Lavender Essential Oil

Common Name: Lavender Bulgaria Oil
Botanical Name: Lavandula augustifolia

INCI: Lavandula Augustifolia (Lavender) Oil

Lavender oil continues to be as popular today as it has in the past, many of us are familiar with the scent of lavender whether its through our everyday personal care products or as an aromatherapy agent. Lavandula augustifolia is a stockier plant with fuller flowers where it is primarily harvest in the farmlands of Bulgaria. These full flowers are harvest and brought to distillers where they are compressed before undergoing steam distillation to extract this precious oil. The oil is characterized by its colourless, transparent appearance along with its full-bodied aroma that is sweet-herbaceous, floral and rich1.

Lavender oil main constituents are: linalool, linalyl acetate, 1,8-cineole, b-ocimene (usually both cis-and trans-), terpinen-4-ol and camphor1. At Plant’s Power, we offer Bulgarian Lavender Oil (Lavandula augustifolia) where its constituents are low in camphor and higher in linalool and linalyl acetate1. This makes it an excellent choice of oil to be used in aromatherapy and cosmetic products due to its unique aroma profile.

Lavandula augustifolia is recommended as a cosmetic ingredient for its numerous properties. One of which are the anti-septic and purifying properties as it has demonstrated to fight various types of bacteria and fungi. Similar to that of Tea Tree oil, their MIC values are comparable indicating that lavender essential oil plays a role in preventing and treating topical infections1.

While using essential oils, there are always the concerns of skin irritations or allergic reactions. However, Lavandula augustifolia is a mild skin irritant and has demonstrated zero skin sensitization and reduction in UV damage when compared to other oils1. This is due to the phenolic compounds content within lavender oil that provides it with its anti-oxidant property, making it extremely useful in formulations of cosmetic products2.

Another key benefit of using lavender oil is for its anti-inflammatory property, it has demonstrated to relieve skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema2. Therefore, it is highly recommended as a treatment for sensitive and/or irritated skin2. However, it is important to keep in mind during formulation that the recommended dose of lavender oil is between 0.5 – 5.0%2.

It is no surprise that Lavendula augustifolia (Bulgarian Lavender Oil) with its numerous beneficial properties has remain its popularity within the cosmetics and aromatherapy industries.

References:

1. Cavanagh, H. M., & Wilkinson, J. M. (2002). Biological activities of Lavender essential oil. Phytotherapy Research, 16(4), 301-308. doi:10.1002/ptr.1103

2. Lavender . (2011, July 03). Retrieved August 08, 2017, from http://www.centerchem.com/Products/DownloadFile.aspx?FileID=6802

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