Essential Branch

Floral essential oil

Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

Long rows of flowering lavender running across a field, with mown grass between them.
Long rows of flowering lavender running across a field, with mown grass between them. Photo: Laslovarga, CC BY-SA 4.0

True lavender is the oil most people start with, and for good reason: it is mild in a blend, easy to like and mixes with almost everything. It is steam distilled from the flowering tops of Lavandula angustifolia, much of it grown in France and Bulgaria. People often choose it for winding down in the evening, for a calmer room, or as a soft middle note that ties citrus and woods together. Small studies suggest inhaled lavender may help some people relax, though results vary. Check the Latin name on the label: spike lavender and lavandin smell sharper and contain far more camphor.

Safety at a glance

  • Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
  • Children From age 2
  • Dogs Use with caution
  • Cats Avoid
  • Sunlight Not phototoxic
  • On skin No published maximum

Reference

Botanical name Lavandula angustifolia
Plant family Lamiaceae
Plant part Flowering tops
Extraction steam distillation
Main origins France and Bulgaria
Aroma family Floral
Note Middle note
Aroma Soft, sweet floral with a green, herbal edge
Main constituents linalool, linalyl acetate, (Z)-beta-ocimene, terpinen-4-ol and lavandulyl acetate
Common uses sleep, calm, skin, bath and fresh air
Suggested maximum on skin No published maximum
Phototoxic No
Shelf life once opened 2 to 3 years
Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
Children From age 2
Dogs Use with caution
Cats Avoid
Safety notes No skin limit is commonly set for true lavender, but old, air-exposed oil irritates more easily, so keep it fresh and capped. Pet Poison Helpline does not list lavender, but a Texas A&M veterinary toxicologist names it among oils harmful to cats, so we take the stricter view for cats and keep dogs at caution.

Blends well with

Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Sleep, Essential Oil Blends for Calm, Essential Oil Blends for a Fresh Home

Sources

  1. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
  2. Lavender, National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NIH)
  3. Lavender and the nervous system (Koulivand et al., 2013), PubMed Central (NIH)
  4. A scent-sitive subject: essential oil diffusers and your cat, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences