Prima Fleur Essential Oils: More About ROSEMARY

Most sources interpret the Latin name for rosemary as ros marinus, “dew of the sea.” Rosemary is indigenous to countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. In its native region, it often grows at low altitude and in proximity to the sea. However, it does not populate the coast, where the spray of sea water might inspire the name. This antiseptic oil is used in the treatment of muscular sprains, arthritis, colic depression, memory loss, migraine, and coughs. It is popular in aromatherapy, where it revives, warms, stimulates, and restores.

Rosemary is both a physical and mental stimulant, and is excellent for refreshing tired muscles, feet, and mind, encouraging concentration. It combats mental fatigue and clears stuffy atmospheres. Its actions are analgesic, anti-depressive, anti-inflammatory, astringent, decongestant, digestive, fungicidal, insecticide, invigorating, relaxant, restorative to the nervous system, and sedative.

A middle note, Rosemary blends well with all citrus oils, Ravintsara, Basil, Cedarwood, Cinnamon, Elemi, Cistus, Lavandin, Lavender, Peppermint, Petitgrain, and Thyme. Rosemary essential oil is one of the ingredients used in the preparation of eau de cologne.

We offer two varieties of Rosemary essential oils: verbenone [Prima Fleur Nos. 114, 345, 508], cineole [No. 203], as well as our California-grown and distilled certified organic Rosemary Hydrosol [Nos. 719 and 729], which are perfect for mid-life phyto-tonics as well as sluggish, congested skin and teen-problematic skin conditions.  

For information on our essential oils and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

GLOBAL VIEW: Palmarosa Cultivation in Nepal



Palmarosa seeds ready to be sowed

The essential oil from the leaves and flower tops of palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii var. motia) has a sweet, slightly citrus scent that calls to mind both geranium and rose. A native grass, palmarosa grows wild from the southern subtropical slopes of Nepal to the serene Himalaya Mountains. Nepal is where we find the farmer’s cooperative that produces our Palmarosa Essential Oil [Prima Fleur No. 208]. After the seeds are sowed, the fields are flooded. The resulting grasses are ready to harvest between October and December, after the plants begin to bud. To obtain the highest yield of oil with the best quality, they distill from the leaves and the upper third of the stems. Below, a slideshow of the cultivation process for our palmarosa in Nepal.


Inspecting the oil after distillation

Produced by steam distillation of the fresh or dried grass, palmarosa may be a lesser known essential oil, but it is superlative for skin care, offering cell regenerative and antiseptic properties beneficial to dry, mature, and problem skin types. While palmarosa soothes the skin, it is also uplifting to the spirit, reducing nervous tension and stress, clearing the mind, and calming the senses. Excellent for use in diffusers, palmarosa is high in geraniol, a terpene alcohol that is anti-bacterial, toning, and stimulating to the immune system. Palmarosa’s pleasing odor and its properties against bacteria make it ideal for disinfecting stale rooms. 



The Nepalese name the plant Motiya, and have capitalized on its benefits to create economic opportunities. By providing a guaranteed market for cultivated and wild-collected plants, cooperative programs help small-scale local farmers continue to work the fields, as well as promote the protection of open space for business purposes by leasing privately owned and community lands. Cultivation and harvest are organic and sustainable: What remains from the distillation process is composted and returned to the lands to encourage fertile soil. Micro-financing is available to help local people begin to farm and to provide them with the knowledge to properly cultivate and harvest the plants. Not only can plants like bountiful palmarosa provide therapeutic benefits to people worldwide, they also offer rural residents consistent employment and cash earnings, thereby raising quality of life.

For information on our Essential Oils and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to place an order, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

Proven Skin Soothers

Our extensive trove of naturally derived ingredients for soothing sensitive skin and reducing erythema and inflammation grows each year, as we discover how to harness the inherent capabilities of certain plants for preventing irritation and protecting the skin's natural moisture barrier. The demand for these ingredients rises with the increased awareness of allergies and skin sensitivities. Oats are a known skin soother, but newer, more target-specific options include beta glucan, oat kernel oil and oat avenanthramides, which are uniquely found in oat grains. Each of these ingredients is antioxidant rich and powerfully anti-irritant. Clinical studies on oats show healing effects for dry and itchy skin.

Magnolia grandiflora bark extract, used in traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda for its calming and soothing properties, is designed to reduce redness and inflammation in sensitive skins. Skin treated with this extract at 3% before experiencing irritation, suffered only slight pricking and tingling as opposed to untreated skin, which went through burning, stinging, and itching.

Prima Fleur creates and manufactures exclusive products for some of the world's most prestigious personal care brands. For more information on custom formulation and manufacture with any of these ingredients or other exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please visit our website or email our Sales team.

Inspired Treatments with Sage

Marianne Griffeth shares her expertise in this American Spa article about out how sage-inspired treatments and products provide clients with herbal healing. Click to read the full article!

 

CO2 Extraction: A Primer

Carbon dioxide, which gives sparkling water its bubbles, is also used in extracting volatile compounds ~ antioxidants, essential oils, and fatty oils ~ from plants. The process is known as supercritical CO₂ extraction. Because this process subjects raw materials to high pressure instead of high temperatures, these extracts more closely resemble the original plant material in smell, taste, and constituents, lending the resulting oils the plant’s properties, including in some cases antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits. The sophistication of the supercritical extraction process means that extracts can be standardized for quality. The process is gentle and leaves no chemical solvent residues. Produced without oxygen, the resulting extracts are also sterile and need no preservation.
CO₂ extracts are categorized in two ways, as “select” and “total”:

• Extracted at lower pressures, Select extracts contain only the volatile compounds that are CO₂ soluble. Waxes, resins, and compounds that lend color remain in the plant material. Selects are often thick but pourable, with an appearance similar to steam-distilled essential oils, though some of the volatile compounds they contain will not be found in a steam-distilled version of the oil.
• A Total CO₂ extract, on the other hand, does contain both volatile and non-volatile CO₂ soluble compounds. This means total extracts tend to be thick like paste, though they will solubilize in vegetable oils with little or no warming necessary. More similar to the plant themselves, totals are extracted at higher pressure and include some of the plant waxes and resins.

by Marianne Griffeth ©2013

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Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: IL DOLCE FAR NIENTE

Picking ylang ylang flowers in Madagascar

The Italian phrase “il dolce far niente” means the sweetness of doing nothing ~ ah such a sweet sentiment! Our Essential Oil Blend [Prima Fleur No. 6056] is an exclusive combination of essential oils and absolutes, including Mimosa, Ylang Ylang, Geranium, and Petitgrain. Use this wonderful synergy of spicy herbs and flowers in aromatherapy diffusers, to scent body care products, or to scent your spa or home.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com or call (415) 455-0957.

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: BAHAMA

Tropical, aphrodisiacal, relaxing ~ an exclusive blend of mimosa, vanilla, jasmine, cardamom essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6004.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com or call (415) 455-0957.

 

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: ANCIEN

Meditative and harmonizing ~ an exclusive blend of rose, neroli, frankincense, and sandalwood essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6002.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: ALLEGRIA

Uplifting, anti-depressant, gentle ~ an exclusive blend of sweet orange, mandarin, rosemary, cedar essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6001.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

 

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: BALANCE

Centering, clarifying, equalizing ~ an exclusive blend of clary sage, rose geranium, rose, lavender essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6021.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

 

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: AMBIANCE

Mood enhancing ~ an exclusive blend of blood orange, ylang complete, cardamom, black pepper essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6044.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

 

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: ADAGIO

Uplifting, emotionally balancing, good for insomnia ~ an exclusive blend of tangerine, neroli, lavender, bergamot essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6000.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: A DEMAIN

Romantic floral bouquet ~ includes jasmine, rose, and candeia essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6060.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

Prima Fleur Essential Oil Blend: AVALON

Calming, balancing, tension-relieving ~ an exclusive blend of lavender, Bulgarian rose, ylang ylang, orris root essential oils. Only from Prima Fleur, No. 6003.

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.

 

Skin Care for Men: Healing, Protecting, and Renewing the Skin

Prima Fleur Aloe & Cucumber Face Balm [No. 1137] is an ideal after-shave for all skin types, and protects skin from common challenges such as razor burn and breakouts. Because it also contains ingredients that smooth and hydrate skin cells, it's an excellent twice-daily serum or light moisturizer. Vitamin A from carrot seed oil and omega 3 fatty acids from rare Indonesian kendi oil deliver powerful skin nutrition. Candida saitoana extract stimulates the cell detoxification process, and helps smooth the surface of the skin. Tests indicate it significantly reduces the level of oxidized proteins and peroxidized lipids.

 

Any of these products can be combined with one of our essential oil blends, such as Pharos, a rich blend of more than 20 extracts and essential oils - including frankincense, cardamom seed, juniper fruit, birch bark, vetiver, and bay laurel leaf - for a clean, sexy and masculine scent!

 

These Premier products have been developed for back bar use in spas an salons, and for amenity and private label applications. We have the capability to produce and package any of these products with your own branded labeling or packaging. The products also showcase our expanding inventory of the most sought after natural actives for use in custom formulations.

 

For information on our Premier Products and pricing, please visit our website. For questions and to explore custom development with exquisite botanicals from our extensive library of raw materials, please contact sales@primafleur.com ~ or call (415) 455-0957.