“Lavender is the most widely used and safest essential oil for sensitive skin. It does not cause irritation! I’m overwhelmed when people say things like that; they need to do their research.”

Lavender is indeed a commonly used essential oil, but it is by no means the safest one for sensitive skin. For someone with sensitive skin, it is best to avoid essential oils completely because of their volatile nature, not to mention the many fragrant compounds in them. However, lavender oil rarely causes contact dermatitis (Source: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database, Fourth Edition, 2002, page 795; and Contact Dermatitis, volume 43, issue 3, September 2000, page 157), but that does not mean its use should be green-lighted for someone with sensitive skin. Lavender oil contains more than 100 components, including linalool, camphor, and limonene, and is used primarily as a fragrance ingredient in cosmetic products (Source: Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients, Second Edition, 1996, pages 339–340). There is no definitive research to show that lavender extract or lavender oil have any benefit for the skin (Sources: Phytotherapy Research, June 2002, pages 301–308; and Healthnotes Review of Complementary and Integrative Medicine, www.healthwell.com/healthnotes/Herb/), yet there is research proving lavender to be a skin sensitizer (Source: Cell Proliferation, volume 37, issue 3, June 2004, page 221). Many people find lavender’s aroma pleasant, which is why inhalation, not topical application, is how this plant is best enjoyed.