The True Gift at Nature’s Gift Aromatherapy Products

I’ve had several people ask me to profile Nature’s Gift. I was happy to do so since I often see owner, Marge Clark, commenting in different Facebook aromatherapy groups. I looked forward to having the opportunity to interact with her personally.

I received products free of charge from Nature’s Gift in order to write a comprehensive company profile that includes my personal experience with the oils/products. This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the affiliate links, Marvy Moms will receive a percentage of any sale. This does not affect the amount you will pay for an item or service and in no way changes opinions expressed by Marvy Moms or Marvy Moms writers. For more info, see Marvy Moms Disclosure Policy.

Nature’s Gift Aromatherapy Products

Owned by: Marge Clark

Person Interviewed: Marge Clark

Interview Method: Email

Number of Employees: 7

Location: Madison TN

Website: www.naturesgift.com

Number of Single Oils Sold: 200

Number of Hydrosols Sold: 32

Other Products Sold: Aromatherapy Blends, Samplers and Kits, Carrier Oils, Dilutents, and Additives, Diffusers, Aroma Stone, Aroma Lamps, Packaging, and Books.

Oils Received:

• Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)
• Frankincense CO2 (Bowswellia carterii)
• Lavender, Population (Lavendula angustifolia)
• Orange, Blood (Citrus sinesis)
• Spruce, Black (Picea mariana)
• Citrus Smile Synergy (Blend of Organic Bergamot, Lemon, and Orange)
• Flu Foil Synergy (Blend of Ravensara, Palma Rosa, Eucalyptus, Lavender, and Ravintsara)
• Fresh Aire Synergy (Blend of Lemon, Bergamot Mint, and Himalayan Lavender)
• Relax Synergy (Blend of Green Mandarine, Fragonia, and Lavandin Super)
• Reunité Annointing Oil (Blend of Neroli, Vetiver, Orange, Sandalwood, Petitgrain, and Frankincense)
• Christmas Synergy Sampler of 3 Kings Annointing Oil, Holiday Joy Synergy, O Christmas Tree, and Winter Sunshine
• Trauma Oil (Carrier oil of Arnica Blossoms, organically grown Calendula Blossoms, and fresh St. John’s Wort flowers, infused in Organic Virgin Coconut and in Fractionated Coconut Oil)

What’s on the bottle:

• Oil name
• Botanical name
• Plant part used
• Distillation method
• Country of origin
• Initial of bottler
• Volume (number of ml)
• Website address
• Mailing address
• “Pure Essential Oil”
• “Keep out of reach of children; For external use only; Always dilute in carrier oil for use on skin; keep away from eyes. Store tightly sealed away from heat and light.”
• Some have more specific cautions such as: “Designed for inhalation or diffusion, not topical use” and “Do not use before or while driving a motor vehicle or operating machinery.”
• White electrical tape around cap (easily removed) to prevent spilling in shipment

What’s in the bottle:

The oils I received from Nature’s Gift were the only ones I’ve received so far that were sealed with bottle sealing tape (or in any way) to ensure that nothing was spilled during shipment. I liked that such care was taken with the oils I received. I was also impressed that the initial of the bottler (I’m guessing that’s what that was) was on each bottle. I was blown away by the amazing lineup of oils that Marge sent to me. Although I’m not always fond of pine oils, I do like the Black Spruce she sent me and I love the Winter Sunshine blend (a blend of Rosewood, Lemon, Nutmeg, Geranium, Mandarine, Alpine Juniper, Rose, Frankincense, Clary Sage, Cardamon, and Cinnamon Bark).

I made up a couple of roller bottles for a friend going through a difficult time. One was my own blend of oils and the other was the Nature’s Gift Relax Synergy. Of the two, she preferred the Relax roller and applied it right away.

I’m excited that Marge sent me Trauma oil as I’ve been wanting to try this for some time. I’ve considered making my own, and even bought a pound of dried calendula flowers. After some research I realized that trauma oil should be made with fresh St. John’s Wort flowers, so until I grow some of my own, I’m glad to have an alternative.

Is Nature’s Gift dedicated to supplying essential oils to the aromatherapy practitioner market and educated public?

“We have done this since the mid 90’s. We discount for healthcare professionals, we have donated for research fellowships with the American Holistic Nursing Assoc. I have been published in various professional magazines and my (now out of print) book sold out within a year.”

Is Nature’s Gift on the small size and not a large corporation?

“Started out with just me on the dining room table. We currently have three part time and four full time staffers.”

Is Nature’s Gift owned by an aromatherapy practitioner or essential oil specialist?

“25+ years of study should qualify me as a specialist.  My assistant is a certified aromatherapist. I have been asked to teach…”

Do you have relations with your distillers?

“In most cases, of course.”

Can Nature’s Gift readily supply a batch-specific GC/MS spec report on each essential oil it sells?

“Please ask YL and DT for these. We SUPPLY DOCUMENTATION FOR MOST, BUT NOT ALL,  … for a very valid reason. The GC/MS analysis costs between $150 and $200 depending on which chemist I choose. When the oils are going to a hospital, I supply the GC/MS. When they are being used in a research study, I supply the analysis. THERE ARE JUST A LOT OF OILS THAT NO ONE IS GOING TO USE THERAPEUTICALLY AND I DON’T WASTE MY CLIENTS’ MONEY ON ANALYSING THEM. IT ALL DEPENDS ON THE PROPOSED USE, WHETHER THE BREAKDOWN OF COMPONENTS IS IMPORTANT OR NOT. BUT… if I have been buying from the same artisan distiller for 15 years, and I KNOW he takes as much pride in his product as I do in ours, should I invest in a test of his oil every single year? The cost, as you well know, would be passed on to the end customer. Twenty years ago it was VERY rare for a supplier to every make avaialbe a GC/MS. Their PURPOSE is to detect adulteration.. something that should not be there. It is only in the past couple of years that a very few suppliers and two specific aromatherapy schools have started teaching that suppliers should test every batch. For some oils.. . let’s say Litsea Cubeba… we sell approximately one kilo a year. NOT a popular oil with our niche market, it is mostly used by soapmakers. The cost of a GC is going to be more than twice my annual investment in the oil. It makes NO sense to have that oil tested, thereby tripling it’s cost. Do those two specific reasons NOT to test every batch make sense to you?”

Is Nature’s Gift readily able to provide material safety data sheets (MSDS) as needed?

“Of course!”

Does Nature’s Gift have a strong unquestioned noncontroversial reputation in the field?

“NOT  “noncontroversial”  (funny, because Jade Shutes, who wrote this list, is one of the most controversial figures in the American Aromatherapy family.)  I am NOT ‘noncontroversial” because I will not sit down and be quiet when I see misinformation being spread.  I have a history of sticking my neck out.   now, I have an excellent reputation…  I am RESPECTED… but noncontroversial?  nope.  that’s not me ;)”

Have you been in the field for a number of years and are you well known to other aromatherapy practitioners and/or educators?

“Over 25 years in the field coming up on 20 years online (since 1995)… active member and supportive sponsor of the Alliance of International Aromatherapists, former active member of NAHA,  Recommended as a source of Authentic oils by Kurt Schnaubelt. Supplier for R. J. Buckle and Associates Clinical Aromatherapy course, supplier for 1/2 dozen other schools, courses, workshops.”

What makes Nature’s Gift different?

“25 years of experience and study. PASSION for purity and for safety. Refusal to compromise (on quality). 20+ years of educating clients and the general public on how to select and use the best oils. Sourcing and making available professional aromatherapy products is not part of our business, it is our ONLY business.  A history of giving back to the community by funding research projects, donating oils to worthwhile projects, etc. From a strictly commercial point of view, I think that Nature’s Gift offers the best VALUE – ie, balance of quality, service, and price of anyone in the industry today.”

What Else Would You Like to Tell Me?

Here’s some more info about us (some of the ‘controversial” stuff… but open to be read:

• http://www.naturesgift.com/therapeutic-grade.htm
• http://www.naturesgift.com/internal-use.htm

My Impressions of Nature’s Gift

Marge Clark of Nature’s Gift is definitely one of the icons in the aromatherapy industry. She constantly shares information both in her blog and in Facebook groups. She is a moderator in the Essential Learning Facebook group, but participates in almost every other group that I belong to. I respect that she draws a hard line and stands up for her beliefs. She set a rule in Essential Learning that any mention of ingestion of essential oils would get the commenter banned from the group. “Folks, I am just tired and grouchy enough to banish anyone else suggesting ANY oil under the tongue or in a glass of water. It would break copyright rules for me to post all the information from the safety books about WHY not to put the oils into your mouth EXCEPT to flavor/season food that is high in fats. (egg yolks and whole milk count .. we will NOT recommend ingesting whatever essential oil for whatever cockamamie reason in this group. If you want encouragement to scar your esophagus or damage your liver please go to a group that supports such ill-advised behaviour. FIRM warning. The first time I see such a post it will be deleted. The SECOND time, you will be removed. THIS GROUP NEITHER ENDORSES NOR RECOMMENDS INGESTION OF ESSENTIAL OILS. thank you. I apologize for shouting.”

Sometimes you have to shout, Marge! With so many people promoting daily ingestion of essential oils, we need people like you to speak up over the noise.

Marge reminds me a bit of the teacher in school that everyone was afraid of (we all had a few of those), but those were the teachers that I always loved the most. People were afraid of them because they told the truth and didn’t compromise on the rules. I found this comforting because I always knew where I stood with them and it taught me to do the same with my beliefs. The thing I found out with every one of these teachers was that when you got past the daily hard facade that they wore to work, they were gentle, kind people that were looking out for the welfare of their students. I find this to be every bit as true for Marge Clark. Although I haven’t yet had the opportunity to speak with her directly, I can already see that she has people’s best interest at heart. She herself has experienced sensitization from using essential oils neat (undiluted) and speaks up every chance she gets to save another from the same fate. Safe use of essential oils is a top priority which shines through with her participation in the aromatherapy community (with everyone from the newbie to the seasoned aromatherapist).

In addition to blogging and participating in Facebook groups, Marge has also written two books on aromatherapy (available in Kindle edition):

1. Essential Oils and Aromatics: A Step-by-Step Guide for Use in Massage and Aromatherapy
2. Essential Waters: Hydrosols, Hydrolats & Aromatic Waters

As she has said, most of what’s in the books are on her blog or website, but the books put all that info into one place for convenience to the reader.

I love that you can order a limited number of free samples with your order from Nature’s Gift. This gives you an opportunity to sample new oils and help you decide if you want to invest in more. You can also pay $5 and order up to 5 samples without placing an order. As I mentioned, earlier, Marge sent me samples of seasonal blends. What a nice way to get in the spirit for the holidays.

I was delighted to open the package and see that my Nature’s Gift essential oils were wrapped up like actual gifts. This was an unexpected treat. Buying essential oils is a gift you can give to yourself, and having them wrapped up makes it that much more special.

Each product also had bottle sealing tape to keep them safe during shipment. Marge makes this tape available for sale on her site in case you want some for yourself. I think you could probably also use electrical tape, but it may not come off as easily as the tape Marge uses.

I have to say that the true gift at Nature’s Gift is Marge Clark. Nature’s Gift has a strong following of loyal customers that trust Marge to steer them in the right direction. She does this by blogging and participating in Facebook groups and talking 1:1 with customers. Her blends are ones that she has used herself and then shares with others. I’ve seen numerous comments by Nature’s Gift customers thanking Marge for a suggestion that she made that made a difference for them. I’m looking forward to learning more from her as I dive deeper into the world of aromatherapy.

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