Lavandin Oil

#### Lavandin Oil. The story of **Lavandin Oil **is one of tremendous success. Unknown until the late 1920's, this essential oil today ranges among the world's 10 largest perfume oils from nature (in respect to volume). About 1000 metric tons was distilled in 1959, and half of this amount was either sold or contracted for even before it was distilled. From a 1954-price of almost U.S. $ 3.00 per lb., it has dropped to about $ 0.80 five years later. Even when we consider the very good yield, the very large and modern distillation units, the mechanization and rational centralization in the production, it is almost incredible than an essential oil can be distilled from a shrub, a once-a-year crop, and sold at this low price. **Lavandin **is a hybrid plant, developed by crossing the true lavender plant (**Lavandula**** ****Officinalis**) with the aspic or "spike" lavender (Lavandula Latifolia). The resulting plant is called **Lavandula Hybrida**, and it exists in a great number of forms (varieties), a few of which are distinctly more interesting than the others. When visiting the lavender fields, aspic fields and the cultivated lavandin areas, one is often told that the blue color of the lavender and the grayish color of the aspic will show up in a nuance in the lavandin, revealing which one of the parent plants is predominant in the hybrid. However, it is not possible to predict the yield, the composition or the approximate odor type of the oil from the color of the flowers alone. A wild growing lavandin is found in the south of France where both parents also grow wild, although at different altitudes. **Lavandula Hybrida **is cultivated on a large scale in the south of France, while small quantities are distilled in Spain, Hungary, Yugoslavia, Argentina, etc. The wild-growing lavandin plants are of insignificant importance for today's large- scale distillation of lavandin oil. **Lavandin Oil **is a pale yellow to almost colorless liquid which can be somewhat turbid and brownish after shipment in galvanized drums. A filtration and separation of water may be necessary in order to produce an attractive looking oil. The odor is strongly herbaceous with a very fresh camphene-cineole-like topnote which should not be distinctly camphoraceous. The rich, woodyherbaceous notes of the body components will usually become predominant within the first 60 seconds on a perfume blotter. It is important to evaluate a lavandin oil on a freshly dipped blotter since the characteristic notes of lavandin and the typical notes of poor oils or adulterated ones will show up immediately. The odor of the oil is not very tenacious, and after a few hours on the blotter, it may be impossible to distinguish a good quality from a poor one. **Lavandin**** ****Oil**** **is used for its fresh, refreshing notes, and is often used in very high concentration in the perfume formula. For detergent perfumes, liquid cleaners, dishwasher liquids, etc., this oil gives excellent results and does not need strong fixation. In soap perfumes, a good fixation of the lavandin oil is necessary, as well as in hair preparations, etc. The oil consists mainly of linalool, linalylacetate (today about 30 to 32%, in some cases even more), cineole, camphene, pinene, traces of camphor, and a small, but very important percentage (one or two percent) of ethyl-n-amylketone. This last material has often been confused with methyl-hexyl-ketone, and the latter has even been named "lavender ketone" in various literatures. This ketone does not, to the author's knowledge, occur in nature. It does not give that "missing lavender touch" to a perfume based on synthetic materials. (The author is well aware, that this is a matter of opinion, not a matter of knowledge, but he feels convinced that he shares this opinion with the majority of other perfumers). **Lavandin Oil **blends well with countless natural and synthetic perfume materials. More recently the old-fashioned "**Rondeletia**"-theme has found a. renaissance in the combination of lavandin oil with clove oils, eugenol, bay leaf oil, cinnamon leaf oil, etc. Other blenders are aliphatic aldehydes (modifiers, topnotes), amyl salicylate, citronella oils, cypress oil, decyl alcohol, geranium oils, geranyl acetone, isobornyl acetate, pine needle oils, thyme or origanum oils, patchouli (also. fixative), etc. Fixation is obtained with sesquiterpene fractions from various essential oils (good for soap perfumes), labdanum products, nitromusks, coumarins, oakmoss, lavandin concrète, etc. **Lavandin Oil **is also acetylized to yield a product containing *about 75% *of "natural" linalyl acetate. This product was a source of low-cost linalyl acetate in the 1946 to 1956 period, when linalyl acetate from bois de rose oil cost about U.S. $ 8.00 per lb. 10 to 15% of monoterpenes can be eliminated from the lavandin oil by careful vacuum distillation. The oil loses completely its characteristic odor and resembles certain grades of lavender oil. It is conceivable, that the vacuum distillation also causes a loss of cineole and camphor, whereby the typical notes of lavandin obviously disappear. **Lavandin**** ****Oil**** **is available in almost unlimited quantities, but it seems to find wider application every year, and the increasing production is readily absorbed by the hungry soap perfume industry.