Cistus ladanifer From the flowers and leaves it is reduced, then Benzyl Benzoate Solvent Extraction from the resin, in India. INCI Cistus ladaniferus (Gum) Gel
Aroma: A middle note with a strong aroma, labdanum essential oil has a warm sweet, musky, amber scent. Cistus Oil is an intriguingly complex, rich balsamic oil that is well suited for use as a fixative in natural perfumery.
Description / Colour / Consistency: A thick, dark brown liquid.
Blends With: Frankincense, Myrrh, Sandalwood, Patchouli, Pine, Clary Sage, Cypress and Vetiver.
Description: Labdanum is a small gummy shrub also known as a rockrose, which grows up to 3 meters tall, with lance-shaped leaves that are white and furry on the underside, and fragrant white flowers. Cistus ladanifer offers a sticky brown resin that is collected and cleaned, then processed by solvent extraction to produce the thick, resinous oil. Having a long history as a fixative in perfumery, in ancient times, the resin was scraped from the fur of goats and sheep that had grazed on the shrubs. Collected by shepherds, it was sold to coastal traders. The false beards worn by the pharaohs of ancient Egypt were actually the labdanum soaked hair of these goats.
Cistus Oil Uses: Maturing skin. Antiviral and antibacterial. Used as a fixative in natural perfumery and can act as a substitute for ambergris. [Jeanne Rose, 375 Essential Oils and Hydrosols (Berkeley, CA: Frog, Ltd, 1999), 98.]
It is a grounding and balancing oil, helpful during prayer and meditation.
Major Constituents:
a-Pinene
Camphene
Hexen-1-ol
Trimethylcyclohexanone
Bornyl acetate
See Essential Oil Safety for more complete list of constituents.
[B.M. Lawrence, Essential Oils 1981-1987 (Wheaton: Allured Publishing, 1989), 93-95. B.M. Lawrence, Essential Oils 1988-1991 (Wheaton: Allured Publishing, 1993), 91-92. B.M. Lawrence, Progress in Essential Oils, Number 4. (Perfumer & Flavorist 24, 1999), 41-50. Sources cited in Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 250.]
Safety Information: Tisserand and Young recommend avoiding oxidized Cistus Oil. They advise that skin sensitization is possible if the oil has been allowed to oxidize. [Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety (Second Edition. United Kingdom: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier, 2014), 250.]
Note: We would recommend placing the bottle in a very hot water bath, and changing the water frequently until it is back to its liquid state. Be sure to shake before use.
Cautions: Dilute before use; for external use only. May cause skin irritation in some individuals; a skin test is recommended prior to use. Contact with the eyes should be avoided.
PHOTO By Francisco Santos (user: xuaxo) - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2104205