# Lavender 40/42 & lavandin the same



## PuddinAndPeanuts (Oct 13, 2017)

I've always disliked lavender for its medicinal smell, then I found lavender 40/42 from WSP- it's a lot more floral and I've come to like it.  I found lavender 40/42 at Camden gray for less than 1/2 the cost and thought I'd give it a shot- ordered that and lavandin grosso to play with.  I had never smelled lavandin.  Their lavender was as awful as any I've smelled- reminded me of mouthwash.  But the lavandin grosso smells identical to the WSP lavender. Absolutely no discernible difference. So- could they be the same thing with different labels? Is my nose THAT off? What's up with this?


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## shunt2011 (Oct 13, 2017)

PuddinAndPeanuts said:


> I've always disliked lavender for its medicinal smell, then I found lavender 40/42 from WSP- it's a lot more floral and I've come to like it. I found lavender 40/42 at Camden gray for less than 1/2 the cost and thought I'd give it a shot- ordered that and lavandin grosso to play with. I had never smelled lavandin. Their lavender was as awful as any I've smelled- reminded me of mouthwash. But the lavandin grosso smells identical to the WSP lavender. Absolutely no discernible difference. So- could they be the same thing with different labels? Is my nose THAT off? What's up with this?


 
Yes, they could be the same thing and WSP is really highly priced on EO's in my experience.


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## lenarenee (Oct 13, 2017)

Lavender 40/42 (which is a standardized formula - meaning ingredients are added or reduced in order to achieve those percentages) can be standardized with either essential oil constituents,  or synthetic ingredients can be used to standardize the essential oil.  That may be why you're noticing a difference.

The supplier should state, or at least provide that info to you when you ask for. The last time I bought lavender 40/42 it was from Brambleberry -a decent price although not the best, however the website stated it was fully essential oil product.


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## PuddinAndPeanuts (Oct 13, 2017)

lenarenee said:


> Lavender 40/42 (which is a standardized formula - meaning ingredients are added or reduced in order to achieve those percentages) can be standardized with either essential oil constituents,  or synthetic ingredients can be used to standardize the essential oil.  That may be why you're noticing a difference.
> 
> The supplier should state, or at least provide that info to you when you ask for. The last time I bought lavender 40/42 it was from Brambleberry -a decent price although not the best, however the website stated it was fully essential oil product.




Its all essential oil from both companies.  So WSP's 40/42 lavender could theoretically be made of lavandin? 

It's still very odd to me that with a specific mix which which supposedly fixes the quantity of the property which accounts for how medicinal the smell is, that they would smell so very different.  That was a horribly awkward sentence, but u hopefully get the idea


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## cmzaha (Oct 13, 2017)

PuddinAndPeanuts said:


> I've always disliked lavender for its medicinal smell, then I found lavender 40/42 from WSP- it's a lot more floral and I've come to like it.  I found lavender 40/42 at Camden gray for less than 1/2 the cost and thought I'd give it a shot- ordered that and lavandin grosso to play with.  I had never smelled lavandin.  Their lavender was as awful as any I've smelled- reminded me of mouthwash.  But the lavandin grosso smells identical to the WSP lavender. Absolutely no discernible difference. So- could they be the same thing with different labels? Is my nose THAT off? What's up with this?


Interesting, my customers love Camden Grey 40/42 and it is the best one I have found. In fact I just finished up 5 lbs of it. The Sage 40/42 smelled fishy as did one from WSP. LOL, who knew lavender could smell fishy  Just goes to show all our smellers are different!


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## Kittish (Oct 13, 2017)

I got my 40/42 from Bulk Apothecary, and it smells ok. I'm not hugely fond of lavender (and DH dislikes it intensely), so haven't ever tried it on its own, but it can add a nice touch to blends. Mine is mostly floral, with light camphor notes and a little bit of spicy kick to it. The spice note comes through curing very well, the camphor mostly fades and the floral notes are extremely persistent.


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## lenarenee (Oct 13, 2017)

PuddinAndPeanuts said:


> Its all essential oil from both companies.  So WSP's 40/42 lavender could theoretically be made of lavandin?
> 
> It's still very odd to me that with a specific mix which which supposedly fixes the quantity of the property which accounts for how medicinal the smell is, that they would smell so very different.  That was a horribly awkward sentence, but u hopefully get the idea



I don't know if WSP's 40/42 is made with lavandin or not. I think it's possible.

I only know that some 40/42 is made into 40/42 (another awkward sentence) by adding synthetic ingredients. Some, (Brambleberry used to, and still may) only use essential oil ingredients to make their 40/42. 

(I just checked their website and their wording has changed to a more confusing tone. I'm not sure what to think if their 40/42 now:  Made from a mixture of lavender essential oils to create a dependable scent year after year, this Lavender does not experience the same crop variations due to blending different Lavender constituents in a lab after harvesting and distilling. Similar to a red table wine, Lavender 40/42 blends different kinds of Lavender for an economical and consistent blend. Our Lavender 40/42 is a very reliable and refreshing ingredient for any toiletry product - create lovely soaps, bath salts, or lotions.)


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