Labdanum oil is an essential oil with a woody amber aroma derived from the gum rockrose plant (Cistus ladanifer). This ingredient can be used as a fragrance component in personal care products.

Cistus ladanifer is is a flowering species of evergreen plant native to the western Mediterranean region. These shrubs grow to around a metre tall, with broad dark green leaves and white flowers with maroon spots on the petals. The plant and leaves are covered with fine hairs which contain the oleoresin (naturally occuring mixture of plant resin and oil) known as ‘labdanum’. The leaves and twigs of the plant can be boiled to extract this resin, which can then undergo further processing through solvent extration or steam distillation to produce the essential oil.

The essential oil and derivatives are reported to have significant antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and are used in perfumery, traditional medicines and some food additives.

Botanical name: Cistus ladanifer

Other names: Cistus Labdanum Oil, Cistus Ladaniferus Oil

Chemical class: Essential Oils and Waters

Main constituents: alpha-Pinene, Viridiflorol, Trimethylcyclohexanone, Borneol, Camphene

REFERENCES

Enrique Barrajón-Catalán, Laura Tomás-Menor, Aranzazu Morales-Soto, Nuria Martí Bruñá, Domingo Saura López, Antonio Segura-Carretero, Vicente Micol. Chapter 74 - Rockroses (Cistus sp.) Oils. Editor(s): Victor R. Preedy. Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety, Academic Press, 2016, Pages 649-658, ISBN 9780124166417, https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-416641-7.00074-2.

Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2021-10-07. temperate.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Cistus+ladanifer

TGSC Information System (2021). Labdanum oil. Retrieved on October 8, 2021 from http://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/es1026951.html