Lavender is an Old World fragrance that is sweet, mystical and haunting. It is found in gardens all over the world and in aromatic profusion everywhere from Cape Verde and the Canary Islands to Europe, northern and eastern Africa, the Mediterranean, southwest Asia, China and southeast India.
Our master perfumers at Alpha Aromatics utilize many of the 47 known species of this flowering plant from which is gleaned the most widely utilized essential oil on our planet today. Known for their tapered leaves and purplish flowers, their blooms and stalks have been used in medicine and perfumery since the days of antiquity.
A Short History of Lavender Essential Oil
The practice of using infused aromatic oils as a mood enhancer is thought to have originated in China, albeit little is known about the very first culture to employ them. The ancient Egyptians are credited with developing one of the first distillation machines to extract essential oils from cedar-wood, clove, cinnamon and lavender plants. It is said that when the tomb of King Tutankhamen was opened back in 1922, the faint scent of lavender, some 3,000 years old, still lingered within the folds of the royal, golden casket.
The Greeks used it to battle insomnia and treat backaches; the Romans in cooking, bathing rituals and scenting the air. Lavender is also mentioned in the bible, both in the Old and New Testaments. It was one of the holy herbs used in the biblical temple in the Song of Solomon (4,14). In the New Testament it is referred to as “spikenard” (John, Chapter 12).
The quote refers to Mary anointing the feet of Jesus with the very costly ointment of “spikenard.” During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance periods in history, French women who took in washing for hire were known as “lavenders.” This essential oil also scented cabinet drawers, perfumed the air, warded off infection and healed wounds.
Studies Reinforcing The Calming Qualities Of Lavender
There have been numerous studies examining the calming qualities of lavender. One that was conducted at the University Clinic of Neurology in the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, in 2005 was headed by Johan Lehrner and associates and published in the scientific journal, Physiological Behavior.
This study investigated the impact of both orange and lavender oils on the anxiety levels of patients awaiting dental procedures. Findings reinforced previous beliefs that these combined scents aided in beneficially altering emotional states and reducing anxiety.
In 2012, the J. Medical Association in Thailand discovered that lavender relaxed participants, improved their mental alertness, decreased anxiety and elevated levels of euphoria. That same year, another pilot study conducted by Conrad and Adams in a large Indianapolis hospital focused on 28 postpartum women who, after four weeks of exposure to lavender aromatherapy treatment, experienced a significant reduction in anxiety and depression.
Lavender And Aromatherapy
The fragrance of lavender oil is believed to help promote calmness and wellness. Its many properties are also said to help reduce stress, anxiety, and possibly even mild pain. Lavender is featured in many products designated for aromatherapy including: diffusers, burners candles, incense, therapeutic salves for pain and tension relief and a hand sanitizer to kill germs.
What Type of Products Most Often Feature Lavender?
Lavender is a multi-purpose oil and our many customers clamor for its utilization in their many scent creations. When applied to the skin, lavender oils have shown positive results in helping with eczema, acne, sunburns, and diaper rash.
Lavender is also found in household cleaning products, deodorizers, candles and food products. Known for its antiseptic and antibiotic properties that kill bacteria, alleviate the pain of bee stings and migraines, heal burns and ward off moths in clothing closets, it is also used to calm horses, promote restful sleep and balance emotions.
Skin And Hair Care Products
Lavender aids in the removal of dirt and bacteria from skin and for this reason we utilize this essential oil in formulas that are then incorporated in the production of their many lotions, soaps, shampoos, skin and personal care products. Lavender soothes complexions and aids in the elimination of acne. It contains antioxidants that retard the aging process and lessen skin damage. For older skin, it can reduce spots and sunspots. It is also naturally antimicrobial.
A recent study confirmed that lavender oil also acts as a stimulant for hair growth. When the oil is applied to mice, their hair grew thicker and faster than normal. The results of this study may well lead the way for future human research that may shed new light on the treatment of pattern baldness and alopecia. Hair products containing lavender oil can be calming, fragrant, and good for the scalp.
Bath Products And Personal Care Products
Bath-related items are among the most popular categories of lavender products produced by our master perfumers and team members at Alpha Aromatics. Bars of hand made lavender soaps containing moisturizers such as goats milk or shea butter are beneficial to the skin.
Liquid soap, shower gel, bubble bath, shampoo and conditioner are big sellers as well as deodorant and after-shave. Lavender’s wonderful aroma and its antibacterial properties make it an ideal ingredient in home care products. Lavender laundry soap, dryer sachets, or clothes hangers guarantee fresh smelling clothes.
Sleep-Enhancing Products
Pillows are among the most favored of lavender-infused products intended to produce a relaxing effect. There are several types: lavender eye pillows for blocking out light; neck pillows for relieving muscle tension and headaches, and dream pillows to slip inside a pillow case to induce sleep. There are also pillows to rest the wrist on while working on a computer keyboard and/or mouse computer mouse.
Products for the Pet Industry
There has been a burgeoning trend to design lavender products exclusively for the pet industry, particularly dogs, as this essential oil can be just as beneficial to them as it is to us. It can soothe irritated skin and help heal wounds, burns and ulcers. Some of these include: pet shampoo for dogs with itchy or sensitive skin, pillows, and even dog biscuits.
Lavender’s calming benefits are powerful in dogs because it affects the nervous system, relieving anxiety and stress. Lavender oil can be rubbed on the dog’s neck to soothe anxious tension, or induce drowsiness and lavender shampoos alleviate stress at bath time.
Lavender Plant Products
Many lavender plant products glean high profit margins, markups of 500% to 800% in many instances. The buds of the flowers are often the main ingredient in sachets, pomanders and potpourri.
The three most popular uses for sachet bags are as dryer bags, where they give clothes a fresh, chemical-free scent that will last for up to ten repeat uses, bath and pet bags, which give a pet’s bedding a fresh smell and repel fleas. Each type of bag contains about a heaping tablespoon of dried lavender buds. The buds are also popular in cuisine.
Fresh lavender is often a component in home decorations, such as beautiful, long lasting aromatic wreaths.
7 Alpha Aromatics Fragrances That Use Lavender
Our roots as an American manufacturer of fine fragrances and a leader within the perfume industry stretch back to the 1940s. Lavender, as well as other essential oils provide the basis for our many unforgettable and unique blends.
The following fragrances we created by our Master Perfumer, Roger Howell, and our amazing team members, and represent just a few of the many artful blends we’ve created for our global clientele.
Lavender-Lime
A clean, uplifting and soothing fragrance, the blending of energizing tangerine, lemon and lime with relaxing and calming lavender and a finishing note of luxurious, alluring vanilla form a scent characterized by balance, physical and emotional serenity. Lime oil particularly evokes cleanliness and spiritual renewal.
Lavender Orchard
The top note of this fruity floral fragrance is hallmarked by a fresh, juicy and crisp apple scent. This soon surrenders to a potent, sweet middle note of calming, soothing and relaxing lavender and finishes with an earthy metallic musk base note. The combination of apple and musk is powerful transporter to happy times past and home-made apple pie still steaming from the oven.
Fresh Rain
Very delicate, sweet, floral and earthy, this scent suggests new beginnings, personal comfort and the washing away of negative past emotions. A top note dominated by tangy, invigorating citrus soon fades into a heart note of strong, sweet lavender, romantic, musky rose and soft, mildly peppery sage. Sensual, earthy musk and woody cedar shape the final base note of this relaxing fragrance.
Lotus Flower And Lavender
The sacred bloom known as the lotus flower complemented by sweet-smelling lily-of the valley and powdery, elusive violet mark the top notes of this haunting fragrance. These soon fade and meld into a heart note comprised of calming lavender, leafy, green and earthy hyacinth, musty, green cyclamen and delicious, chalky, vanilla-like heliotrope. The scent finishes with the rich and creamy appeal of tuberose.
Lavender Blossom Honeysuckle
Bright and zesty citron initiates this herbaceous, floral scent that soon acquiesces to a heart note containing wild and sugary honeysuckle, aromatic rose and sweet herbaceous and soothing lavender blossom. The fragrance completes with an understated woody base note.
Lavender Orchards
A zesty scent evoking the kaleidoscope of autumn colors, falling leaves and that crisp chill that lingers in the air. A top note of juicy, woody, fresh and fruity apple soon flows into a potent amalgam of floral, herbal geranium and strong, sweet and clean lavender. A base note of sugary, musky, earthy, woody and warm ginger-root completes the fragrance.
Lush Lemongrass
The enticing allure of far away places dominate this rich, full-bodied fragrance hallmarked by top notes of bold, sharp lime, lemony, tangy orange, the candied sweetness of muscadine and fresh, invigorating lemongrass. The scent flows into a heart note of sweet, stirring lavender, exotic and fruity pettigrain and bold, green cyclamen. It finishes with a base note marked by nuances of wood and sharp, cooling sage.
In Conclusion
Lavender scented products are certain to remain favorites among the myriad of fragrances produced by our master perfumers, who constantly study market trends and create thousands of unique blended fragrances each year for clients the world over — all of which are produced within our innovative laboratories and via the most advanced tools in the realm of industrial science that money can buy.
So if you’re a product developer or formulator, product development scientist, senior cosmetic chemist, brand owner or purchaser or you’re a business owner looking to add a fragrance to your product or product line, call our perfume masters at Alpha Aromatics today and master the possibilities of lavender essential oil for your particular line of specialty products!
Final thought about lavender: If you had to choose an oil…it would have to be lavender essential oil, because it is antibacterial and antiviral. So, it’s great to have when people around you are sick; it can also be used to relax. ~ Karen Rose
What Type of Products Most Often Feature Lavender?
Lavender is a multi-purpose oil and is used in skin and hair care products, bath products, sleep-enhancing products, pet products, lavender plant products and other home and away from home products such as household cleaning products, deodorizers, candles and food products.