Lavender is a Mediterranean herb that has become a popular scent in beauty and home products and a trending flavor in sweet foods.
But what does lavender smell like? Below, we’ve created a primer that explains lavender's scent highlights and unique benefits.
What Is Lavender?
There are hundreds of types of lavender with slightly different scent notes. Two of the most common species are English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and lavandin (Lavandula intermedia). English lavender has one of the best fragrances but doesn’t produce as much oil as the high-camphor lavandin, so their oils are often combined.
Lavender looks similar to sage and rosemary with purple flowers and leaves that look like flat evergreen needles. Lavender flowers come in various shades of purple, from dark to light. Small lavender flowers form in a column around the top of the flower stem. Some flowers fluff out, but others stay closer to the stem.
Where Does Lavender Come From?
Lavender originated in the Mediterranean before traveling around the world. Lavender can thrive in any sunny place with stony, well-drained soil. Lavender production is widespread in accommodating microclimates worldwide. Still, France is the origin of most of the world’s lavender, growing 80,000 kilos of lavender per year.
Lavender is in the Lamiaceae or mint family, but that doesn’t mean that it smells like mint. This family contains about 7000 species and includes culinary greats like basil, thyme, rosemary, sage, and oregano.
What Does Lavender Smell Like?
Lavender has a delicate, sweet smell that is floral, herbal, and evergreen woodsy at the same time. It has soft, powdery, or smokey notes as well. Some lavenders have a more medicinal camphor smell that is closer to the balsamic resin scent of rosemary.
Lavender essential oils for products like perfumes and candles come from crushed lavender flowers. High-temperature steam distillation units help commercial producers to be able to extract significant percentages of oil from the flowers.
What Are the Benefits of Lavender?
Studies show that the scent of lavender soothes us and helps us relax. It inhibits anxiety, depression, and conflict. Lavender is a calming scent for relaxation that puts us in a better mood and helps create a sense of tranquility and peacefulness. Not only can lavender help the stresses of the day melt away, but it can also help us fall asleep faster and sleep deeper and longer.
Lavender is a scent that crosses genders, featuring in both women’s and men’s products. It’s popular as a fragrance in soaps and other bath products, perfumes and colognes, and even candles!
Our Lavender Fields candle transports you to the warm, sunny warm Mediterranean. It's a great candle to unwind at the end of a long day or give as a gift. Our Lavender Fields Candle is part of our Mediterranean Garden Collection which also includes Rosemary & Bergamot as well as Summer Fig.
Also comes in a travel tin!
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