In short
Lavender oil is distilled from the flowering tops of Lavandula angustifolia, mainly in France and Bulgaria. It is the heart of the fougère family and one of the most used essential oils.
What Lavender Oil smells like
True lavender oil (Lavandula angustifolia) is fresh, floral and herbaceous, built mostly on linalool and linalyl acetate, with a soft, hay-like drydown. It is the sweetest and most floral of the lavender oils, with less camphor than lavandin and none of spike lavender's eucalyptus-camphor sharpness. Perfumers treat the choice between true lavender and lavandin as a stylistic one, not only a matter of cost.
- Leading note
- Sweet floral lavender
- Clear facets
- Herbaceous
- Supporting facets
- Hay-like
- Faint facets
- Camphoraceous
- Character
- Fresh, floral, soft, clean
What makes Lavender Oil distinctive
The floral lavender: more linalool and linalyl acetate, less camphor — the reference the hybrid and the spike are measured against.
How Lavender Oil is used
Used in fougère, cologne, aromatic and floral compositions as a heart or top note.
Typical role: backbone (used in large proportions as a structural material of an accord).
How Lavender Oil differs from similar materials
- Lavandin Oil (Grosso)
- Lavandin is sharper, more penetrating and more herbal, with a distinct camphor bite; true lavender is sweeter and more floral. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Spike Lavender Oil
- Spike lavender is dominated by cineole and camphor with almost no linalyl acetate; true lavender is the floral, sweet one. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Lavender Absolute
- The absolute is denser and sweeter, with stronger hay and coumarin notes; the oil is fresher and lighter.
- Linalyl Acetate
- Linalyl acetate is the oil's sweet bergamot-lavender ester alone; the oil adds linalool and herbaceous notes.
- Lavandulyl Acetate
- Lavandulyl acetate is a minor lavender ester with a fresher, herbal-fruity lavender character; the oil is fuller and floral.
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Rich in linalool and linalyl acetate; linalool oxidises, so store cold and full.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Aromatic / Floral
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Lavender essential oil
- Botanical source
- Lavandula angustifolia Mill.
- CAS number
- 8000-28-0
The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Coumarin
Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fougère — hay, sweet, almond, tobacco
-
Bergamot Oil (Expressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, zesty, floral, tea-like
-
Linalyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Fruity — fruity, floral, bergamot, lavender
-
Oakmoss Absolute
Absolute · Chypre / Green — mossy, earthy, inky, forest floor
-
Clary Sage Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Amber — herbal, tea-like, ambery, musky
-
Spike Lavender Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Floral — lavender, camphoraceous, fresh, herbal
-
Lavender Absolute
Absolute · Aromatic / Gourmand — lavender, herbaceous, hay, sweet
Lavender Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Bergamot Oil FCF, beta-Ocimene, Black Spruce Oil, Clarycet, Hyssop Oil and Lavandulyl Acetate.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 12 published formulas
Lavender Oil is an ingredient in 12 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Lavender Oil
Is Lavender Oil natural or synthetic?
Lavender Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.
What is the CAS number of Lavender Oil?
8000-28-0, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Lavender Oil?
Lavender Oil is used in 12 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Anise Ink, Black Musk and Bracken Moon. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135362275, checked 19 October 2026.
- AromaWeb — Lavender essential oil differences — published perfumery reference.
- Premiere Peau — Lavender — published perfumery reference.
- The Good Scents Company — lavandin odour category — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.