PDO in a few questions
Why PDO?
Q : Why the PDO label for this lavender ?
A : Because the consumer and small business users typically have no way of identifying the origin and quality of lavender essential oil that is not PDO.
Very often, one finds products imported, made from lavandin or reconstituted using synthetic ingredients that are sold commercially under the name "Lavender Essential Oil”.
These practices are intended to lower prices at the expense of quality.
Equally concerned are a number of products using “Lavender Essential Oil” in their formulas.
Even the AFNOR, ISO or European Pharmacopoeia standards can be easily circumvented.
Q : Which lavender can display the PDO label ?
A : Exclusively the Augustifolia P. Millerlavender , also called “true-”, “fine-” or “population-” lavender coming only from traditional cultures.
Clones are excluded.
Q : To what does the PDO label apply ?
A : PDO applies to essential oil (also called “essence”) obtained by steam stripping the flowering tops of lavender in the various distilleries spread within the production zones.
To qualify for the PDO label, these essential oils must :
• come from the zones enclosed by four producing departments, at a minimum altitude of 800 meters :
- Drôme,
- Vaucluse,
- Alpes de Haute Provence,
- Hautes Alpes,
• the product must pass a double series of tests: analytical and olfactory (the individual batches are sampled and examined under anonymity).
Q : How is issued PDO label ?
A : The certificate of PDO approval, now called “Certificate of Conformity”, is issued by APAL after verification by the regulatory organizations. It is the only one that guarantees product traceability and traditional quality.
The PDO is especially sought for:
Prestigious perfumes
Cosmetics
Pharmacy
Phytotherapy
Aromatherapy
Aromacology
To qualify for the PDO label, lavender essential oil of Haute-Provence must meet the upper criteria.
NB - the French language version of this site prevails for interpretation issues* Analytical citeria for the definition of PDO lavender essential oils
In order to read official rules :
- Decree of October 24, 1997 relating to the protected designation of origin for lavender essential oil of Haute Provence - Official Journal 254 of October 31, 1997
Read the PDF file
- Decree of October 24, 1997 concerning the approval of essential oils benefiting from the appellation of origin "lavender essential oil of Haute-Provence" - OJ Number 254, October 31, 1997
Read the PDF file
- The Order of September 11, 1998 concerning the authorization of laboratories issuing certificates of physical-chemical analyses for obtaining the protected designation of origin "lavender essential oil of Haute-Provence" – O.J. No. 217 September 19, 1998
Read the PDF file
- Appendix
Read the PDF file