Lavender: how do we use it in the fragrance industry?

The lavender season is in full bloom and the fields of the South of France turn purple and give off an exceptional fragrance. France being one of the main producers of lavender, notably the departments of Haute-Provence, Dr?me and Vaucluse, the history of this flower goes back a long way. This attracts tourists from all over the world to visit the lavender fields.

Lavender has been known since antiquity. The Romans already used it for its unique scent to perfume their linen and their baths. Dioscorides, in his Methodological Treaty of Medicines, classified it among the most valuable medicinal plants. From the 13th century, it is used for therapeutic purposes. It is often found in the gardens of medicinal plants in monasteries.

The term "Lavender" appeared in the Middle Ages. Its name comes from the Latin "lavare" which means to wash and purify, in reference to the habits of the time of using lavender as a bath purifier. The glove makers of Grasse used lavender essence to perfume their leather, they were spared by the plague and encouraged their fellow citizens to use lavender. It is said to have beneficial powers of love, protection, chastity, happiness and peace.

At Robertet, we process two varieties of lavender, fine lavender and lavandin. Although we are familiar with lavender and its scent, lavandin is the result of a natural hybridization between two botanical species of lavender. They are both known for their soothing and medicinal properties, it is a multipurpose product since it is used in fine fragrance, home care and personal care. We tell you more in the article ...

Lavender – The flagship ingredient of French Riviera ?

Lavender is a versatile product, its properties and its fragrant notes allow it to be used in various applications.

It is harvested from July to August. The top parts are harvested with a sickle in the high mountains or with a machine in flat areas. A picker can cut up to 400 kg of lavender per day, but it takes almost one hectare of flowers to obtain 15 kg of essential oil.

How to make lavender essential oil?

Lavender is processed in different ways depending on its use, by hydrodistillation to obtain the essential oil but also through extraction to obtain the concrete then the absolute. The product obtained presents floral, herbaceous, woody and fruity notes with a pear note, a fine product and very appreciated in fragrance.

In 1990, a distillation called "green-ground" was developed. The plant chopped by the machine is processed without prior drying on the site of harvest, in mobile boxes connected directly to a boiler.

What kind of smell is lavender? Its smell has floral, herbaceous, balsamic, woody, camphorated and pear fruity notes, it is mainly composed of linalool and lynalyl acetate.

Applications – what’s lavender oil used for ?

Its main use remains fragrance but it is widely used in lavender waters, colognes, floral perfumes and amber compositions, whether for fine fragrance or for compositions for other uses such as soaps, candles, softeners, etc... Lavender essential oil blends well with notes of citrus, spices, wood, flowers, citrus and tobacco hay.

This raw material is commonly used in many types of hygiene or body care products, including: body care, foot/hand creams, shower gels, body scrubs and deodorants. It is also widely used in aromatherapy, and is recommended to treat stress, improve blood circulation and treat sleep disorders due to its relaxing properties and many others.

What scents can you mix with lavender?

Lavender is often associated with wellness due to its relaxing properties in spa treatments and whole body relaxation rituals due to its sensory qualities. Its use is recommended for certain respiratory conditions such as asthma, coughs, colds. It is also recommended against headaches, spasms, flatulence, nausea and vomiting. For its antiseptic properties, lavender essential oil is applied to infected wounds and burns. It is traditionally used for the cleaning of small wounds but also against the sunburns and the superficial and not very extensive burns.

Lavandin – The hybrid of the famous flower

The natural hybridization between the real lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and the lavender aspic (Lavandula spica), gave the wild lavenders. Like any hybrid, lavandin is sterile. It is multiplied by cuttings, which produces a uniform line called "clone". This explains the homogeneous and regular aspect of the fields of lavandin.

Lavandin bloom in August. It is a herbaceous plant from 50 to 70 cm high, strong and vigorous. Its leaves are larger than those of its breeding stock. Fluffy in winter and green in summer, they are similar to those of the sage. The woody flower stems, very bushy, especially in their upper part, carry irregular flowers of dark blue color.

Compared to lavenders, the plants of the lavandin, much larger and in " sphere ", are rigorously identical because of the hybridization. The altitude also plays a big role in the differentiation between the two species: while the lavandin grows at all altitudes (from sea level to more than 900 m), the true Lavender grows only from 350-400 m approximately, never below.

Process & Origin

The essential oil of lavandin is essentially produced and processed by hydro distillation, generally not far from the place of harvest. The quality of Robertet comes from France, essentially from the plateau of Valensole where the harvest is done from mid-July to August, just after the fine lavender. The harvest is done by machine, which cuts and puts the bunches in bundles that are left to dry for 2 days before distillation. It takes 1 hectare of lavandin to obtain 120kg of essential oil.

Application

What does lavandin oil smells like? It has a greasy, aggressive, and fruity smell that reminds us of fresh eucalyptus, camphor and falls into softer, aromatic notes with a warm wood nuance, it contains mainly linalool and lynalyl acetate. It is admitted that the lavandin is less delicate than the true lavender, its perfume is however very appreciated.

The EO of the lavandin is very used to scent soaps, detergents, home perfumes, candles... Lavandin essential oil blends well with clove, cinnamon, lemongrass, pine and clary sage as well as bergamot and lime.

The essential oil of lavandin has soothing, invigorating and antiseptic properties for our health, the therapeutic effects are similar to those of lavender with an accentuated tonic side. All of its properties make lavandin essential oil an active ingredient widely used in hair products, body and bath products with relaxing effects, facial care with soothing properties for damaged and sensitive skin, it also acts as a tonic for mature skin.

The Robertet group has been present on the lavender and lavandin markets for many years. We are able through our historical and privileged relationships, to secure the trust of farmers, through its subsidiaries, local buyers, and partners in the imported lavender and clary sage market.

In addition, the Group is determined to refocus on its core business: natural products, the strong support of its Sourcing department, its know-how in assembly and its olfactory expertise are all assets that make the Robertet Group a key player in the natural products market.