Ylang Ylang Oil

Ylang-Ylang (Cananga odorata var. genuina) is a tall tropical tree that grows up to 65 feet high with large delicate flowers that come in shades of yellow, mauve, or pink. The yellow flowers are preferred for the extraction of the essential oil, which is steam distilled from the freshly picked flowers in fractionated rounds to separate the topmost, delicate, floral notes (about 40 of the yield) from the more earthy-bourbon type notes of the successive fractionations. It is indigenous to tropical Asia, but the most prized oil comes from Madagascar and the Comoro Islands. The oil is characterized as intensely sweet, soft, floral-balsamic, with a slightly spicy scent and a creamy-rich top note.