Product Abstract: 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.
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 eyes should be avoided.
Storage: It is recommended that oils packaged in metal containers (for safe shipping) be transferred into dark glass containers to maintain freshness and attain maximum shelf life.
IMPORTANT: All New Directions Aromatics (NDA) products are for external use only unless otherwise indicated. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and it should not be used by anyone who is pregnant or under the care of a medical practitioner. Please refer to our policies for further details, and our disclaimer below.
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Rating: All I have to say is wow! This Labdanum is great because it pours so easily! Right out of the bottle without having to take the time to gently warm it like other more expensive labdanum. Other European labdanum is green while New Directions Labdanum is the exact opposite on the color wheel, RED! How unique! This has a unique scent as well! Ive never smelled such strong smokey notes in a Labdanum and wow there is a tenacious soapy scent to it that it lingers on the skin even after you wash it off a couple of times with soap and water, almost like some kind of white musk. I've been to India and this is exactly what the country smells like. Might not be perfume grade but it sure pours easily!
By:Daimon, Santa Monica, California
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 14-Mar-2016
Rating: This labdanum is nothing like higher priced labdanum. It lacks all the characteristics that make Labdanum such a beautiful substance. I think that the manufacturer in India probably fired their Alembic with dung, I am not saying this to be snarky this substance has a soapy tenacious odor that reminds me of goats and fire smoke. If you put this "labdanum" alongside labdanum from European sources it is almost unrecognizable as labdanum in all ways. It has a completely different color, fluidity, scent etc. Maybe New Directions could market this as India oil or something because calling it Labdanum in my opinion a misnomer.
By:Daimon, Santa Monica, California
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 14-Mar-2016
Rating: This is my first resinoid and I'm excited to use it. First whiff: sweet, vanilla-esque, with a peppery or warm spicy after note. Can't wait to blend this with citrus, peppermint, and maybe even some patchouli. As a previous reviewer stated, this has endless potential combinations.
By:Eben, Woodland Park, Colorado Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 08-Jan-2015
Rating: Love the scent! It is the aroma of Arabian nights. Be careful, it is very intense, but the possibilities of combinations with other oils are endless. I am very exited to explore them! Very happy I bought it.
Rating: This was my very first purchase with ND and I am elated! I purchased the 16 oz size as I am creating a men's line of skin and hair products. I had heard the praise of this oil and knew it was the perfect base note for me to use. I am so very pleased with the purchase! I have already used it several times and the house smells amazing when I work with it. I have used it straight, mixed with vanilla and jasmine so far but the sy is the limit with this resinoid!
Well worth the price and I will certainly be a repeat customer!!!!!
By:Mary, La Porte, Indiana
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 16-Mar-2015
Rating: I purchased this after reading a prominent blogger's post, that often features NDA's products, and I looooooove it. It IS thick, but I'm sure it will work wonderfully as a base note in blends. I can't wait to get mixing!
Rating: I adore the scent of this! I've been using it in a homemade perfume, but sometimes I just use it alone in a little jojoba oil as a body oil because the scent is awesome. I'm planning to use it in soap in the near future!
By:Somsanouk, Charlotte, North Carolina
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 18-Nov-2012
Rating: Sweet, deep, floral, incense-y and very thick. like sweet myrrh without the medicinal feel. I'm only giving 4 stars as much as I love this oil, I feel that ND could have warned that it contains particles that may need straining out of final product. apart from that, its wonderful.
By:Robert, Prescot, California Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 29-Oct-2013
Rating: I only wish I had ordered more! It is by far my favorite scent. I used it in a cologne recipe with birch tar and black pepper and...oh my gosh it is GOOD!
By:Anna, Chattanooga, Tennessee Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 06-Jun-2014
Rating: Warm, sweet, musky, and just downright amazing. The dropper included in the small bottles is useless, even after a hot water bath to thin out this extract. I was afraid it would be cloying like patchouli, but it isn't at all. A really wonderful base-note.
By:Eric, Manalapan, New Jersey Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 26-Feb-2014
Rating: Labdanum is smoky, floral, exotic and complex. it is also a surprisingly easy essential oil to work with. My favorite is a labdanum-lavender body oil. I would suggest using a different type of bottle for storage of this oil; it's technically a resin and such is super thick and does not pour easily. A warm water bath is recommended.
I will order the 16 oz size soon!
By:Kristen, Gardena, California Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 11-Sep-2013
Rating: I love this oil! Yes its very thick, I took the dropper out and and put some in a roller bottle with a carrier oil and am using it as a natural perfume. So many people are telling me that I smell like Aveda products (which they all love). Long lasting fragrance, can still smell it hours after applied. Highly recommended.
Rating: I love love LOVE the smell of this stuff. I use it alone on my skin, and it's simply amazing. My only complaint would be different packaging. It's so thick that even after it's warmed up I have yet to have it actually "drop" out of the dropper opening. Simple fix as I just took the plastic dropper opening off the top of the bottle.
Rating: Extremely thick and viscous and sticky. Used as a base note and fixative in a blend in cp soap. You don't need much as the musky scent is somewhat tenacious. To me it smells very musky, almost animal musk like. High quality, bought a lb and still have oodles left.
By:Sarah, Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 30-Apr-2012
Rating: This is an intense and complex scent. Marvelous in a whipped body butter for anyone with romantic intentions. Very evocative.
By:Tiffany, Morrisville, Pennsylvania Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 24-Dec-2012
Rating: My favorite scent. This can be mixed with vanilla or balsams to create a personal amber scent. It's good for face care, too. A little goes a long way!
By:James, Castro Valley, California
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 23-Jan-2011
Rating: After reading the reviews, I decided to order the 3.3 oz bottle instead of 1/2 and oz. I knew this would be the warm, amber note I was looking for in making a perfume, and I am not disappointed. I cannot wait to mix my perfume and begin wearing it! I dabbed a little on my neck just by itself, and even alone it is lovely, deep, sensual and warm. Thank you!
By:Elisabeth, Greensboro, North Carolina
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 21-Feb-2013
Rating: When I first opened my bottle and inhaled, I immediately thought of Johnny Depp. It's the sort of complex, exotic, mysterious scent he would wear. Absolutely addicted to this and will buy a much larger bottle next time. I can hardly wait to try it with cinnamon and orange. It also deepens any citrus blend.
By:Dena, Edmonton, Alberta Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: Excellent Labdanum!
As New Directions recommended, I warmed it under hot water. I was surprised to see how well it dissolved when blended with other oils.
I did experiment with various solvents. Did not yet try Benzyl Benzoate. May try that if I want to use this by itself instead of a fixative.
Only regret, I didn't buy the 3.3 oz
A blend of this, light and dark patchouli, a touch of orange 6 fold and white grapefruit has yielded a most excellent blend!!
By:Harry, Oreland, Pennsylvania Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 20-Sep-2012
Rating: This is high quality and amazingly intense. I use in cp soap. It is very thick but soak the bottle in a hot water bath and then incorporate into warmed oils using a stick blender and you will be fine. The odor is somewhat musky, thick, and dark. Love it!
By:Sarah, Gilmanton, New Hampshire
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 30-Apr-2012
Rating: This is quite thick and tricky to work with but well worth it. The smell is such an unique floral yet warm scent. This reminds be of the sap from a tree yet sweet.
By:P., Columbus, Ohio Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 26-Feb-2011
Rating: Great price, and wonderful spicy aroma that reminds me of church incense. Extremely thick, gooey goodness.
By:Patrick, Langley, Washington
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 17-Jul-2012
Rating: Very thick and viscous oil that smells warm and musky like incense. And it is used in incense, in fact. I've been told to warm and liquidify the oil to give it a good shake before use, but I don't.... It's generally used in perfume as a fixative. It's great for all-natural products. Love this.
By:Steven, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 11-Dec-2011
Rating: keep in mind that this is THICK stuff, and that needs to be accounted for when you work with it. But, the end result is well worth it. Good pricing for this essential oil. Hope to see it in stock more often!
By:Tdawn, Berea, Kentucky Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 16-Feb-2011
Rating: Wow! This stuff is tremendous! It's very sweet and exotic, definitely an amber scent. It's similar to benzoin but has an oriental flavor to it. Because it's very sticky in the bottle, I like to scoop a little out and mix it with jojoba oil before adding it to other scents. Because it has such a distinctive smell, I have to hold back from adding this to everything, but it is definitely one of my absolute favorites!
By:Lauretta, San Diego, California Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 19-Jun-2010
Rating: This stuff is really thick! But once diluted, the aroma is warm and soothing. Perfect addition to any winter blend or perfume!
By:Stephanie, Burlington, Ontario Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: At first i wasn't too crazy about it, but everytime i smell it, i enjoy the fragrance more. Very sweet and musky, reminds me of incense.
I can't wait to layer it with other essential oils. Yum!
By:Becky, Toronto, Ontario Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: I LOVE the smell of this oil, but as previously noted, it's thicker than honey, and impossible to measure out 10 drops for a recipe I had. I guessed on the amount. Hope it was right. But the fragrance lingers in my mind....wonderful!
Rating: This has a very nice amber smell is a very good one to have around to add with other eo's to add sophistication to your product. I like to use a four to five part blend with labdanum as one part. Blends really well with orange eo and ginger eo.
By:Jolene, Biloxi, Mississippi Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 29-Jan-2011
Rating: Good Price.Great for Smearing on Thyroid gland.
Very Thick-Not easy to use.
By:Mordechai, Brooklyn, New York
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 19-Apr-2010
Rating: I can't complain about the bottle or the contents. Ambery, balsamic, resinous, above like clary sage and underneath, a childhood memory I can't place, a grandmother's remedy or something from the childhood of our race; this smell of comfort and love, strength and reserve, home and the longing for return.
Anyway, it's good enough for me.
By:Henry, Chattanooga, Tennessee Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 22-Jul-2010
Rating: Labdanum is GREAT FOR USE as an AMBERGRIS SUBSTITUTE. My God, its so much more ethical and pleasing. Smell is great, it doesn't last long though. You need to add substantial amounts along with a woody fixative like sandalwood or patchouli (in minimal amounts).
Also, a complaint here!!! The packaging it came in was not really ideal. The resin was so thick that it should've just came in a boston round bottle, instead of a Euro Dropper.
Rating: I purchased this oil in 3.3 oz. size just to to try it in my CP soap.
I mixed it with benzoin EO...warmed a bit and added at trace
It smells heavenly!!!! I believe this oil would be excellent all on its own
as well. This is one fabulous scent that I think will appeal to a broad spectrum of people because its slightly floral , but not too sweet,it's woodsy but not like cedar or balsam, it's also warm like amber. Awsome scent I will be purchase more of this oil in the big bottle next time. Thank you NDA, I'm very pleased with the service too.
Rating: This is the strangest Cistus ladanifer essential oil I have ever seen. It is so thick and sticky that you could almost use it as a glue. It is awful to work with, although as one other reviewer observed, maybe you have to heat it up to make it usable. All the other labdanum essential oils I have ever used have been fluid enough to come through the orifice reducer on the vial and they have all had that wonderful sweet floral/smokey earthy resin scent to them. This one smells nothing at all like the others I have used. Maybe because it\'s solvent-extracted and the others were steam distilled. In any case, I will probably never order this again.
New Directions Aromatics Response:
As stated on the website, our Labdanum oil is derived from the resin part of the plant and is therefore a thick dark viscous liquid. A warm water bath can be used to help to liquefy the oil.
By:Marita, Watsonville, California
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 24-Jan-2006
Rating: An amazing, smoky, resinous smell with a honey-like sweetness. Very calming. Perfect for bedtime.
By:Jenn, Vancouver, British Columbia Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: Smells very similar to Benzoin, but is more potent, and has less of the vanilla like notes and is very thick and sticky. Still a very nice addition to my growing essential oil collection at a great price.
By:Audrey, Van Buren, Arkansas
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 18-May-2010
Rating: This was my first experience with Labdanum; what a gorgeous fragrance. I mixed it with the Jasmine recommended in previous review and it\'s wonderful. My favoritie ever. I heated up the carrier and the labdanum and the bowl before blending and it worked great.
How is it diluted to use in a tub, etc, please?
Lovely oil!
By:Wendy, Centralia, Washington
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 05-Mar-2010
Rating: My mother likes it very much, and she claims that it helps a lot to cope with her rheumatic pains. Smells so good.
By:Silvia, Toronto, Ontario Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: In love with this rich Amber like scent I was surprised at the thickness of this EO but I am sure it will be worth using the smell alone let alone properties for mature skin which is why I bought it.
By:Rabecca, Columbus, Michigan Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 24-Feb-2009
Rating: Labdanum absolute ranges from floral to incenselike. This one is much more on the incense side of the spectrum. Makes an excellent amber that, when combined with jasmine, reminds me of a men's cologne that was popular in the 1990s. I would recommend packaging this in bottles with screw-on lids for ease of use.
Rating: New Directions has the very best price on this great oil. It is the only thing I like my stuff to smell like. I even use it as incense.
By:Sarah, Las Vegas, Nevada
Date: Loyal Customer Since: 08-Sep-2009
Rating: Far and away my favorite base note for just about everything. To me it smells like the inside of a beehive - sweet, deep and alive. Not like beeswax exactly, more like the propolis the bees use to weatherproof their home, but without the astringent overtones. Folks aren't kidding about the viscosity, either. I warmed it up and popped off the dripper top thingy and diluted it to 20% and its still quite dark brownish yellow-green and dense. Or it was - it's all gone now while I wait for my big bottle to get here...
Rating: Wow!!! Once you get this oil diluted enough . (it's thick . LOL) blend it this way for the most relaxing bath ever !!! ... 2 drops labdanum ... 4 drops S. African geranium. I dbl the amount and soak for 20 - 30 min.
Talk about being peaceful, relaxed and NON_STRESSED!!! This oil is also known as the 'rock rose'.
By:Caitland, Hamilton, Ontario Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: Fantastic scent! Wonderful healing properties! Horrible to get out of the bottle...but it is so nice and versatile I recommend it to everyone anyway.
Rating: I agree with the other reviews. The only reason I did not give it the full five stars is the packaging. I'm not sure what can be done or how to do it, but the drip thing just doesn't work because of the oils' viscosity. The oil itself has quiet alluring amber-like scent.
By:Piper, Denver, Colorado Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 10-Feb-2009
Rating: It smells beautiful, but be aware that it is a VERY thick essential oil. It has a similar consistency to thick chocolate sauce - the kind you put on a sundae. It definitely will not drip out of the bottle, so you have to scoop it out.
By:Lara, Dunrobin, Ontario Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
Rating: I just got mine today. I have read about this particular essential oil in a perfumery book I have and was very curious as to its scent. It is used as a base in a number of the perfume recipes and I now know why. It is a wonderful rich herbaceous, balsamic odor with amber undertones. I have blended it with Lavender and Bergamot...Heavenly.
By:Vanice, Cambridge, Ontario Top ReviewerDate: Loyal Customer Since: 09-Nov-2005
With an unwavering commitment to offering the highest quality of products, we firmly believe that Quality Assurance is of utmost importance. It is imperative that meticulous tests, documentation, and certifications are supplied for every product in our portfolio. Our facility is equipped with a laboratory using state-of-the-art gas chromatography to rigorously test the veracity of the purity and potency of our sourced oils. This ensures that you our valued customer are supplied with superior products at all times.
PLEASE NOTE: The packaging shown above is a general representation of the various sizes and types of packaging available for this product. Not all sizes and types of packaging for this product may be available at all times.
Customers may purchase products from New Directions Aromatics Inc. only with the clear understanding that all products must be used at their own discretion, and only after referring to the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) and all other relevant technical information specific to the product. New Directions Aromatics Inc. shall not be held responsible for any damages to property or for any adverse physical effects (including injury or bodily harm).
New Directions Aromatics Inc. shall not be responsible for any damages resulting from use of or reliance upon this information. The user of the product is solely responsible for compliance with all laws and regulations applying to the use of the products, including the intellectual property rights of third parties.
The certifications, statements and product descriptions shown on this website are strictly for information purposes only. The information in this document is obtained from current and reliable sources but makes no representation as to its comprehensiveness or accuracy. Nothing contained herein should be considered as a recommendation by New Directions Aromatics Inc. as to the fitness for any use.
Further, New Directions Aromatics is not responsible for the comments made in the customer reviews, nor when products are used in ways not suitable to their purpose (for example, fragrance oils in toothpaste; bath salts in metal containers; additives used in larger amounts than recommended).
As with any manufacturing process, New Directions Aromatics strongly recommends small lab scale testing for evaluation purposes prior to full commercial manufacturing. As the ordinary or otherwise use(s) of this product is outside the control of New Directions Aromatics Inc., no representation or warranty, expressed or implied is made as to the effect(s) of such use(s) (including damage or injury), or the results obtained.
The liability of New Directions Aromatics Inc. is limited to the value of the goods and does not include any consequential loss. New Directions Aromatics Inc. shall not be liable for any errors or delays regarding an order, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.
Please note, the International Federation of Aromatherapists do not recommend that Essential Oils be taken internally unless under the supervision of a Medical Doctor who is also qualified in clinical Aromatherapy. In addition, Essential Oils must be properly diluted before use in order to avoid any damages to property or adverse physical effects (including injury or bodily harm).
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