- Latin name
- Lavandula × intermedia
- Family
- Mint family (Lamiaceae)
- Origin
- Provence (France), Spain
- Parts used
- flowering tops
- Raw materials
- essential oil (Grosso, Abrial, Super varieties)
- Extraction
- steam distillation
- Olfactory group
- aromatic
- Position in the pyramid
- top and heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- linalool, linalyl acetate, camphor
Lavandin is a natural hybrid of true lavender and spike lavender. It is taller, bushier and yields far more oil, so most of the famous purple fields of Provence that we see on postcards are in fact lavandin.
How it smells: fresh, herbal and camphoraceous: lavender floralcy, but sharper and cooler, with a eucalyptus shade. Lavandin sounds lively and clean, less tender than true lavender.
Lavandin grows lower down in the valleys, while true lavender grows high in the mountains. Thanks to its high yield, lavandin is more affordable and widely used in perfumery, cosmetics and household products.
What it pairs with: with bergamot and geranium — fresh fougères, with rosemary and sage — herbal compositions, with musk — “clean laundry”, with vanilla and tonka — a warm lavender, with woods — dry masculine fragrances.
Good to know: lavandin sets almost no seed, so it is propagated by cuttings — and all the plants of one variety in a field are genetically identical.
