The ABCs of Essential Oils: Q-Z

Since I won't be getting around to individual posts for the ABCs of essential oils, here is the rest of the list. I needed to use latin names to get a full A-Z, and even then, they aren't common essential oils.

Quercus robur (Oakwood)

Rose

Spruce

Tuberose

Urtica dioica (Stinging Nettle)

Vetiver

Wintergreen

Xanthozylum

Ylang Ylang

Zdravetz

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Patchouli

Pogostemon cablin

Patchouli is one of those things you probably love or hate. And while I've met those who adore patchouli, it feels like the general public is wary of the scent. If you want to make perfumes, trying to find a way to use the oils you don't like is invaluable.

Patchouli has a reputation as a "dirty hippy" scent, and with its earthy odor, that might feel apt the first time you sniff it. It does have a strong scent, and if your first reaction is to wrinkle your nose up, try diluting it. A lot of essential oils are too strong in their pure state, so diluting it will help you appreciate it better. If you're still thinking "ew" after diluting it, don't give up hope.

Like other oils, you can find patchouli as an essential oil, CO2 extract, and absolute. I am a huge fan of CO2s and absolutes, which often have odor profiles quite different than the essential oil. While I haven't sniffed patchouli absolute (at least not too recently), the CO2 has a fresher scent that you might find more appealing than the essential oils. For the essential oils, you can seek out different distillation methods. I've seen double distilled, which removes parts of the essential oil, such as iron. "Light" patchouli, which is distilled in stainless steel, has not only a lighter color than dark patchouli, but a lighter scent as well. And then you can also explore aged patchoulis, with their richer, deeper scents.

Still not feeling the patchouli love? Time to move on to blending it. Add a small amount to a different single oil, like rose, and evaluate what it does to the rose scent. Split a blend in half, add a drop or two of patchouli to one of them, and leave the other aside. Go back a day later and sniff out the differences.

Arctander says, "Patchouli oil is used so extensively that it is hardly possible to specify its field of application," and goes on to list as "an important ingredient in Oriental bases, woody bases, fougeres, chypres, opoponax bases, powder-type perfumes, etc." As such, anyone who wants to work with fragrances beyond narrow subsets should learn go appreciate this oil. While you don't need to love it, rise above the hate, and expand your creative potential.

Previously:
Orange Blossom
Nutmeg
Mandarin
Lavender
Kewda
Jasmine
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana

Coffee

Bergamot

Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Orange Blossom

Citrus aurantium

The orange tree is one of the most amazing suppliers of essential oils, supplying us with unique fragrances from its many parts. In addition to orange oil and petitgrain, we have the flowers, which create one of the most divine scents. When distilled, we call the oil neroli, which also creates orange flower water. When solvent extracted, we call it orange blossom absolute. There is also orange flower CO2 extract, which is more similar to neroli in scent, and probably the truest to nature.

As with many other florals, the different types of orange blossom are expensive, and quality can vary. If you can't afford them, look for a high quality petitgrain or perhaps petitgrain sur fleurs, which includes the flowers in the distillation. If you see orange blossom water absolute, beware, this might not be your oil. It has a very dirty scent, which has it's uses in tiny quantities, but out of the bottle it is rather gross.

Where to use neroli or orange flower absolute? Besides blending it with other florals or citrus oils, you can use it in oriental, chypre, amber and colognes.

Similar:
Honeysuckle
Jasmine
Mandarin Petitgrain
Petitgrain

Previously:
Nutmeg
Mandarin
Lavender
Kewda
Jasmine
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana

Coffee

Bergamot

Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Nutmeg

Myristica fragrans

Nutmeg (or perhaps mace) is a spice you're probably most familiar with from baking or cooking, powdered. Perhaps you've seen the whole spice in a grinder at a coffee shop. The scent is warm and spicy, perhaps a comforting reminder of holidays past.

When creating a perfume, it's best to have at hand several spices, so you can choose the one best suited. Cinnamon, clove, cardamom, and all spice...you'll feel like you're in a bakery, or perhaps preparing the perfect chai.

While nutmeg essential oil is more easily found, for perfumery you should seek out the absolute. The scent is finer and richer, and will provide a warm middle note. The essential oil may work for aromatherapy purposes, but for perfumery, the absolute provides more depth and smoothness. Blend a small bit with jasmine or in a floral blend. Use it in an Oriental fragrance, or in any fragrance in need of some warm spice.

Similar:
Mace
Clove
Cinnamon
All Spice (Pimento Berry)

Previously:
Mandarin
Lavender
Kewda
Jasmine
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Mandarin

Citrus reticulata

Red, yellow, green...this is not a stop light, but a list of mandarin essential oils available to you. If you love citrus fragrances, you should add some mandarin essential oils to your collection. The mandarin oils are my favorite of the citruses, with a depth and uniqueness that stand out in this field of fruity oils.

Like other citruses, the essential oil is expressed from the peel. It is inexpensive for an essential oil, though more costly than some of the other citruses. While I think of it primarily in terms of perfumery, it's cost allows you to add some to bath and body products. Mandarin oil is GRAS (generally recognized as safe), so you can add it to lip balms. According to Tisserand (Essential Oil Safety, 2nd ed) mandarin essential oil from the fruit isn't phototoxic, so it is safe for use in products that will stay on the skin, like lotions and balms. However, mandarin leaf (mandarin petitgrain) essential oil is phototoxic.

The different varieties offer you a chance to fine tune your fragrance, since each one is a bit different. Sweet, tart, and a bit floral, mandarin will provide a fine top note to your perfumes. Mandarin allows you to add citrus that isn't immediately recognizable, while also smoothing the way between the citrus notes and your floral notes. Per Arctander, mandarin essential oils contain methyl-n-methyl anthranilate, which is what gives the oil it's neroli-like floral note.

Similar:
Mandarin Petitgrain
Tangerine
Neroli

Previously:
Lavender
Kewda
Jasmine
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Lavender

Lavandula angustifolia

So ubiquitous, lavender is used to scent almost any product that can be fragranced. There's a good chance you already have an opinion on the odor. "L" presented many essential oil choices, and I chose lavender because while simple on the surface, it has much more going on once you dig deeper.

Lavender is a popular scent, with either the essential oil or fragrance oil appearing in a wide variety of products, from perfumes to floor cleaners. Lavender is a relatively inexpensive essential oil, but nothing is too cheap for adulteration. Many of the lavender products you have sniffed will either be fragrance oils, adulterated essential oils, or poor quality essential oils. Lavender also has a cousin, lavandin, that is often used in its place due to its lower cost. If you've sought various lavender oils and are still like "nope, don't like this stuff," then you can go on your way. But if you haven't, you should realize there are better lavenders out there.

Lavender oil is produced in many countries, including the United States, though you more often hear of French and Bulgarian. You can also find organic , wild-crafted, (as opposed to cultivated) and high-altitude lavender oils. Each factor can influence the scent of the lavender, and even a lavender from the same farm can smell different year to year. It's worth it to buy samples of several types to see which one you like best.

If you're willing to explore beyond the essential oil, lavender is available in many other forms. Lavender hydrosol is fairly common, and safer for those who are sensitive to essential oils (though anyone with a lavender allergy should avoid the hydrosol as well). It does have a different odor profile than the oil, and I tend to think of it as best for skincare and aromatherapy than for scent. If you are looking to purchase lavender for its fragrance, then you need to try lavender absolute. Not only is it a blue or green color, it has a scent quite different than that of regular lavender essential oil. It has a coumarin note, making it a perfect addition to chypre and fougere fragrances. Lavender concrete is harder to find, and not as enjoyable as the absolute, but if you need to sniff everything (like I do), then go for it. Lavender CO2 extracts are available as well, and are perfect for the lavender connoisseur, with a scent that most accurately captures the plant.

A versatile oil, lavender pairs nicely with many essential oils, and it's moderate cost makes it perfect for soap and bath/body products.

Similar:
Bergamot Mint (Mentha citrata)
Clary Sage (Salvia sclarea)
Lavandin (Lavandula hybrida/grosso/abrialis)
Petitgrain Bigarade (Citrus aurantium)
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia)

Previously:
Kewda
Jasmine
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

ABCs of Essential Oils - Kewda

I started this entry forever ago, or really the end of September, but that feels so long ago, doesn't it? Anyway, life gets in the way, and I suppose I might write about that some day, but for now, here is kewda.

Pandanus odoratissimus

"K" was a little difficult to fill, since while there are some oils that begin with "k," I either haven't sniffed them or they're used primarily for aromatherapy. But then I remembered kewda (sometimes called kewra), a rare essential oil with an odd odor. And by odd odor, I mean it's like someone punched you in the nose.

I'm honestly not sure if anyone else feels that way about kewda, since most of the descriptions are much more polite, calling it "strong" or "penetrating." It's not a bad odor, but it is intense. Calling it ethereal is rather apt- according to Arctander, it is around 75% Methyl-beta-phenylethyl Ether. Interpret that as you will. Arctander describes it as "...intensely sharp, very powerful and diffusive, but also very sweet, hyacinth-honeylike..." and recommends evaluating it at 1% or less.

You may also find kewda attar, which includes sandalwood. The soft scent of sandalwood may help you appreciate the scent of kewda better, provided that you appreciate sandalwood to begin with (I love it, but not everyone does).

Distilled or extracted from the large flower spikes of a small tree in India, kewda is a rare essence, but is worth seeking out for those interested in composing unique floral fragrances.

Previously:
Jasmine
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Jasmine

Jasmine or juniper, juniper or jasmine? I've been going back and forth on the issue, and while juniper berry is an awesome oil, and I recommend that you buy some, I will write about jasmine, since that's what "j" is really all about. As Arctander writes, jasmine is "one of the most important, if not the most important natural perfume raw material."

One of the main reasons for writing about jasmine is that I get to write about indole, a molecule present in jasmine absolute that is also found in your poop. Indole adds a dirtiness to jasmine, along with other white flowers. It might sound gross, but don't let it scare you off. It's part of what makes jasmine complex and beautiful. Indole is also available as an aromachemical, and if too much is used, it could make your perfume gross. But the small amount in jasmine makes it interesting.

You will usually find jasmine in the form of an absolute, though jasmine wax and concrete are also available. The absolute is extracted from the concrete, leaving the wax behind. Carbon dioxide extractions are becoming more readily available, and are very lovely. I have not tried any, but jasmine ruhs are available, and these are hydrodistilled instead of solvent extracted. While rare, jasmine enfleurage oil is still produced, but it is very pricy. Each extraction method results in a different odor profile, and you may wish to try a different form if the one you're using isn't quite right for your blend.

Oh, and if you want jasmine and sandalwood in one bottle, look into attars.

If you're already overwhelmed enough by these options, you might want to stop reading. There are different varieties of jasmine available, though grandiflorum and sambac are the two most common. You can also find jasmine auriculatum in some of the above extractions, and I have also see flexile as an absolute and polyanthum enfleurage.

Country of origin can also impact an oil's odor, along with factors like the weather that year. Some oils are better than others, and you also need to be on the lookout for places that might sell adulterated oils (the adulteration can happen before they receive it).

So where to start? Buy samples of grandiflorum and sambac absolutes from a few places, pacing yourself if need be due to the expense. The samples might even be large enough for you to try them out in your blends, since you don't necessarily need much. Some places offer dilutions in jojoba or fractionated coconut oil, and these can be a great way to try jasmine for less money. If you make your perfumes in alcohol though, buy the pure stuff. Jasmine blends well with many essential oils, so don't be afraid to add a little to a fragrance you're working on. Jasmine with rose is a classic, and will add a beautiful floral note to your middle.

While nothing can replace jasmine, if you're looking for other white florals, consider ylang ylang, champaca, tuberose, and orange flower absolute.

Previously:
Immortelle
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

ABCs of Essential Oils: Immortelle

Helichrysum italicum

Helichrysum is another one of those amazing and healing aromatherapy essential oils. There are different species besides Helichrysum italcum, and you should also consider the country of origin when purchasing an oil. This post is about the absolute, which is for perfumery, not aromatherapy. Absolutes are solvent extracted, so they're generally not used for aromatherapeutic applications. While you can use the essential oil in perfumes, the absolute is usually cheaper. If you have the essential oil and want to use it for its fragrance, keep in mind that other species can have different odor profiles.

Known as immortelle or everlasting, the absolute catches your attention with it's poetic name before you even open the bottle.  The scent is sweet and honey-like, with tobacco and hay nuances. Arctander mentions it's fixative effect (though also mentioning you're unlikely to use it enough to really work as a fixative), as well as it's value in "rounding off and 'bouquetting' a fragrance which may need life and naturalness."

Consider adding immortelle to bring some sweetness to a blend. I can picture using it in a meadow-type fragrance, along with some herbal and floral essences. I would reserve this material for perfumery, since it might not mix into whatever else it is you make. When you do use it for perfumes, you might need to heat it up gently (warm/hot water bath) before and/or after adding it to your alcohol or oil. This method is useful to keep in mind with other thick materials. The essential oil will blend easier into different bases, so if you have the money for a helichrysum soap or want to add it to a lotion, the EO is a better choice.

Similar odors (per Arctander):
Broom or Genet Absolute (Spartium junceum)
German Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Roman Chamomile (Anthemis nobilis)
Flouve Absolute (Anthoxanthum Odoratum)
Hay Absolute (Foin coupe)

Previously:
Ho Wood
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Ho Wood

Cinnamomum camphora

"H" has some good woods, like hiba and hinoki, but ho wood is easier to find and cheaper to buy. There's also helichrysum, an amazing aromatherapy essential oil, but I'm not an aromatherapist. Ho wood isn't one of those essential oils you should run out and buy, but it's a good oil for explaining some aspects of EOs.

First, ho wood oil might also refer to what is actually ho leaf oil. When buying essential oils, look to see what material it is distilled from, such as the wood, bark, branches, twigs, and/or leaves. I know it as ho wood, so that's how I'll refer to it here. There are three chemotypes of ho you can find, and as the Latin binomial suggests, camphor is one of them. Ravintsara is the cineole chemotype of ho leaf oil, and it is often confused with ravensara. Not only do they have similar names, but they're both distilled from trees in Madagascar. It's like someone was messing with us naming them.

The third chemotype, and the one I'm most familiar with, is linalool. You can also fractionate the camphor off from the camphor-type, leaving you with linalool and small amounts of other constituents. You might recognize linalool (aka linalol) from ingredient lists, where it's listed because Europe requires certain known allergens to be declared in the ingredients, whether they come from natural or synthetic sources. It's scent is a sweet, spicy, and woody floral present in many essential oils, with ho leaf ct. linalool leading the way. Linalool is one of the numbers in Lavender 40-42 essential oil, the other being linayl acetate.  There's also quite a bit in coriander seed essential oil. If you have that EO, give it a sniff and try detecting a rosy-floral note to it.

Rosewood (aka bois de rose) is also comprised mainly of linalool, and some consider ho wood oil a substitute for it. I think it could work ok as a substitute in some products, like soap, for fine perfumery, rosewood has a much finer scent compared to the ho wood oils I've sniffed. The problem with rosewood is that it is listed as an endangered species, per CITES. Listed under Appendix II, it does not currently face extinction, but might some day. When shopping for rosewood essential oil, look for sustainable oils distilled from twigs, branches, and leaves. Also buy from a reputable buyer, since rosewood is easy to adulterate. Consider alternatives, such as ho wood or the aromachemical linalool. 

Other Ho/Rosewood Notes:

Linaloe wood and seed oil (Bursera delpechiana)

Previously:
Ginger
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Ginger

Zingiber officinale

Geranium or ginger, geranium or ginger. I've had such a hard time time deciding between the two. My head says go with geranium, since it's so incredibly useful in perfumery, but my heart says go with ginger. Ginger is useful in natural perfumery as well, but you can't use it to boost your rose scent.

The most important thing about ginger essential oil: buy fresh ginger oil. If it doesn't say fresh, it probably won't have that sparkling brightness you want. I think CO2s might be okay, but sample first to make sure it's nice enough.

Ginger pairs well with many essential oils. For bath and body products, start by thinking of how you eat it, and try combining it with chocolate or vanilla, plus any of the sweet spices. Add it to a chai fragrance. And it is wonderful paired with lemon or lime, and the combination produces a dazzling brightness. When working on a perfume, consider the above, but go beyond the food notes and use ginger as a top note for various fragrances. Ginger pairs nicely with florals, and you can use it to lighten up earthier scents, like patchouli. It could also work in any fresh or spicy fragrances, such as colognes and oriental perfumes.

In addition to the essential oil and CO2, ginger is also available as an absolute and oleoresin, though these are less common.

Other gingery notes:
Curcuma (Curcuma longa) Note: This might also be sold as turmeric oil, but curcuma should be distilled from the dried rhizome, per Arctander.
Fingerroot (Boesenbergia pandurata)
Galangal (Alpinia officinarum, Alpinia galanga, Kaempferia galanga)
Zedoaria (Curcuma zedoaria)

Previously:
Frankincense

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Frankincense

F:

Frankincense (Boswellia)

If you talk to me about essential oils, you'll likely hear me say "that's one of my favorites" so many times it seems to lose meaning. But I really do love many of them, and it would be hard to limit the number of favorites that I have. That said, frankincense really is one of my favorites, and I would place it somewhere in my top ten (but please don't ask me what the other 9 are!).

I could write a lot about frankincense - not only does it have a long history, but it also is amazing for aromatherapy. I'll stick to a few bits of information, and include my thoughts on using it as a scent.

Frankincense starts as a resin, the tears from tree. It is formed in the bark of the various Boswellia species, and for production purposes, incisions are made in trees, and the exudate collected. This is also how we get myrrh, frankincense's buddy. The tears can be used as incense, or processed to form materials for perfumery or aromatherapy. In addition to the tears, I have the absolute, essential oil, and CO2. 

Frankincense & myrrh tears.

Like all essential oils, frankincense will vary based on the exact species, its origin, age, and extraction method. Boswellia carterii is the most commonly available, based on what I've seen. Most species of frankincense come from Africa and the Middle East, including Somalia, Oman, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The essential oil might be produced in the country of origin, or the resin can be shipped to another country. Boswellia serrata is from India, and it is usually the cheapest. 

Frankincense by itself is beautiful, and to me it is the scent of sunshine. I find it bright and clean with a lot of depth. Arctander describes it as "...strongly diffusive, fresh-terpeney, almost green-lemon-like or reminiscent of green, unripe apples...A certain pepperiness is mellowed with a rich, sweet-woody, balsamic undertone." He continues to describe it as "more or less tenacious with an almost cistus-like, ambre-type, balsamic note," depending on its distillation circumstances. (FYI - cistus isn't a typo, it's the essential oil of rock rose, with labdanum as its absolute.) I agree with Arctander's assessment, with caveat that the scent will vary.

As a base note, frankincense is a great base note for citrusy fragrances, keeping it light and fresh. In oriental perfumes it's peppery notes will go nicely with the spices, while it's balsamic notes will add depth to the base notes. For products, use it on its own or blend it with a few other notes. Combining it with myrrh for the holidays is popular, but try blending it with a citrus note, lavender, cardamom, or an evergreen. If price is no object, try it with rose. 

Additional species:

Boswellia neglecta

Boswellia frereana

Boswellia rivae

Boswellia sacra

Previously:

Eucalyptus

Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Eucalyptus

E:

Eucalyptus

If you're brand new to essential oils, you might be most familiar with eucalyptus through a vapor rub used when you have a cough. Eucalyptus, camphor, and menthol are the active ingredients in VapoRub, giving it that medicinal odor. Eucalyptus is more of an aromatherapy essential oil than a perfumery one- who wants to smell like a medicine cabinet?

That said, there's more to fragrance creation than just making perfumes, and it's useful to know how to use all sorts of materials. If you decide to make something like soap, you'll start to realize you're limited partly on the chemistry of the product. Cold process soaps can alter your scent, and some scents might not be strong enough to be worth putting in them. Hot process involves flash points, since an oil with a low flash point might not survive the heat, meaning you wasted that oil (I actually got into anise when playing around with hot process). Liquid soap (the kind made with oils and potassium hydroxide) can also react in weird ways with different essential oils. Different scents can thicken it or thin it out, some can cloud it, and others might clump up weird. So if you're interested in essential oil blending for products, there's definitely a lot more going on than just figuring out what smells nice together.

I haven't used eucalyptus in soaps, but there are a lot of products you might want to use it, especially if you're feeling kind of sick. You don't want to smell like eucalyptus all day, so you could try it in a salt or sugar scrub, or perhaps put it in a shower fizzy tab so it releases the scent into the steam. Try mixing it with peppermint to make it fresher, or try some lemon for a sunnier scent. Use eucalyptus in your home made cleaning products for an aromatherapy boost.

Since I am mentioning the aromatherapeutic uses, I would like to note that it's advised not to use this oil for children under ten, including sniffing it out of the bottle or from an aromatherapy inhaler. Because there are many different eucalypti, some may be safer for children than others.

And if you really want it in your perfume? Try finding eucalyptus absolute from the stores below for a less medicinal fragrance.

Hermitage Oils
Aftelier

There are a lot of eucalypti out there, and if you can't stand the odor of one, you might want to try another. I've listed some below that I've seen before. There are many more, but this list includes some common ones plus a few that have a bit of a fragrant twist.

Eucalyptus globulus
Eucalyptus radiata
Eucalyptus smithii
Eucalyptus macarthurii - rosy, Arctander notes that it's a eucalyptus for perfumers
Eucalyptus dives - minty
Eucalyptus citriodora- citronella-like
Eucalptus staigeriana - lemony

Other eucalyptus notes:
Cajeput (Melaleuca cajupti or Melaleuca leucadendron)
Niaouli (Melaleuca quinquenervia)

Previously:
Davana
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Davana

D:

Davana (Artemisia pallens)

Davana is an odd bird. There aren't many choices for the letter "D" though, so davana it will be. Douglas fir feels kind of like cheating, and deertongue is impossible to find (no deer were harmed, it comes from a plant). I'm not sure if I've sniffed dill essential oil (the seed or weed), but I worry it would remind me too much of pickles.

Davana has a strong odor, described as fruity, herbal, wine-like, sweet. Arctander describes it as "...sharp, penetrating,  bitter-green, foliage-like and powerfully herbaceous with a sweet-balsamic, tenacious undertone," in Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin. It is usually steam distilled from the aerial parts of the plant (as opposed to the roots). It was a fairly new material at that time, and he doesn't write much about it.

Arctander recommends using it in a chypre or fougere, partly because those already have dark colors, so the a dark davana oil won't matter. It would be a nice modifier in a chypre, connecting the loamy oakmoss to the sparkling bergamot. I picture the green and sweet aspects blending well into a fougere scent as well.

Other forms of davana you might find include a CO2 extract or perhaps an attar. I have listed a few other artemisia varieties below- please look into safety issues when using any of these (including davana).

Owyhee/White Sagebrush- Artemisia ludoviciana
White wormwood- Artemisia alba 
Wormwood- Artemisia absinthium 
Sweet Wormwood/Sweet Annie- Artemisia annua
Tarragon/Estragon- Artemisia dracunculus 

Previously:
Coffee
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Coffee

C:

Coffee (Coffea arabica L.)

There are so many good essential oils that begin with C, it's hard to choose just one. Cinnamon, cardamom, and clove are wonderful spice notes. Cedarwood, be it Virginian, Atlas, or Himalayan, is a great addition to any perfumer's tool box. And then there are cocoa absolute, cypress, and clary sage (or would that be under S, for sage, clary?). I would recommend most of these to a beginning perfumer over coffee.

So why coffee?

Because it demonstrates the importance of sampling oils.

Chances are you know the scent of coffee, whether you like to drink it or not. And many people who don't like to drink it do like the scent. For me, coffee has many positive associations and memories. Getting my first coffee in high school (and by coffee I mean something with a bit of coffee and a lot of calories) and going to Starbucks somewhat regularly by the time I graduated. In college I spent some time volunteering at a late night coffee bar, where I learned to make a few drinks. On my honeymoon, my husband and I visited Seattle and tried coffee from as many places as we could. I eventually learned to drink my coffee black, and now I enjoy all its subtle nuances. And trying all the fussy coffee machines at my previous job, and learning which floors had better coffee.

The day before my wedding I got coffee with my friends. Coffee=Happy Memories

The problem with coffee essential oil? It's often pretty lousy. Essential oils often don't smell exactly like plant, but the problem with coffee EO is that it smells kind of like coffee, just not coffee that you'd want to drink. Sometimes I'll see it sold as coffee oil, a fixed (or carrier) oil pressed from green or roasted coffee beans.  Fortunately, coffee is also available as an absolute and CO2 extract, which gives you more options.

While I recommend sampling before buying large amounts of any essential oil, sometimes the difference in cost between a sample and an ounce is small, it seems worth it to buy the larger size. But with coffee, it is important to sample, because having a bottle of unusable essential oil is sad. Try purchasing samples of each type (essential oil, CO2, absolute) so you can compare how they smell. Buy the one you like best, or that best suits your needs.

What do you do with coffee? It's great in bath and body products, including lip balms. Add it to a soap or body scrub with some coffee grounds. It's easy to blend it with other foody scents, but experiment with other essential oils as well. Before mixing it in the bottle with something unusual, take a blotter with your coffee and one with the other scent and smell them together. Some oils are stronger than others, so build up the notes slowly. In perfumery you can use small amounts to modify the perfume without creating a coffee fragrance. A drop of coffee can dirty up a blend and add some interest to an otherwise bland floral.

And if you do end up with a bad coffee oil? Mix it with a few other essential oils and make a big batch of soap.

Previously:
Bergamot
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Bergamot

B:

Bergamot (Citrus bergamia)

It's convenient how the Latin names for most citrus notes start Citrus. Think of them as a good place to start learning binomial nomenclature.

Bergamot is a very common perfumery ingredient, and it's a note in an absurd number of both male and female fragrances. That's because it goes with just about everything. Not sure what to put at the top? Bergamot to the rescue!

You might be familiar with the odor from Earl Grey tea. You won't find bergamot at the store to eat, but the essence of the peel is used as a flavor. The scent won't overpower your blends, and will add a nice citrus note. I find it has a light floral aspect to it. Arctander describes its top notes as sweet and fresh, with an oily-herbaceous and slightly balsamic body. This is an exciting oil, and it won't cost you hundreds of dollars.

Like many citrus oils, the essential oil is produced via cold pressing of the peel. I have found a steam-distilled bergamot at Stillpoint Aromatics, but I haven't tried it myself. I'm mostly curious as to whether the steam distillation removes the photo-sensitizing elements of bergamot oil, like it does for lemon and lime. While I said in the first post that I wouldn't write about safety, bergamot oil is strong photo-sensitizer, and should be used with caution in leave on products. If you would like to use it in a leave on product, either dilute heavily or look into bergaptene free or FCF (furanocoumarin free) oils.

Fresh bergamot oil should be green or greenish-yellow. Bergamot doesn't get better with age, so unless you know you need a lot, start with small bottles so you know that you have a fresh oil.

Other oils with a bergamot note:
Bergamot Mint (Mentha citrata)
Bee Balm/Monarda/Wild Bergamot (Monarda Fistulosa)

Previously:
Anise

The ABCs of Essential Oils: Anise

I love scrolling through alphabetical lists of essential oils, and have often thought of featuring an essential oil for each letter. This series will include one oil for each letter, and will primarily include information on the scent and aromatic uses of the oil. Please note that I am not an aromatherapist, and don't intend to write about any health benefits or safety precautions. If you are interested in those issues, I recommend reading Robert Tisserand's and Rodney Young's book Essential Oil Safety, 2nd edition.

A:

Anise, including aniseed (Pimpinella anisum) and star anise (Illicium verum)

Star anise in potpourri.

The main constituent of star anise and aniseed (anise seed) is anethole, which gives them their characteristic "black licorice" odor. Interestingly enough, licorice does not smell like anise in its natural state, but it is flavored with anise.

Anise is great for soap- it's inexpensive for an essential oil, and it has high odor intensity, making it a cost effective choice. A high flash point means that it works well in hot process, too. Some use aniseed to make a "fisherman's soap," because it's supposed to hide the human odor so you catch more fish. I cannot personally vouch for that, but it'd be nice if washing with aniseed soap before scuba diving or snorkeling meant that you could get closer to the fishies. Not that I've been scuba diving or snorkeling either.

In Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Arctander primarily writes about both types of anise in terms of flavor, though he notes anise seed oil is good at masking noxious odors. I like blending anise with lavender, and it also blends well with a variety of citrus oils. I also like it blended with cocoa absolute for a gourmand scent. Small amounts in an amber or fougere fragrances. If you want to try it in a perfume blend, start with just one drop (a good practice with any EO, really).

Other EOs with an anise note:
Aniseed Myrtle (Backhousia anisata)
Sweet Fennel (Foeniculum vulage)
Basil, Methyl Chavicol chemotype (Ocimum basilicum ct methyl chavicol)