My shopping cart
Your cart is currently empty.
Continue Shopping[Part 2] Why does this Lavender Essential Oil smell different than that one?!
In [Part 1] of this series we established that there is indeed a scent difference in some lavender essential oils, but why is that?
After researching lavender essential over for hours, I complied 5 main reasons why lavender essential oils smell differently.
1 Plant Species
While there are over 30 species of lavender, there are 3 common ones that are used to distill essential oil:
lavandula angustifolis (which is the most common type)
lavandula officinalis
lavandula stoechas
2 The country of Origin
Lavender is grown commercially in several countries, but I found the top 4 countries to be:
Bulgaria
Spain
France
South Africa
Both French and Bulgarian lavender have a sweeter, more floral scent, while South African and Spanish lavender have a more camphorous scent.
3 The crop's environment
The scent of lavender essential oil is affected by the quality of the lavender crop it is distilled from. And the quality of the lavender crop is affected by different several factors, including:
soil type
cloud coverage
temperature
altitude
precipitation
season
cloud coverage
temperature
altitude
precipitation
season
4 The harvest
When and how the lavender crop is harvested affects the smell of the essential oil it produces. At what age was the crop harvested and what was the weather like at harvest-time?
5 The Distillation Process
Finally, how was the plant distilled? What part of the plant was distilled? And how much temperature and pressure was applied during the process?
There is indeed a difference in scent among some lavender essential oils. The more you expose yourself to different types, the more keen your nose will become in distinguishing those differences!