Are aromatherapists licensed?
There is no licensure for aromatherapists in the US. Guidelines for practice are often included in general aromatherapy courses, but these are not monitored or enforced by any regulatory body at this time. An aromatherapist may or may not be a licensed healthcare provider. Healthcare licensure (for example, MD, RN, or DC) at this time does not indicate any particular knowledge level about essential oils. The practice codes for these professions, however, dictate that these individuals should be able to demonstrate additional training and competence in modalities not normally part of their profession before including these skills (like aromatherapy or acupuncture) in their practice. A lay person practicing as an aromatherapist is not licensed in the U.S., but may have more training and experience in the use of essential oils than a healthcare provider. For these reasons, it is important to ask a prospective aromatherapy provider about their training and experience.
