Eucalyptus

[funkmoppet2]

Another love. In fact there's not a lot I don't love about Eucalyptus, which is in no small part due to being Australian and being surrounded by it my whole life, in nasal-clearing medicine (or just a hanky soaked in it, popped inside the pillowcase at night), in boiled lollies (yum), and predominant in the landscape itself. What I really love about it though, is how it varies from variety to variety from the strong menthol varieties like Blue Gum and Blue Mallee, the softer Radiata and Australiana, the minty edge of Peppermint Gum, the nudge of honey in the Kangaroo Island variety, and my personal favourite Citriodora/Lemon Gum which has a similar luscious lemony scent to lemongrass, only with a magical streak of woody gum nut. If I lived overseas and was feeling homesick, I'd only have to sniff Citriodora EO to be transported back to the Australian bush, it's so evocative for me. It also pairs brilliantly with nutmeg (a fab combo in soap, in fact I just made a batch to cure in time for summer).

It's probably fair to say the menthol varieties are the more common in perfumery, certainly in my experience. But I love the crisp, sharp, fresh effect Eucalyptus can have in a blend, though I personally prefer it when florals are kept out of the equation (or at the very least, used as sparingly as possible). There are a number of Possets blends that at least have the suggestion of Eucalyptus (Etna springs to mind), but the one that really nails it for me is Cambienne: Ice Crystal. I need to try All Those Things Whose Bite Can Bring, as that also sounds like it may be a winner for me.