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We combine sophisticated testing equipment with traditional testing methods using taste, touch, smell and sight to ensure our customers are getting the highest quality products.
Frontier performs extensive testing on every incoming lot. About half of the raw materials available for purchase do not meet our high quality standards. Some testing methods used to determine quality are outlined opposite. 
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Measures active constituent levels in herbs. (gas chromatography) and MS (Mass Spectrometry)
Identifies and quantifies volatile components in essential oils.
Reveals cellular structure of plants to determine identity and adulteration.
Tests levels of yeast, mold and bacterial pathogens.
Taste, smell and sight tests determine quality and screen out adulterated product.
Numerous tests are performed on our essential oils to ensure purity and quality. In addition to gas chromatography (GC), we utilize tests for specific gravity, optical rotation, refractive index and sensory analysis. Each essential oil has a particular weight, a direction and degree in which light rays bend when passing through the oil, and a speed at which light is refracted. Any deviation from these established standards may indicate adulteration. We are working to improve quality by growing several varieties of aromatherapy herbs at our Iowa Organic Research Farm, distilling them on-site, testing them and using the results to create a stronger profile of knowledge about oils. We also have experts with trained noses to determine quality and to detect inconsistencies. All this adds up to the most extensive aromatherapy testing facility in the U.S.
Frontier does not sell any products or use any ingredients that have been sterilized by irradiation.
Frontier used the first natural CO2 unit in the Natural Products Industry to control infestation in herbs and spices. This enables us to avoid the use of chemical fumigants and provide greater purity in our products.
We grind most of our herbs and spices in-house with cryogenic grinding. Raw materials are ground at temperatures below -20 degrees Fahrenheit to protect volatile components. Normal grinding temperatures can reach 200 degrees, damaging heat-sensitive components. Our research shows that cryogenic grinding delivers up to 22% higher levels of active constituents.
Our herb and spice warehouse in our Norway, Iowa, facility is kept at a maximum of 70 degrees Fahrenheit and 60% relative humidity all year long. These are ideal storage conditions for maintaining the quality of raw botanicals. The higher the temperature, the faster the volatilization and degradation of the plant materials. As a rule of thumb in chemistry, for every 18 degrees increase in temperature the reaction rate doubles.
Many of our packaged products are freshness-dated to help ensure that our customers receive the freshest possible products.
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