Lavender oil

Pure lavender essential oil is produced through steam distillation.[1][2] This generates a greater amount of oil compared to other methods due to reduction of polar compound loss.[3] Harvest of lavender blooms are typically between late June and August.[4] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[1] 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.[5]

Lavender oil is produced around the world, with Bulgaria, France and China leading its production.[6][7]

Lavender oil has long been used as a perfume, for aromatherapy, and for skin applications.[8][9]^:184–186 Lavender oil is used in massage therapy as a way of inducing relaxation through direct skin contact.[8][10]

Oil of spike lavender was used as a solvent in oil painting, mainly before the use of distilled turpentine became common.[11]

Lavender oil is poisonous, due to the components linalyl acetate and linalool, and should not be ingested.[12] In Australia, lavender oil is one of the many essential oils that have been increasingly causing cases of poisoning, mostly of children. In the period 2014-2018 there were 271 reported cases in New South Wales, accounting for 6.1% of essential oil poisoning incidents.[13]

In rare cases, lavender oil in soaps, shampoos, and other skin applied medications may cause prepubertal gynecomastia (breast development in young boys).[14] Other potential adverse effects include a sedative effect and contact dermatitis as an allergic reaction, possibly resulting from major lavender oil constituents, camphor, terpinen-4-ol, linalool and linalyl acetate.[15][8]

The exact composition of lavender essential oil varies from species to species but consists primarily of monoterpeneoids and sesquiterpeneoids. Of these linalool and linalyl acetate dominate, with moderate levels of lavandulyl acetate, terpinen-4-ol and lavandulol. 1,8-cineole and camphor are also present in low to moderate qualities. In all lavender oil typically contains many more than 100 compounds, although a great many of these are present at very low concentrations.[16]

The composition of lavender essential oil as obtained by chromatography:

Family	Composition	Lavande officinale Lavandula angustifolia	Lavande aspic Lavandula latifolia
Terpenes / Monoterpenols	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	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	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	Camphor	0.85%	13.00 %
	3-Octanone	0.72%
	Cryptone	0.35%