Lavender (CAS 8000-28-0) — Fragrance Ingredient Profile
Lavender
CAS 8000-28-0
What Is Lavender?
Lavender is a fragrant purple flower native to the Mediterranean region. Its essential oil is widely used in perfumes, soaps, and aromatherapy products. The scent is instantly recognizable in household cleaners, candles, and personal care items. Lavender matters because it bridges herbal freshness with floral softness, creating universally appealing scents. Its calming properties make it a staple in relaxation products, while its versatility allows perfumers to use it across fragrance families.
Safety Profile
GENERALLY SAFEWhat Does Lavender Smell Like?
Lavender opens with a crisp, herbal-green freshness reminiscent of crushed mint leaves under sunlight. Within minutes, the heart reveals a floral sweetness like honey-drenched violets, balanced by subtle camphoraceous undertones. The dry-down is soft and powdery, with woody-amber nuances that linger close to the skin. Unlike sharp citrus top notes, lavender’s evolution is gradual—its herbal sharpness mellows into a comforting embrace, making it equally suitable for fresh colognes and oriental bases.
Scent Profile
In Famous Fragrances
Fragrance associations may not reflect actual formulations.
The first modern perfume to feature synthetic coumarin alongside lavender, creating a groundbreaking fougère accord that balanced herbal freshness with vanilla-like warmth.
Showcases lavender’s versatility by pairing it with vanilla, proving this herb can anchor both fresh barbershop scents and sweet oriental compositions.
A minimalist celebration of lavender’s floral-herbal duality, enhanced with bergamot for brightness and oakmoss for depth.
Reimagines lavender through a modern lens, blending it with aldehydes and vanilla to create a genderless, powdery-soft interpretation.
Uses exceptional French lavender absolute to highlight the ingredient’s honeyed floral facets, amplified by coumarin and tonka bean.
Chemistry, Properties & Perfumer Guide
The Chemistry
Lavender essential oil is primarily composed of linalool (20-45%) and linalyl acetate (25-46%), both monoterpenoids responsible for its signature scent. The oil also contains camphor (up to 1.3%), giving it a cooling edge, and small amounts of terpinen-4-ol with antimicrobial properties. High-quality lavender grows at altitude, where slower maturation increases ester content. Steam distillation of flowering tops yields 0.5-2.5% oil. Chirality matters: (R)-linalool smells floral-sweet while (S)-linalool is more woody, with natural lavender containing a 3:1 ratio favoring the R-enantiomer.
Chemical Composition
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Boiling Point | 198 °C (linalool) |
|---|---|
| Flash Point | 71 °C |
| Density | 0.885 g/cm³ |
| Refractive Index | 1.460 (20°C) |
| Solubility | Soluble in alcohol, insoluble in water |
Key Constituent Properties
| Constituent | CAS | MW | BP °C | XLogP | Vapor P. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Linalool | 78-70-6 | 154.25 | 198 | 2.7 | 0.16 mmHg |
| Linalyl acetate | 115-95-7 | 196.29 | 220 | 3.3 | 0.03 mmHg |
Perfumer Guide
| Application | Typical % | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Fragrance | 5-12% | Up to 20% | Fougères, colognes, floral-orientals |
| Soap | 0.5-2% | Up to 3% | Higher levels may cause discoloration |
| Candles | 3-6% | Up to 8% | Balances well with citrus top notes |
| Aromatherapy | 1-3% | 0.5-5% | Often blended with bergamot and clary sage |
Classic Accords
Tip: Add a touch of lavender absolute (0.1-0.5%) to boost floral depth in fougère bases.
Alternatives & Comparisons
Higher camphor content makes this hybrid more affordable for functional fragrances, though less refined than true lavender.
Single molecule alternative when purity is needed, lacks the complexity of natural oil’s ester profile.
More camphoraceous and medicinal, useful for masculine fragrances requiring sharper herbal character.
Safety, Regulatory & Sustainability
⚠ Regulatory Disclaimer
General reference only. IFRA, REACH, EU Cosmetics Regulation standards update periodically. Consult current IFRA Standards Library before formulating. Not legal or regulatory advice.
IFRA Status
No IFRA restrictions. Lavender oil is unrestricted under all categories (Amendment 49).
EU Allergen Declaration
Linalool (≥1%) and limonene (≥0.001%) must be declared under EU Regulation No 1223/2009.
GHS Classification
RIFM Assessment
RIFM considers lavender oil safe at current use levels, with no evidence of phototoxicity or significant systemic toxicity.
Sustainability
Lavender farming supports rural economies in Provence and Bulgaria, but climate change threatens yields. Organic cultivation avoids pesticide runoff. Synthetic linalool (derived from pinene) offers a renewable alternative, though lacks the oil’s full complexity. Distillation waste is repurposed as mulch or burned for energy.
Explore Lavender
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References
- Lis-Balchin, M. (2002). Lavender: The Genus Lavandula. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9780203216521
- Prusinowska, R. et al. (2014). Composition of lavender essential oil and its antibacterial activity. Natural Product Communications. PMID 25230505
- PubChem Lavender Oil CID 5991
Data: PubChem (NIH), PubMed, RIFM, IFRA. Last reviewed: Apr 2026.
Report a data errorIngredient Data Sheet
CAS 8000-28-0Odor & Flavor
| The oil is obtained by steam distillation of the freshly cut flowering tops and stalks. It has an ester-like, slightly camphoraceous odor. The yields in essential oil range from 0.6 to 1%.📖 Fenaroli |
Regulatory Status
| IOFI Classification | Natural📖 Fenaroli |
Physical data: PubChem (NIH/NLM), U.S. EPA CompTox Dashboard, EPA OPERA models, RDKit. Odor & flavor: Arctander (Perfume & Flavor Chemicals), Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, Leffingwell. Thresholds: van Gemert (Compilations of Odour Threshold Values). Regulatory: IFRA Standards 51st, FEMA GRAS. Trade names: Surburg (Common Fragrance & Flavor Materials). All data compiled and cross-referenced for perfumertools.com.
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