African Geranium Oil

#### Geranium Oil, “African”. Only a few decades ago, the term “African geranium” was synonymous with “**Algerian**** ****Geranium**”. Once the world’s most overwhelming producer of geranium oil, Algeria barely achieves the rank of a small number three or four now. Several factors have contributed to the decline of Algeria as the leading producer of geranium oil: first, the increasing interest in the cultivation of vegetables and grapes in the beautiful, but rather limited “sun valley” of Algeria, the Mitidja plain; later, the gruesome and destructive years of insurrection, rebellion, strikes, riots, guerillas and warfare, terrorist actions, etc. These have reduced the size of the geranium fields, and the production of geranium oil has fallen off to less than 10 metric tons annually in recent years. As it is less exposed to climatic destruction, the Algerian geranium can grow peacefully in respect to weather conditions, and healthily, and the material is distilled in large and modem stills, producing a uniform oil of very attractive appearance: a pale yellow or pale olive-yellow liquid, usually crystal-clear, free from dirt and water; the odor is somewhat different from that of the Réunion geranium oil: it is lighter, more rosy-leafy, less minty, and usually free from the sulfide topnote. The herbaceous and powerful tone is subdued in the Algerian oil, and the rich, sweet-rosy dryout undertone is more pronounced. There are no traces of earthy or “potato”-like notes. Incidentally, a mixture of Algerian and Réunion geranium oil produces a very interesting combination odor. **Algerian Geranium Oil **is scarce and usually follows the Réunion oil in price fluctuations. It is equally subject to adulterations, but it is also available air freighted directly from the bulkers in Algeria when the oil is bought in 50-kilo lots or larger quantities. ##### Moroccan Geranium: Of rapidly increasing importance is the geranium oil distilled in Morocco from plants that are cultivated in the northwestern parts of that country, a short distance inland from Rabat at the Atlantic coast. Harvest and distillation is highly rationalized and very modern, carried out on a large scale, partly thanks to clever political attitude of the larger producers toward the future government of Morocco. The production has thus not suffered significantly during the years of terrorism in Morocco in the first part of the 1950’s or later. Adulteration “on the spot” is rare, but there is a possibility of local adulteration with Moroccan pennyroyal oil and with the absolute from the distillation waters in the production of the essential oil. The latter manipulation could be considered a “sophistication” rather than an adulteration of the oil. **Moroccan Geranium Oil**, now often called **African Geranium**, is a yellowish or dark yellow, rarely greenish-yellow liquid of sweet and powerful rosy-leafy, slightly herbaceous odor, combining some of the qualities of the Algerian oil with those of the Réunion type of geranium oil. The odor of the Moroccan oil is usually less fresh-leafy, but more earthy than that of Algerian oils, but there are commercial lots of Moroccan oils which are almost indistinguishable from the very best Algerian oils. Moroccan geranium oil was not very popular when it first appeared on the market, but consumers have become accustomed to this type now, and it seems to have a safe future as a regular perfume raw material. The huge stills ensure a uniform quality, and the locality offers a great advantage for the users in comparison to the faraway Réunion supplies. Thus, the Moroccan geranium oil now follows the Réunion and the Algerian oils closely in price fluctuations, taking advantage of occasional cyclones in Réunion and the possibility of a further drop in the Algerian production. ##### Belgian Congo Geranium: In the Belgian Congo, particularly in the eastern provinces of Kivu and in the Urundi region, geranium has been cultivated for more than 20 years. Production has been as high as 15 tons of oil per year, but the enormous interest in coffee, particularly after World War II, tempted many settlers to leave the growing of geranium and change to coffee-growing which demands much less attention. An important uptrend occurred in 1958, however, when, after the World’s fair in Brussels, one of the settlers succeeded in buying large amounts of stainless steel for stills and in having the steel shipped to the Congo at a low cost. Stills were constructed with all necessary gear, and a standard size, 800 U.S. gallon (3000 litres) still could be bought and erected on the plantation for as little as 600 U.S. dollars. Already in 1959, results are visible: increased production, reasonable cost, uniform quality (bulked oil) and regular availability. Thus, we have another **“African**** ****Geranium**** ****Oil”**** **as a regular perfumery raw material. The oil is yellow and usually clear, free from water and dirt, has no sulfide topnote, but also less diffusive power than the Réunion and Algerian oils. The Congo oil is considerably sweeter and less herbaceous-minty, less earthy than these oils. It is, no doubt, generally an excellent starting material for the isolation of a natural “rhodinol”. Lower in rough and terpenic notes, it also becomes a good item in combination with the other two oils. Congo oil is usually somewhat lower in cost than the Algerian or Réunion oils, but it may not be available “on the spot” all year round. As a rule, the oil is air freighted from Goma or Bukavu airports in the eastern Belgian Congo, directly from the producing region to the buyer. Adulteration is thus practically out of the question. Smaller quantities of geranium oils are produced in various other parts of Africa: ##### East African Geranium Oil: In Kenya and Tanganyika, pelargonium graveolens is cultivated and locally distilled. However, in Kenya, the **Mawah Oil **(see monograph) is more important. The mawah oil can not substitute the true geranium oil in perfume formulas. The Kenya geranium oil is generally of good quality, high in rhodinol, but comparatively poor in diffusive power. It is inferior to Algerian and Réunion oils in respect to performance in soap (perfumes). In Tanganyika, a few tons of a similar geranium oil are annually produced and shipped, mainly to Europe. The East African oils are generally low in monoterpenes and ketones, comparatively high in alcohols. ##### West African Geranium Oil: In Angola, Portuguese West Africa, a German settler and world famous perfumer-author has cultivated and distilled geranium experimentally. The annual production is very small and there seems to be little interest in this oil. ##### Egyptian Geranium Oil: Production of geranium oil has been discontinued. Geranium fields were abandoned in *1955* (prior to the author’s last visit there), and cultivation has not been recommenced. Nevertheless, commercial lots labelled “Egyptian geranium oil” are offered from time to time. It is presumable that such oils are either rejected lots from other sources, or that they are compositions of true and artificial geranium oils. It is still customary to use the term “**African Geranium**” in perfume formulas for true Algerian geranium oil. The above described African oils are substantially different in perfume type from Algerian oil.