Lavandin concrete / absolute

Dry lavender, hay, almond, light wood, a touch of camphor. The absolute is warmer, sweeter and rounder than the oil, with a clear coumarinic base.

Lavandin absolute has no dedicated standard in the IFRA 51 index. Coumarin (IFRA restriction 2020) and 7-methoxycoumarin (herniarin, under an IFRA prohibition and restriction standard) can occur in lavender-family absolutes; the certificate of analysis should be checked.

Lavandula hybrida is named among natural-extract allergens in EU Regulation 2023/1545. Linalool and coumarin are EU-labelled allergens above threshold.

Store dark, sealed and cool.

Lavandin is a natural hybrid of true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) and spike lavender (L. latifolia). It yields much more oil than true lavender, so it covers most of the lavender acreage in Provence. The main cultivars are Grosso, Abrial and Super.

Harvest in Provence usually falls in July and August. Most lavandin is steam-distilled; a share is solvent-extracted for concrete and absolute.

An absolute is made in two steps. The raw material is extracted with a non-polar solvent such as hexane to give a waxy concrete. The concrete is then washed with ethanol, chilled to precipitate waxes, filtered and freed of alcohol. What remains is the absolute.

The absolute keeps coumarin and heavier components that distillation does not fully recover. It therefore smells warmer, more hay- and almond-like than the oil.

In perfumery lavandin absolute is a lavender base for fougères, masculine fragrances and soaps. It costs less than lavender absolute and has a light camphor note. It pairs with tonka, oakmoss, geranium and woods.

Since coumarin and herniarin are both under IFRA standards, the maximum amount of absolute depends on the analysis of each lot.