# Lavender 40/42 "Nature Identical" EO?



## chicklet (Mar 22, 2013)

Has anybody used the Lavender 40/42 Nature Identical Essential oil from NDA?  It's on sale right now. It says it's phthalate fee, which is good, but it's still synthetic, right? I didn't even know that NDA had this Nature Identical section until just now.


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## danahuff (Mar 22, 2013)

Well, yes and no. The way I understand it, the term "nature identical" refers to things manufactured in the lab but that have the same chemical components as the natural items on which they are based. Oxides, for example, are nature identical. My guess is that they use the term natural identical because Lavender 40/42 is a blend of different kinds of lavenders, but I don't know that for sure.


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## chicklet (Mar 22, 2013)

I read a little more (and of course I meant phtalate FREE, just saw that!) and it's a blend of natural essential oils and "aromatic compounds."  I've only been using EO's but I saw this today and am tempted, but I think I'll just stick with the regular old 40/42 EO.  Or maybe I'll get some Lavindin and 40/42 and mix it.  Someone posted a while back about doing that.  The Lavindin is cheaper, but more camphorous or medicinial smelling than the 40/42.  I'm guessing that blending it would cut down on the medicinal smell.


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## paillo (Mar 22, 2013)

I ordered this a while back and liked it very much, pretty true to the real thing in terms of scent. But I couldn't in all good conscience (or truth) label it as essential oil, so it's been hanging around for test batches that I don't intend to sell. Also, have been able to find the real thing for about the same price, so I'd far rather do that. But it is a nice  product, and phthalate-free is a good thing in my book. How to identify this on a label is a quandary...


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## DeeAnna (Mar 22, 2013)

Lavender 40/42 is a blend of real lavender EO from various sources. If the lavender EO blend does not contain enough linalyl acetate, one of the chemicals that makes lavender EO smell like lavender, then a synthetic version of this ester is added so the EO contains 40-42% linalyl acetate. This is done to ensure a consistent fragrance from batch to batch.

If you want lavender EO for therapeutic reasons, I would not recommend lavender 40/42. It's not exactly an FO, but I don't consider it a "true" EO, in that it is not necessarily made solely from plant materials.

I guess I'm missing the point of the claim "phthalate free". Lavender 40/42 should have no phthalates, regardless of whether it has synthetic linalyl acetate added or not. Is this a clever bit of marketing hype to make a distinction where there really is none? <willing to be corrected here>

--DeeAnna


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## chicklet (Mar 22, 2013)

I get what you're saying, DeeAnna, but now I'm even more confused.  On the New Directions website, Lavender 40/42 is listed with the essential oils. On a separate page are 4 (or maybe 5) "Nature Identical" essential oils and then on yet another page are the fragrance oils. I knew the regular 40/42 was a blend of oils but I didn't know that synthetic linalyl acetate is added to it. I would assume that is what is added to the nature identical kind ...? Well anyway, I ended up ordering 40/42 at Camden Grey. I ordered several different EO's and my comparison shopping showed Camden Grey to be cheaper overall today.  

Paillo you make a good point about a labeling quandary. I didn't even think of that. Most all fragrance oils give me a headache so I was afraid the nature identical kind might affect me the same way.


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## danahuff (Mar 22, 2013)

For what it is worth, I have been using VitaCost's Lavender, which is _Lavandula angustifolia_, formerly known as _Lavandula __officinalis_. Smells great, especially when combined with another scent. Very reasonable price for essential oil.


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## DeeAnna (Mar 23, 2013)

chicklet said:


> ...Lavender 40/42 is listed with the essential oils. On a separate page are 4 (or maybe 5) "Nature Identical" essential oils and then on yet another page are the fragrance oils....



Yes, I agree -- I usually see Lavender 40/42 in the EO section of most e-stores that sell it. 

"Nature identical" means a fragrance blend that contains chemicals normally found in an EO. The difference is the chemicals in a "nature identical" blend are synthetic, not plant derived. 

A "nature identical" blend will typically be simpler than a plant-derived EO -- it  will contain only those chemicals that create the characteristic scent. A "nature identical" lavender blend, for example, would contain linalyl acetate and linalool (the main chemicals in lavender EO).

Fragrance oils are blends made with chemicals that do not necessarily have any resemblance to the plant-derived chemicals found in an EO. For example, there is no such thing as a lilac EO or even a "nature identical" fragrance blend for lilac. But you can buy lilac FO.


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## Lindy (Mar 23, 2013)

DeeAnna said:


> Lavender 40/42 is a blend of real lavender EO from various sources. If the lavender EO blend does not contain enough linalyl acetate, one of the chemicals that makes lavender EO smell like lavender, then a synthetic version of this ester is added so the EO contains 40-42% linalyl acetate. This is done to ensure a consistent fragrance from batch to batch.
> 
> If you want lavender EO for therapeutic reasons, I would not recommend lavender 40/42. It's not exactly an FO, but I don't consider it a "true" EO, in that it is not necessarily made solely from plant materials.
> 
> ...





chicklet said:


> I get what you're saying, DeeAnna, but now I'm even more confused.  On the New Directions website, Lavender 40/42 is listed with the essential oils. On a separate page are 4 (or maybe 5) "Nature Identical" essential oils and then on yet another page are the fragrance oils. I knew the regular 40/42 was a blend of oils but I didn't know that synthetic linalyl acetate is added to it. I would assume that is what is added to the nature identical kind ...? Well anyway, I ended up ordering 40/42 at Camden Grey. I ordered several different EO's and my comparison shopping showed Camden Grey to be cheaper overall today.
> 
> Paillo you make a good point about a labeling quandary. I didn't even think of that. Most all fragrance oils give me a headache so I was afraid the nature identical kind might affect me the same way.



Lavender 40/42 is a blend of essential oils so it is an essential oil.  The nature identical is legally going to be a fragrance oil because it has lab created chemicals in it which is why they are telling you that it is phthalate free.  The nature identical does contain essential oils though too.  For labeling purposes the nature identical will be identified as "Parfum" which is the INCI for fragrance.


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