Rowan & Thistle

PLATE No. 056

Ingredient Collection

Rosemary Essential Oil

Salvia rosmarinus

Botanical plate of Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus): an upright woody branch dense with narrow needle-like leaves and small pale blue flowers, beside a flowering stem, a single two-lipped blue flower, a bundle of dried gray-green leaves and a pale drop of essential oil.

Figure Key

  • Fig. 1 Flowering branch
  • Fig. 2 Flowering stem
  • Fig. 3 Flower
  • Fig. 4 Dried rosemary leaves
  • Fig. 5 Rosemary essential oil

The Ingredient

Rosemary's narrow, aromatic leaves contain naturally occurring compounds that give the plant its unmistakable herbal scent. Steam distillation captures these fragrant plant compounds as a highly concentrated essential oil. The resulting oil has a fresh, earthy, herbaceous aroma and is particularly well suited to hair and scalp care.

From Plant to Ingredient

  1. Rosemary Essential Oil, step 1 — Rosemary Plant: an upright rosemary stem with needle-like leaves and small pale blue flowers.

    1. Rosemary Plant

    Rosemary grows as a woody evergreen shrub covered in narrow, strongly aromatic leaves.

  2. Rosemary Essential Oil, step 2 — Rosemary Leaves: a small bundle of dried, curled gray-green rosemary leaves.

    2. Rosemary Leaves

    The leaves contain the aromatic plant compounds used to produce rosemary essential oil.

  3. Rosemary Essential Oil, step 3 — Steam Distillation: a tied bunch of fresh rosemary with curls of steam rising through it.

    3. Steam Distillation

    Steam passes through the rosemary leaves, carrying their aromatic plant compounds with it.

  4. Rosemary Essential Oil, step 4 — Rosemary Essential Oil: a rounded drop of very pale, almost clear oil.

    4. Rosemary Essential Oil

    As the steam cools, the essential oil separates and is collected as a highly concentrated botanical ingredient.

Why We Chose It

Rosemary essential oil is especially useful in hair care designed around scalp freshness and balance. It complements a thorough cleanse while bringing rosemary's distinctive fresh, herbaceous character to scalp-focused formulas.

What You'll Notice

  • Fresher-Feeling Scalp — Complements cleansing products designed to leave the scalp feeling refreshed.
  • Scalp Balance — Well suited to hair care for scalps prone to becoming oily or weighed down.
  • Clarifying Support — Fits particularly well in products intended to provide a more thorough cleanse.
  • Fresh Herbal Aroma — Provides rosemary's naturally crisp, earthy and herbaceous scent.

Botanical Profile

Scientific Name
Salvia rosmarinus
INCI Name
Rosmarinus Officinalis Leaf Oil
Plant Part Used
Leaves
Final Ingredient
Essential Oil
Origin
Spain

A Closer Look

Rosemary has had a botanical name change. For centuries it was known as Rosmarinus officinalis, but botanists determined that rosemary belongs within the genus Salvia, the same group that includes sage. Its currently accepted scientific name is Salvia rosmarinus. You'll still frequently see the older name—including in cosmetic ingredient names—which is why both names may look familiar.

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