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Aqua Oleum Ylang Ylang Essential Oil 10ml
Currently there are five grades of Ylang Ylang Oil: Extra Superior, Extra,
First, Second and Third.
The Extra Superior is the highest grade and lowest volume produced. The lack
of knowledge and information in the aromatherapy industry fails to identify
which grade of oil is bought or sold. In an attempt to at least categorise the
qualities, we have referred to the Madagascar Departement des Industries
Agricoles et Alimentaries in Antananarivo who have given us their guarantee of
authenticity on the various grades listed in the tables illustrating the
constituents of Ylangs 1 to 3.
Ylang Oil is usually a harsh floral odour and not a sweet pleasant odour
which some people have been led to believe. Sometimes they are confused with the
Indonesian oil that originates from Cananga Odorata Macrophyllia, which
is a completely different species and bears no resemblance to the genuine
article. It is much cheaper than Ylang 3.
As Ylang is such a popular oil in aromatherapy the possibilities of
adulteration are quite high, as is blending/manipulation of the various grades
to make an affordable oil. We feel that by offering Ylang 2 and Ylang Extra, we
are supplying two good quality oils aimed at the discerning buyer. The term
Ylang complete is known only in aromatherapy and is not recognised by the
International Essential Oils community. All five grades are supplied from source
in their complete form, so the term is either misleading or meaningless.
Geographically, the best grades of Ylang come from the Comores Islands, while
Madagascar supply Grades 1 to 3. They have been unable to produce much if any
Ylang Extra/Superior for many years now due to the climatic changes that have
occurred in that part of the Indian Ocean.
Ylang Extra Superior is quite an expensive oil and the production is usually
shipped to the USA as and when available. Very occasionally we are able to get
hold of small quantities of Ylang Extra Superior. The collection of Ylang oils
from the various agricultural stills can be quite laborious as mobility is
limited and one is usually encouraged to buy other crops and poor grade
Ylang oils in order to secure the best qualities. This can leave a collector
with a lot of cloves, rice, peppers and other supplies that he normally does not
want and one is then put in the position of either paying a much higher price or
taking some of the other produce in order to come to an economic arrangement.
In recent years Fiji has tried to produce Ylang oils but the linalool content
is too high for the trade’s requirements. Attempts are being made to encourage
the Indonesians and Philippinos to start up Ylang plantations again but their
countries have moved away from agriculture to industrial ventures where there is
more money to be made for less hard work.
As mentioned already, there are five grades of Ylang Ylang Oil. Their
qualities are determined by ester value and density at 20.ÚC. Olfactorily, we
look for four main odour characteristics in Ylang Ylang Oil. They are floral,
fruity, woody and medicinal. Botanically I have seen many incorrect descriptions
of Ylang Ylang, some of the names are historical and have not been updated to
incorporate more recent research. Today, the correct botanical species for Ylang
Ylang is:
Cananga Odorata Hook Fils et Thompson Forma Genuina.
Around 70-80 tonne of Ylang Ylang (all grades) are produced in Comores, 20-25
tonne in Madagascar and hardly any at all in Re-Union. Apart from the obvious
difficulties in producing Ylang Ylang like climate and labour, we also have to
take into consideration things like the political instability, fluctuating
dollar exchange rates, cost of fuel, poor communication network, lack of roads
and failure to maintain and upgrade the plantations. These are just some of the
difficulties we have to overcome before we even buy the oil.
There are two type of cultivation:
1. Domestic: The trees are part of other cultivations i.e. bananas,
rice etc. and the flowers are picked by hand for distillation at a local
distillery.
2. Industrial: The agricultural approach follows certain guidelines
which contributes to flowers of good quality and better output per hectare. They
tend to keep the trees to a maximum height of 1.8 metres to facilitate easy
collection of flowers. Cutting back vertical shoots every quarter gives good
shape to the tree and improves production. Allowing five metre spaces between
each tree allows harmonious development and makes the best possible use of the
land.
On average each Ylang Ylang tree produces 3 - 4 kg of flowers per year in
domestic areas, but can be as high as 6 to 8 kg in industrial plantations.
Various books have quoted higher figures which are inaccurate. Our figures have
been verified by the National Laboratory of Madagascar Republic.
A Ylang Ylang plantation usually has 400 trees to the hectare with an
essential oil yield of circa 35 kg. Productivity is therefore weak and producers
only get a modest income from it. The tree reaches maturity after four years and
if well maintained can keep producing flowers for 40 - 50 years, however the
yield peaks at 30 years. Although Ylang Ylang flowers all year round, it is
badly affected by heavy rainfall and sudden drops in temperature which causes
severe bud loss.
Ylang Ylang flowers are usually distilled in the field or in nearby communal
stills. Normally the locals only pick the mature flowers which are easily
distinguishable by their bright yellow colour and the carmine spot in the centre
of the flower.
The local or field stills are usually just topped up with more flowers giving
rise to inconsistent qualities of oil. Due to the crude nature of some of these
stills, there can be large variations in temperature between one distillation
and the next. Quite often this means that burnt and unusable qualities of oil
are produced.
The industrial stills are altogether more sophisticated steam distillation
units. The operating temperatures can be accurately monitored and controlled
resulting in consistent qualities of oil being produced. Further, the potential
of higher grades like Ylang Ylang Extra and Superior can be achieved.
Composition of Ylang Ylang Oils (%)
Ylang Ylang Oil
|
|
Principal constituents by % |
Oil Grade |
| I |
II |
III |
|
linalool |
20.8
|
6.7
|
2.7
|
|
beta-caryophyllene |
7.4
|
14.3
|
17.5
|
|
germacrene D |
7.3
|
10.6
|
20.7
|
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geranyl acetate |
8.2
|
5.2
|
3.2
|
|
benzyl acetate |
5.2
|
1.4
|
0.7
|
|
para-methyl anisole |
6.3
|
1.9
|
0.7
|
|
benzyl benzoate |
8.6
|
8.4
|
8.7
|
|
methyl benzoate |
4.1
|
1.1
|
0.4
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