Clary Sage Oil

Clary Sage Oil is steam distilled from the flowering tops and leaves of Salvia sclarea. It smells dry and herbaceous with a hay-like, faintly nutty base and a soft floral, slightly fruity lift over the top, more like crushed sage stems left in the sun than like the fresh leaf.

Steam distillation of the flowering tops and leaves keeps that hay note intact. Linalyl acetate, linalool and alpha-terpineol give the oil its herbaceous character.

How to use it

Clary Sage is used in natural perfumes, in massage oil blends, in diffusers and in skincare formulations made for oily skin. It blends with Lavender, Bergamot, Frankincense and Jasmine, and with other citrus and herbaceous oils. Technique tip: one drop against three or four drops of a citrus oil keeps the hay note from taking over the whole blend.

Clary sage is a tall biennial with large, soft, silvery leaves and pale pink and lilac flowers, and its oil is a staple of the perfumer's palette, where it adds a dry, ambery depth to floral and citrus blends. It is easily confused with common garden sage, but the two smell quite different: clary sage is softer, sweeter and far less camphoraceous. Use it in small amounts. For aromatic and external use only; dilute well in a carrier oil before any skin use.

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