Which types of lavender are most commonly used for essential oil production?

The two types of lavender most commonly used for essential oil production are:

1. English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

   • Why it's used: This is often referred to as "True Lavender" or "Fine Lavender." It's highly prized for its exceptional quality essential oil, which has a sweet, purely floral, and delicate aroma with very low camphor content. This makes it ideal for:

     • Aromatherapy: Its calming, sedative, and anxiety-reducing properties are highly valued for promoting sleep, easing stress, and soothing the mind.

     • Perfumery: Used in high-end perfumes and colognes for its superior, balanced fragrance.

     • Topical Applications: Excellent for skin issues like burns, irritations, and promoting wound healing due to its anti-inflammatory and skin-soothing compounds (like linalyl acetate).

     • Culinary Use: Due to its low camphor, it's the only lavender essential oil truly suitable for flavoring foods and beverages.

   • Yield: While its oil quality is superior, Lavandula angustifolia generally produces a lower yield of essential oil per plant compared to Lavandin. Cultivars like 'Maillette' and 'Vera' are specifically bred for their high-quality oil.

2. Lavandin (Lavandula x intermedia)

   • Why it's used: This is a hybrid cross between English lavender and Spike lavender (Lavandula latifolia). It's the most dominant type of lavender cultivated globally for commercial essential oil production due to its impressive yield and vigorous growth.

   • Yield: Lavandins produce significantly more oil per plant and per acre than English lavenders (often 2-3 times more), making them more economically viable for large-scale production.

   • Aroma & Chemical Profile: Lavandin essential oil has a strong, more herbaceous, and often more camphoraceous aroma compared to English lavender. This is due to higher levels of compounds like camphor and 1,8-cineole.

   • Uses: While it has some similar therapeutic benefits (like being antiseptic and analgesic), its higher camphor content makes it less ideal for calming aromatherapy or culinary use. Instead, it's widely used in:

     • Soaps, Detergents, and Cleaning Products: Its robust scent holds up well and provides a fresh, clean fragrance.

     • Industrial Fragrances: Used in various commercial products where a strong, long-lasting lavender scent is desired.

     • Muscle Rubs and Respiratory Support: The camphor content can be beneficial for these applications.

   • Popular Cultivars: 'Grosso' is arguably the most common and highest-yielding lavandin cultivar for essential oil. 'Provence' and 'Super' are also popular.

While other lavender species like Spanish Lavender (Lavandula stoechas) and Spike Lavender (Lavandula latifolia) do produce essential oils, they are much less common for general essential oil production. Spanish lavender oil often has a very high ketone content, making it less suitable for broad therapeutic use, and Spike lavender oil has a very strong, medicinal, high-camphor scent, limiting its uses mostly to specific medicinal or stimulating applications.

Therefore, the choice between English lavender and Lavandin for essential oil production depends heavily on the desired oil profile, intended use, and economic considerations (quality vs. quantity). The Lavender Farm in Door County Wisconsin likely uses cultivars from both of these types to create their range of lavender products. You can buy lavender products online at islandlavender.com.