Grateful Aromatics

03/19/2026

Did you know?

ARC formed in 1999 to promote the delivery of the safe and effective practice of Aromatherapy through registration of Aromatherapists. By providing a standard testing experience, it is assured that the aromatherapist has a quality level of education.

In order to provide an objective assessment method, the ARC Registration Examination in Aromatherapy (composed of 250 multiple-choice questions) is prepared by ARC with the advice and assistance of the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC). The exam is administered by Prometric at various testing locations around the world.

To find a Registered Aromatherapist, or to learn more about how to become one, visit: https://aromatherapycouncil.org/

03/18/2026

A Registered Aromatherapist (RA), as designated by the Aromatherapy Registration Council® (ARC), promotes the delivery of the safe and effective practice of Aromatherapy.

✅️ They have met the ARC eligibility requirements including the completion of a minimum of a 200 hour professional aromatherapy course and passed the ARC Registration Examination in Aromatherapy. The ARC exam is an independent proctored examination (composed of 250 multiple-choice questions) administered at various testing locations around the world.

✅️ RAs are committed to continued personal and professional growth in the practice of aromatherapy and are required to complete a minimum of 100 continuing education credits every 5 years or retake and pass the then current exam.

✅️ RAs also abide by the ARC Code of Ethics for Aromatherapists, and have demonstrated they possess a standard of knowledge requisite for registration.

Registration assures employers, the public, and members of other professions in the assessment of them as an Aromatherapist.

To find a Registered Aromatherapist, or to learn more about how to become one, visit:
https://aromatherapycouncil.org/

03/18/2026

ARC formed in 1999 to promote the delivery of the safe and effective practice of Aromatherapy through registration of Aromatherapists. By providing a standard testing experience, it is assured that the aromatherapist has a quality level of education.

In order to provide an objective assessment method, the ARC Registration Examination in Aromatherapy (composed of 250 multiple-choice questions) is prepared by ARC with the advice and assistance of the Professional Testing Corporation (PTC). The exam is administered by Prometric at various testing locations around the world.

To find a Registered Aromatherapist, or to learn more about how to become one, visit: https://aromatherapycouncil.org/

03/13/2026

Striking essential oil: tapping into a largely unexplored source for drug discovery

Abstract
Essential oils (EOs) have been used therapeutically for centuries. In recent decades, randomized controlled (clinical) trials have supported efficacy in specific therapeutic indications for a few of them. Some EOs, their components or derivatives thereof have been approved as drugs. Nevertheless, they are still considered products that are mainly used in complementary and alternative medicine. EO components occupy a special niche in chemical space, that offers unique opportunities based on their unusual physicochemical properties, because they are typically volatile and hydrophobic. Here we evaluate selected physicochemical parameters, used in conventional drug discovery, of EO components present in a range of commercially available EOs. We show that, contrary to generally held belief, most EO components meet current-day requirements of medicinal chemistry for good drug candidates. Moreover, they also offer attractive opportunities for lead optimization or even fragment-based drug discovery. Because their therapeutic potential is still under-scrutinized, we propose that this be explored more vigorously with present-day methods.

Feyaerts, A. F., Luyten, W., & Van Dijck, P. (2020). Striking essential oil: tapping into a largely unexplored source for drug discovery. Scientific reports, 10(1), 2867. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-59332-5

PMID: 32071337

03/04/2026

🌿 ICAN Spring Fair 🌿

Today we celebrate our Business Member Aromatherapy Registration Council.

Chaired by Lora Cantele, the ARC strengthens professional standards in aromatherapy through international credentialing and board examination. Their work promotes competence, accountability, and public trust within the aromatherapy profession worldwide.

Lora shares:

“We offer an international board exam to test the knowledge of aromatherapists.”

What ARC values about ICAN:

“A global community dedicated to elevating professional standards and education.”

ARC has prepared a special gift for the ICAN community. 👉 Visit ICAN to discover and retrieve your gift.

We are proud to collaborate with organisations who uphold integrity and credibility in aromatherapy.

Interested in becoming a supporting partner of ICAN? Sign up today!

03/01/2026

Dilution, dilution, dilution - it's the first rule of using essential oils. Robert Tisserand, expert on safety, explains how and why.

02/28/2026

“To live content with small means;
to seek elegance rather than luxury,
and refinement rather than fashion;
to be worthy, not respectable,
and wealthy, not, rich;
to listen to stars and birds,
babes and sages, with open heart;
to study hard;
to think quietly, act frankly, talk gently,
await occasions, hurry never;
in a word, to let the spiritual,
unbidden and unconscious,
grow up through the common
– this is my symphony”
William Ellery Channing
Image - Mary Azarian

02/28/2026

💤 Sleepy girl mocktail, anyone? For many of us, especially as we get older, a good night’s sleep becomes an incredibly valuable commodity. We consulted our longtime supplements buyer, Hannah, and put together a comprehensive guide to your best night’s sleep yet —no counting sheep required 🐑🐑🐑

👉 Visit our blog and get the recipe https://www.kimbertonwholefoods.com/our-guide-to-a-great-nights-sleep/

02/23/2026

“The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes. If you foolishly ignore beauty, you will soon find yourself without it. Your life will be impoverished. But if you invest in beauty, it will remain with you all the days of your life.”― Frank Lloyd Wright

02/22/2026

Did you know that one of the myths regarding aromatherapy is a story about the man who actually coined the term?

The story usually goes that while working in his laboratory, René-Maurice Gattefossé was seriously burned and immediately submerged his hand into a nearby vat of Lavender essential oil to put out the flames and he was surprised that it also quickly healed his skin.

However, the truth is a bit different.

"On July 25, 1910, while working in his laboratory, he was splashed with boiling essence from a round-bottomed flask that had exploded and burst into flames. His head and both hands were very badly burned.

At this time, burns were treated with oil-rich tulle gras dressings. When his wounds started to give off a gangrenous odor, he remembered that the lavender growers had told him that burns could be healed with lavender essential oil.

He took off his bandages and coated his skin with lavender oil. The results were astounding. Two days later, his fever eased and his infection disappeared, while his wounds healed relatively quickly without a trace. He was literally SAVED from a potentially fatal case of gangrene." ~ Gattefossé Foundation

Learn more about René-Maurice Gattefossé and aromatherapy history at the following links:

https://www.fondation-gattefosse.org/en/rene-maurice-gattefosse/

https://www.fondation-gattefosse.org/en/infotheque/lhistoire-inedite-de-rene-maurice-gattefosse/

https://youtube.com/watch?v=eGiQSTM7zJ8