Ingredient Library
Lavender
Lavandula angustifolia
Lavender is a calming flower oil that soothes the skin and senses while helping balance. Gentle and versatile, it suits sensitive, stressed, and combination skin.
A natural history
Lavender is a Mediterranean shrub whose very name is a small history lesson. It comes from the Latin lavare, to wash, because the Romans scented their baths and laundry with the flowers. The medieval washerwomen who dried linens over lavender bushes were themselves nicknamed lavenders. For two thousand years the plant has stood for cleanliness and calm.
From those Roman baths the herb wove itself into European life, perfuming linen chests, sickrooms, and bridal bouquets. Its modern home is Provence in southern France, where whole hillsides turn violet each summer and the town of Grasse built a perfume capital on the harvest. Few scents are as instantly recognized, or as tied to the idea of rest.
What it does for your skin
Lavender flowers are rich in the soothing aromatic compounds linalool and linalyl acetate. In laboratory testing, true lavender oil showed antioxidant activity and calmed enzymes tied to inflammation, which its researchers framed as support for its use in cosmetics for the look of comfortable skin.[1] A separate analysis confirmed the flower oil's antioxidant activity and anti-inflammatory potential in cell based tests.[2] In a formula it gives a calming, comforting character to stressed or reddened looking skin.
References
[1] Carrasco A, et al. Lavandula angustifolia and Lavandula latifolia essential oils from Spain: aromatic profile and bioactivities. Planta Med. 2016;82(1-2):163-170. doi:10.1055/s-0035-1558095
[2] Lal M, et al. Phytochemical profiling and in vitro biological activity evaluation of Lavandula angustifolia flower essential oil. Sci Rep. 2025;15(1):28732. doi:10.1038/s41598-025-12792-z
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a classic calming botanical for stressed, reddened-looking skin. As an aromatic oil it can be a fragrance allergen, so patch test if your skin is reactive.
Its aroma, from compounds like linalool, has a long history in baths and rest, and in skincare it lends a soothing, comforting feel.