Learn about chemotypes of essential oils like sweet basil oil, eucalyptus oil, and geranium essential oil. Not only are there chemotypes of basil essential oil, but others too like myrtle essential oil, spike lavender, tea tree essential oil, and thyme oil. The sweet aroma of linalool naturally occurring in lavender oil and rosewood essential oil is found in lower levels in Lavandin oil, a cross between true lavender and spike lavender, with higher herbaceous notes from cineole.

What is a Chemotype?
There are often a number of different kinds of one essential oil, referred to as chemotypes of the plant. These so-called chemotypes are a result of the varying effects of light, soil, temperature, and climate on the life of the plants, which in turn effects the essential oils. Due to isolation, mutation, evolution, and climatic change or stress, differences in plants occur. These variations can even lead to a new species. Even small permanent changes occur in the same plant forms. When conditions cause permanent changes in the chemical makeup of plant essential oils, the plants are known as chemotypes. An essential oil chemotype is not a result of adding or extracting constituents from an essential oil.

Basil Chemotypes
Basil has a wide variation of chemotypes, including varieties with a licorice, lemon, and cinnamon aroma. Two types often used in aromatherapy are sweet basil essential oil and Reunion basil oil. The highly-priced European type is distilled from basil with a large amount of the terpene alcohol and linalool. Pure linalool has a pleasingly sweet aroma and is found naturally in numerous plants and their essential oils. These include lavender oil and rosewood essential oil. Reunion basil grows on Reunion and the Comoro Islands off the east coast of Africa. The Reunion chemotype essential oil lacks linalool and contains methylchavicol and camphor, which results in a more woody-camphoraceous aroma. Most commercially available basil oil has an aroma between these extremes, displaying a woody, anisic or licorice-like, sweet and sometimes camphoraceous scent.

Lavandin
Lavandin oil, available commercially in a variety of chemotypes, is distilled from the hybridized lavendula hybrida plant, which is a cross between true lavender (lavendula officianalis) and spike lavender (lavendula latifolia). The plants are very hardy, facilitating production and earnings. The different chemotypes of lavandin are mostly due to the various traits from the parent plants. Lavandin has lower sweet-floral notes like linalool and linalyl acetate and higher herbaceous camphoraceous notes like cineole and camphor. Lavandin is used to scent soaps, detergents, and cosmetic products.

Other plant essential oils with a variety of chemotypes include: eucalyptus oil, geranium essential oil, myrtle essential oil, spike lavender, tea tree essential oil, and thyme oil. With the passing of time, increasing numbers of chemotypes will be found in the wild and from selective cultivation. Try using essential oil chemotypes to create interesting variations in personal fragrances, cosmetics, and aromatherapy.

To learn more about aromatherapy, click Learn and view topics under Aromatherapy, Essential Oils, & Lavender. Click to view other Aromatherapy Articles.

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