Geranium.

A garden after rain, leaves brushed in passing, a soft floral note rising out of the green. This geranium smells much softer and less sharply green than most: softly floral as well as green. It is the Reunion type, also known as Geranium Bourbon.

Ethically farmed in France, it is steam-distilled from the leaves of Pelargonium graveolens (Pelargonium x asperum). The word that comes to mind with geranium is balance, especially in its emotional effects. In skin care it is valued for combination skin, believed to balance sebum and keep the skin smooth and supple, and educator and author Madeleine Kerkhof-Knapp Hayes calls it the most versatile essential oil for skin care.

How to use

• Blend it with clary sage, rose, sandalwood, frankincense, lavender or chamomile; citrus oils can sharpen it
• Kerkhof-Knapp Hayes considers it safe at up to an 8% dilution, but patch test first: geraniol is part of the fragrance mix used in allergy patch testing
• Avoid it if you are hypoglycemic
• Robert Tisserand notes a low risk of skin sensitization, and possible interactions with diabetes, anti-anxiety, opioid, analgesic, anticancer, HIV and other medications, and with nicotine
• Store it in the dark, refrigerated, and decant half-full bottles into smaller, full ones; shelf life is about 2 to 3 years after opening

A softly floral, green companion for the long care of your skin.