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Lavender oil

Essential oil distilled from lavender flower spikes

Lavender oil is an essential oil obtained by distillation from the flower spikes of certain species of lavender. It is commonly used in aromatherapy, perfumery, and as a flavoring or fragrance in consumer products. A standardized oral preparation known as Silexan is also used for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

There are over 400 types of lavender worldwide with different scents and qualities. Two forms of lavender oil are distinguished, lavender flower oil, a colorless oil, insoluble in water, having a density of 0.885 g/mL; and lavender spike oil, a distillate from the herb Lavandula latifolia, having a density of 0.905 g/mL. Like all essential oils, it is not a pure compound; it is a complex mixture of phytochemicals, including linalool and linalyl acetate.

Lavender oil has been used in perfumes, aromatherapy, massage therapy, and topical skin applications, though these uses lack strong clinical evidence of effectiveness. It may cause allergic reactions in massage therapy. Silexan is approved in Germany for anxiety-related restlessness and has shown some clinical effectiveness in reducing anxiety symptoms, though its overall efficacy remains debated. Although generally recognized as safe, lavender oil may act as an endocrine disruptor, is toxic if ingested, especially for children, and can cause poisoning symptoms, skin irritation, and drug interactions.

Historically, spike lavender oil was used as a solvent in oil painting before turpentine became common. Lavender oil is primarily produced through steam distillation of harvested lavender blooms—typically between late June and August—with leading global producers including Bulgaria, France, and China. Lavender oil is among the most commonly adulterated essential oils.

Production

Pure lavender essential oil is produced through steam distillation. This generates a greater amount of oil compared to other methods due to reduction of polar compound loss. Harvest of lavender blooms is typically between late June and August. The cut lavender flowers and stems are compacted into a lavender still. A boiler is then used to steam the bottom of the lavender flower filled still at a very low pressure. The lavender flower pockets containing oil are broken from this heating process and a pipe of cold water is run through the center of the still. The hot lavender oil vapor condenses on the cold pipe with the cold water and is collected into a holding tank where it is allowed to settle. Due to polarity and densities of the water and oil, these two will separate in the holding tank whereupon the water is piped out, leaving just lavender essential oil.

Lavender oil is produced around the world, with Bulgaria, France and China leading its production.

Uses

Lavender oil has been used as a perfume, aromatherapy, and skin application, but these uses have no clinical benefit.

In Germany, Silexan is approved as a medicine for restlessness associated with anxiety. A 2024 review found that an oral 80 mg dose of lavender oil per day reduced symptoms in people with anxiety disorders compared to placebo. Lavender oil may be useful for treating depression.

Oil of spike lavender was used as a solvent in oil painting, mainly before the use of distilled turpentine became common.

Adverse effects

Although lavender oil is generally recognized as safe for its intended uses, it is a potential endocrine disruptor that may affect breast development in children.

Many essential oils, including lavender oil, can be poisonous if swallowed. In general, 5 ml of a diluted essential oil may cause toxicity in adults, whereas 2 - can be toxic in children. Over 2014-18 in New South Wales, there were 271 reported cases of lavender oil poisoning mostly in children accounting for 6.1% of all essential oil poisoning cases. The main toxic constituents of lavender oil are linalyl acetate and linalool.

Symptoms of lavender oil poisoning by ingestion include blurred vision, difficulty breathing, burning pain in the throat, burns to the eye, confusion, decreased level of consciousness, diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, and rash. Topical application of lavender oil may cause contact dermatitis.

Ingestion of lavender oil may cause interactions with prescription drugs, including anticoagulants, statins, and anticonvulsants.

Phytochemicals

The phytochemical composition of lavender oil varies from species to species (table), consisting primarily of monoterpeneoid and sesquiterpeneoid alcohols. Linalool (20-35%) and linalyl acetate (30-55%) dominate, with moderate levels of lavandulyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol and lavandulol, 1,8-cineole, camphor, limonene, and tannins.

The composition of lavender essential oil as obtained by chromatography:

Family	Composition	Lavande officinale
Lavandula angustifolia	Lavande aspic
Lavandula latifolia
Terpenes /
Monoterpenols	[[File:Linalool skeletal.svg	150px]]
Linalool	28.92 %	49.47 %
α-Terpineol	0.90%	1.08%
γ-Terpineol		0.09%
Borneol		1.43%
Isoborneol		0.82%
Terpinen-4-ol	4.32%
Nerol	0.20%
Lavandulol	0.78%
Terpenes /
Terpene esters	[[File:Linalyl acetate.svg	130px]] Linalyl acetate	32.98 %
Geranyl acetate	0.60%
Neryl acetate	0.32%
Octene-3-yl acetate	0.65%
Lavandulyl acetate	4.52%
Terpenes /
Monoterpenes	Myrcene	0.46%	0.41%
α-Pinene		0.54%
β-Pinene		0.33%
Camphene		0.30%
(E)-β-Ocimene	3.09%
(Z)-β-Ocimene	4.44%
β-Phellandrene	0.12%
Terpenes /
Terpenoid oxides	[[File:Eucalyptol.png	120px]]
Eucalyptol
(1,8-cineol)		25.91 %
Terpenes /
Sesquiterpenes	β-Caryophyllene	4.62%	2.10%
β-Farnesene	2.73%
Germacrene	0.27%
α-Humulene		0.28%
Ketones	[[File:Camphor structure.png	60px]]
Camphor	0.85%	13.00 %
3-Octanone	0.72%
[[File:Cryptone.svg	120px]]
Cryptone	0.35%

Adulteration

Lavender oil is among the most commonly adulterated essential oils.

References

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Mihala, Lorelei. (2020-07-30). "Bulgarian lavender: The sweet smell of success". BBC News.
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(1 August 2020). "Lavender". National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, US National Institutes of Health.
Sarris, Jerome. (2022). "Clinician guidelines for the treatment of psychiatric disorders with nutraceuticals and phytoceuticals: The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) and Canadian Network for Mood and Anxiety Treatments (CANMAT) Taskforce". The World Journal of Biological Psychiatry.
(2008). "The Grove encyclopedia of materials and techniques in art". Oxford University Press.
"Sec. 182.20 Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives (including distillates)". FDA.
(2 June 2023). "Endocrine disruptors". National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US National Institutes of Health.
(13 November 2021). "Lavender oil". MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine, US National Institutes of Health.
(November 2019). "Essential oil exposures in Australia: analysis of cases reported to the NSW Poisons Information Centre". The Medical Journal of Australia.
(July 2021). "Essential oil poisoning". Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, Australia.
(22 October 2021). "Lavender". Drugs.com.
(September 2002). "Characterisation of lavender essential oils by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with correlation of linear retention indices and comparison with comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography". Journal of Chromatography A.
(2018-12-01). "A new cost-effective approach for lavender essential oils quality assessment". Industrial Crops and Products.
(May 2021). "A novel approach for lavender essential oil authentication and quality assessment". Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis.
(December 2024). "Lavender essential oil market integrity: A comprehensive study of commercial Lavandula angustifolia essential oils adulteration and assessment of industrial standards". Industrial Crops and Products.

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