Lavender oil 40/42

Essential oil produced by steam distillation of true lavender (Lavandula officials Chaix, or Lavandula angustifolia the modern botanical name), as distinct from Lavandula x Hybrida, commonly mis-sold as lavender, but more correctly called lavandin oil.

In this product the chemistry is carefully standardised (40% linalool and 42% linalyl acetate), for use in perfumes, so that each batch has substantially the same scent.  In this case it is fully natural (standardised by blending and where necessary adding natural isolates), though many (cheaper) examples are corrected with synthetics.  This is an exceptionally floral form of lavender oil and is of Russian origin.

According to Arctander lavender is “of sweet, floral-herbaceous refreshing odor with a pleasant, balsamic-woody undertone. An almost fruity-sweet topnote is of a very short life, and the entire oil is not distinguishedby its tenacity in odor.” 

“It is used extensively in colognes (citrus-colognes or the well-known lavender-waters), in fougeres, chypres, ambres and countless floral, semi-floral or particularly in non-floral perfume types. The oil blends well with bergamot and other citrus oils, clove oils (for ‘Rondeletia’ type perfumes), flouve, liatris, oakmoss, patchouli, rosemary, sage clary, pine needle oils, etc. Also with amyl salicylate, coumarins, citronellol and geraniol and their esters, heptanolide, menthyl acetate, musk ambrette, moskene and ethylene brassylate, nopyl acetate, menthanyl acetate, isobornyl propionate, phenyl- acetaldehyde and its acetals in particular. Labdanum products are excellent fixatives and the oil of Mentha Citrata can be useful for modifications.”