Good supplier of aromatherapy products (baseformula.com)

Member Name: katew

Product:	baseformula.com
Date:	23/12/08 (357 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great range, good prices, quick delivery

Disadvantages: No usage warnings, delivery a little expensive

Among my many interests is aromatherapy. Many years ago, I qualified as an aromatherapist, but have not been able to use my skills much due to poor physical health. However, I recently got hold of a book about making perfumes using essential oils, and decided that this would be a great way to use my skills.

Aromatherapy, for those not familiar with it, is the practice of using essential oils for their therapeutic properties - some are calming, some help lower blood pressure, etc. The oils can be used for massage, in burners to scent rooms, in the bath, and many other ways. Oils have a limited shelf life, and since mine had gone out of date some time ago and been thrown away, I needed to buy a selection for my perfume-making activities.

Looking around the web, I came across Base Formula, a company I have used in the past for supplying my oils. As their prices are reasonable and they have a good selection, I decided to use them again.

***The website***
This is at https://baseformula.com. If you put in www.baseformula.com, it redirects to this, their secure site. In appearance, I feel that the site is rather vivid and busy, but in its favour, it is very easy to navigate. Across the top, you have the usual 'admin' buttons - about us, contact, etc. Down the side are text links to the various product categories. On the home page, there are highlighted products including sale items and new arrivals, and a panel for latest news. There is also an FAQ link, which details delivery times and charges, how to order, privacy and returns policies, etc. There are two links on the page to download their price list in PDF (printable) format. Following these links leads you to further links, where you can download the list for the category you require - eg oils, blends, couch accessories, etc. If you only want items from a certain category, this is a good way of not having to print so many pages, but would be a little frustrating if you are setting up a treatment room and need items from a variety of sections. Having said that, all prices are clearly shown on the site, so this is only a problem if you want a printed list to keep.

The site is clearly aimed at experienced aromatherapists, as they sell couches and accessories, bottle labels, etc. They do not have any information on the properties and uses of the oils, only their method of extraction, origin and 'note'. The note is, to simplify a bit, whether the aroma is the first scent you get, which 'settles' after a while, or the deeper, long-lasting scent. Worryingly, there are absolutely no warnings and cautions on the use of oils, either generally or specifically. For instance, there are certain oils which should not be used when you are pregnant, or if you have epilepsy, and nearly all oils need to be blended with a carrier, or vegetable oil, before being applied to the skin. This again suggests that the site is not aimed at the casual user.

***Products***
As well as essential and carrier oils, the site sells storage boxes, bottles and caps, couches and accessories, labels, ready-blended oils and made up products such as lip balm, base products such as beeswax (used to make solid perfume and aromatherapy candles), base mixes such as shampoo, and sundries such as mixing pots and stirrers. They also sell kits, which can be ordered with or without a wooden carrying case, and contain a variety of oils and products suitable for students or practitioners. The student kits are geared towards the oils needed for the popular qualification courses.

***Ease of ordering***
Ordering is very simple. As you add things to your basket, the list is visible on every page you visit. When you view your basket, each item has the option to increase the quantity or remove it from the list. Payment is straightforward, using Paypal or credit/debit card. Delivery to the UK mainland is £5.50 on all orders under £95 excluding VAT. At the checkout stage, the total cost is shown broken down so that the VAT is shown separately. You can also apply for a credit account with the company.

***Customer Service and delivery***
Delivery is promised within 5 - 7 working days for UK mainland orders, via Royal Mail. They say that an email is sent when the order is dispatched; I did not receive this email, but, having placed my order on 16th December, and despite the Royal Mail being very busy with Christmas deliveries, I received the package three days later, on Saturday 19th.

The goods were in a box with a lot of polystyrene beans. Everything was well packaged, all items (including glass bottles) arrived intact, and the order was complete.

***My opinion***
In terms of product range and speed of service, I can't fault this company at all. My main adverse comments are that the website does not look as professional as it could, being a bit too busy and cluttered. Also, although the site is clearly aimed at professionals and qualified aromatherapists, there is nothing to stop anyone buying their products. You do need to register with the site, but they only ask for the usual details - name and address, email etc. Therefore, I really feel that they should place an overall warning about the use of the oils, and the description each oil should include contraindications - the circumstances in which that oil should not be used. There could also be a short list of the oil's properties, such as calming, invigorating, anti-inflammatory, etc.

Overall, I would recommend this site to professionals and those who are familiar with the use of essential oils, but not so readily to casual users.

Summary: A good site for professional or experienced hobby aromatherapists