Product Overview
Our high quality organic Lavandin Grosso essential oil is grown in France and possesses a wonderful aromatic balance between herbal, floral, and camphoraceous notes. Organic Lavandin Grosso is suitable for use in a narrower range of applications than true Lavender oils but does represent a real cost-effective substitute for them in candles, soaps, and personal care and cleaning products.
True Lavender (called interchangeably Lavandula angustifolia, L. officinalis and L. vera[1]) grows at high altitudes, while Spike Lavender (called interchangeably Lavandula spica and L. latifolia[2]) thrives at lower altitudes on the same sunny hills and slopes of Spain. When these two plants flower simultaneously and cross-pollinate to create the hybrid Lavandula x intermedia, there are several cultivars of this hybrid that appear – namely L. x intermedia ‘Abrialis’, ‘Grosso’ (the most common), ‘Reydovan’ and ‘Super’.[3] Two important advantages of these hybrids/cultivars: they are more easily grown, and they have a significantly higher yield of essential oils than true Lavenders, thus they can be far more economical.[4]
Lavender hybrids of all types are not inferior oils in themselves – it is in fact more comparable to making a table wine collected from different fields or different grapes vs. a vintage wine of controlled single origin. As long as there is no adulteration, an easy task with Lavandins, they have great value in aromatherapy applications and natural perfumery.
Not sure which Lavender to choose? Please see our article Lowdown on Lavender – Which One Should I Buy?
1 Sheppard-Hanger, Sylla. The Aromatherapy Practitioner Reference Manual, Vol. 1, 1994, p. 263.
2 Price, Shirley and Len Price. Aromatherapy for Health Professionals, 2nd ed., 2001, p. 15.
3 Ibid.
4 Davis, Patricia. Aromatherapy – An A-Z, 1988, p. 183.
