Palmarosa essential oil: a grass with the scent of roses

Close your eyes and smell the bottle: you would swear it was a rose, with a hint of lemon and greenery. Open them, and you are introduced to… a tall grass. Palmarosa is one of the pleasant surprises of the essential oil world, and one of the nicest to include in a skin care routine.

What is palmarosa?

Palmarosa, Cymbopogon martinii, is an aromatic grass native to India. It belongs to the same genus as lemongrass and citronella, yet its scent is not lemony at all: it is distinctly floral. The aerial parts, stems and flower heads, are distilled. Thanks to its rosy scent, it was long used in perfumery to accompany, or even replace, far more expensive floral essences.

According to the product sheet, our palmarosa essential oil has a floral, rosy scent and is described as balancing. In our classification, palmarosa belongs to the monoterpenol family, generally well tolerated by the skin when properly diluted. To discover the other families and what sets them apart, read our guide to essential oil families.

How to use it

Our druggist recommends it for cosmetic use or diffusion, for skin care and for its floral scent.

In your skin care

• Body oil: one or two drops in a tablespoon of vegetable oil, such as jojoba or sweet almond, massaged into the body after a shower.
• Scented cream: one drop in a small amount of neutral cream, mixed just before use, never in the whole jar.
• Patch test: apply a little of the blend to the crook of your elbow first and wait 24 hours.
• Avoid the eye area; for the face, ask us about the right dilution for your skin type.

In a diffuser

• A few drops for about twenty minutes bring a soft floral note.
• Paired with lavender or a citrus oil, it makes a fresh, flowery blend for a guest room or living room.

Precautions

Gentle, but concentrated. Even when well tolerated, an essential oil is still a concentrate: do not apply it neat, do not swallow it and keep it away from the eyes. If redness appears, rinse and stop using it. During pregnancy or breastfeeding, for a child or if you are under medical care, talk to us before use. Keep the bottle closed, away from heat and light and out of children's reach.

Our products

• Palmarosa EO – floral, rosy scent; you will find all the details in the documentation tab of the product sheet.

Discover it in store

Palmarosa brings together lovers of floral scents and those looking for a pleasant oil for their skin care. To smell it, find the right dilution or pair it with a vegetable oil suited to your skin, drop in at Droguerie Perusset in Yverdon-les-Bains: we will be happy to advise you.