a Spa Essential’s aromatherapy session, you have the relaxing massage and scent, combined with the curative benefits of the Wellness Oils to thank," tells Dr. Turvill.

Spa Essentials offers a wide range of Wellness Oils for various health needs: Sleep Easy lulls anyone into a relaxing sleep, Revitalizing releases tensions and envelopes you with feelings of strength, Stress Relief calms your tired mind and body, Sensual stirs your mood for love and romance, Breathe Easy clears away stuffiness and congestion, Aches and Pains warms the skin and helps revive tired or sore muscles, and Body Cleansing cleanses the body and helps reduce cellulite, congestion and other toxic skin conditions caused by pollution. All these are available in Essential Oil Blend, Linen Spray and Massage Oil in all Watsons stores nationwide.