Tagetes Oil (Not to be confused with Marigold Calendula!) Marigolds conjure up idyllic images of flower scented fields stretching into a golden-red distance. However, these popular gardening flowers, calendula officinalis, are not the same as tagetes, although they are in the same family. Tagetes oil is produced from the Tagetes Glandulifera and it is this oil we will focus on for this article. The oil is obtained by steam distillation just after the inflorescence of the crop and has a dark yellow to orange-yellow color. Tagetes is mainly produced for the world market and usage in South Africa (crop: July/August) and Zimbabwe (crop: May/June), with additional production in Egypt, India and limited quantities in Argentina (crop: March-May), as well as Nepal and Madagascar.

This oil's herbaceous-green odor with a sweet-fruity undertone is often sought after, and sought after is the operative expression here. As we have mentioned previously, we are not perfumers and rarely make any judgment calls on samples being acceptable; however, as brokers, we can definitely vouch for this essential oil being extremely difficult to "get right" for each buyer/user. This is apparently due to the high and volatile ketone content of the oil..

Often with Tagetes (and recently Davana oil) we are faced with the most disagreeable of rejections for a submitted sample, having to deal with flat out negativity such as: "No good, rejected, too weedy, oily, too red, not red enough, unusual characteristics, ending with the piece-de-resistance insult: "skunky." We are still not quite sure how you determine that an oil is "skunky." Do perfumers use the same method as the beer connoisseur who determines his beer has been in the sun just a few hours too long? Whatever it is, brokers like us continue to be puzzled that so much can be wrong with one oil. Perhaps it is because by nature, tagetes is a tricky and volatile oil that is used in relatively high-end perfumeries where everything has to be "just so" including, in many cases, the color. Whatever the case, it is definitely an oil that causes us (and probably QC's as well) a lot of angst. Aromatherapists are using and recommending this essential oil for fungal infections, treating corns, calluses and other disorders of the foot as well as against candidiasis. It is also supposed to deter houseflies - (but my fly swatter is a heck of a lot cheaper and has a finite and visual effect!) Market: Currently, South African and Zimbabwean material is in relatively short supply at origin, however, with the new crop around the corner, we should be seeing some relief. Pricing at this time is stable.