Cypress Oil

#### Cypress Oil. **Cypress Oil **is distilled from the leaves (needles) and twigs of the evergreen, **Cypressus**** ****Sempervirens**, and possibly from other species of Cypressus. However, only oils distilled from the sempervirens species should be accepted **as**** ****Cypress**** ****Oil**. The tree presumably originated in the eastern Mediterranean countries, and now grows both wild and cultivated (primarily as a windbreaker) along the coasts of southern France, Italy. Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, North Africa, Spain and Portugal, and, to a lesser degree, in the Balkan countries. Distillation is concentrated in the South of France. It is customary to collect and distil the material which is obtained by the annual pruning of the trees, perhaps together with twigs, etc. torn off the trees during the winter mistral, the violent storm. This is why **Cypress Oil **is usually available only in very limited quantities and only at certain times of the year. This quantity could easily be increased to 3 or *5** *metric tons annually, perhaps more, provided the distillers were notified of the demand well in advance. Unfortunately, other varieties of **Cypress **are distilled with the "true" one, and branches and other woody material are not always screened away prior to distillation. Thus, the various lots of **Cypress Oils **which are offered present themselves in a very unattractive manner, exhibiting a far from uniform quality. An essential oil, distilled exclusively from **Cypress Fruits **has also been available, but this oil is now only produced on demand. **Cypress Oil **is a pale yellow, pale olive-greenish or almost colorless, mobile liquid of sweetbalsamic, yet refreshing odor, reminiscent of pine needles oil, templin oil, juniper berry oil, cardamom oil (without the cineole-note), and with a unique dryout of delicate and tenacious sweetness, often compared to that of ambre (labdanum ambre). For this reason, **Cypress Oil **is frequently submitted to fractionated distillation under vacuum, or simply to a "topping-off" under vacuum. The high-boiling fractions or, in the case of "topping", the residue in the still, usually 40 to 45% of the natural oil, are particularly useful. This "partially deterpenized" cypress oil is used in perfumes of the ambre-labdanum type in combinations with cistus oil or other labdanum products, delta-methylionone (so-called), lavender oil, mandarin oil, sage clary, musk ambrette or macrocyclic musks, styrax products, moroccan chamomile oil, etc. **Cypress**** ****Oil**** **(natural oil) is occasionally used as a modifier in pine needle fragrances, in citrus colognes, fougères, chypres, and in the modern aldehydic type of perfumes. The main constituents of the oil are monoterpenes (60 to 70%), pinene and camphene in particular, but these are not responsible for the above-mentioned sweet and tenacious ambre notes. **Cypress Oil **from areas other than the Mediterranean countries are distilled from different species (e.g. Brazil, Japan, Kenya, etc.). Adulteration of cypress oil is effected with these oils, and with the addition of pinene, camphene, juniper- berry oil, juniperwood oil, pine needle oils, etc. In spite of its scarcity, **Cypress**** ****Oil**** **is in no way an expensive material. The cost level is usually slightly higher than that of a good "Siberian" pine needle oil.