Aug. 13, 2018 -- Stacey Haluka discovered essential oils the way many others have in recent years -- through an acquaintance who worked for a multilevel marketing company.

During an in-home presentation, the “wellness advocate” hailed the fragrant oils as harmless natural remedies that can treat everything from minor skin irritations and mood swings to autism and cognitive decline. They were so pure, Haluka was assured, they could be safely ingested and liberally applied.

“I fell for it completely and started using them every day,” says Haluka, a 47-year-old writer and motivational speaker from Ontario, Canada.

She infused her water with citrus oils said to detoxify and lathered her skin with stress-relieving lavender. When a faint rash appeared on her forearm, a salesperson told her it was a normal “detox” reaction and advised her to rub frankincense oil on it. She obliged.

But after a few months, raised welts began to creep across her abdomen and up the back of her neck. Ultimately, she landed in the emergency room, eyes swollen, oozing blisters across her face, where doctors swiftly put her on steroids. Her diagnosis: A severe toxic reaction to essential oils.

“Four years later, I still struggle,” says Haluka, who is scarred and still so sensitive to the oils that she has to carefully choose her personal care products and breaks out in hives when around someone wearing them.

She is now suing the company that makes the oils she used.

Haluka is among a growing number of people turning up with chemical burns, allergic reactions, respiratory issues, and other side effects from the popular fragrant plant extracts. In the past year alone, U.S. retail sales of essential oils soared 14% to $133 million -- up from $55 million in 2015 -- according to market research firm SPINS. That’s not including tens of millions in sales from multilevel marketers who bypass retail shelves and sell directly to people via independent distributors.

Those distributors, and a higher demand for over-the counter “natural” remedies free of the side effects that can come with prescription drugs, has fueled a surge of interest in essential oils among people who use either alternative or conventional medicine. Once available only at natural product stores, they’re now easily found at Walmart and Target.

But as their do-it-yourself use explodes, concerns abound.

“There is definitely credible science behind certain benefits for certain essential oils,” says Cynthia Bailey, MD, a dermatologist in Sebastopol, CA. “But you have to choose wisely, and you cannot use them indiscriminately.”