Organic Silver Fir from South Tyrol – The Christmas Tree Scent
Benefits at a glance
- Sweet, balsamic, fruity: Exactly the scent almost everyone pictures when they think of a Christmas tree. Soft, bright, with a clear citrus top.
- The gentlest of all conifer oils: No sharpness, nothing medicinal. If a conifer oil has ever struck you as too harsh, this is the opposite.
- From South Tyrol, in small quantities: It grows in the forests around us, and we receive just two or three kilos at a time. It is the rarest of our conifer oils – and that is the reason for the price.
- Organic quality: 100% pure and natural, steam-distilled from needles and young shoots. From organic farming.
How to use & what makes it special
Use:
In the diffuser for a fresh, bright atmosphere. Diluted in carrier oil for massage. In the sauna, on the infusion water. In cleaning water – for the scent.
Getting it right:
In a diffuser, 3–5 drops are enough – in winter this is the house scent, and from December all the more so. For a massage, dilute 3–5 drops in 10 ml of carrier oil (e.g. Organic MCT Oil). In the sauna, mix 2–3 drops into the infusion water. When cleaning, 5 drops in a bucket of water leave the place smelling of clean forest. Tip: for the holiday scent without scented candles or sprays – two drops on a dry pine cone in the table arrangement.
Perfect blending partners
Silver fir is a fresh, sweet top note that gets along with everything:
- For the holidays: Sweet orange (citrus and conifer – the absolute December classic).
- For the evening: Swiss stone pine (warm wood beneath the freshness of fir).
- For more forest depth: Siberian fir (two firs side by side, one sweet, one balsamic).
Which conifer oil suits you? From gentlest to strongest: Silver fir (sweet, fruity – this oil) → Siberian fir (soft, balsamic) → Larch (bright, resinous) → Swiss stone pine (warm, woody) → Mountain pine (the strongest). Silver fir is the finest of the range – and the only one of which there are ever just a few bottles.
Compare all six South Tyrolean conifer oils →
Product information
- Plant: Silver fir (Abies alba Mill.)
- INCI: Abies Alba Needle Oil (also: Abies Alba Leaf Oil)
- Part used: Needles and young shoots
- Extraction: Steam distillation
- Quality: 100% pure and natural essential oil (organic)
- Origin: South Tyrol (Alto Adige), Italy – distilled in small batches
- Main constituents: Limonene, alpha-pinene, camphene, beta-pinene, bornyl acetate, santene, tricyclene
- EC No.: 289-870-2 · CAS: 90028-76-5
- Packaging: Amber glass bottle with dropper insert – airtight and light-protected
The scent profile
- Main aroma: Sweet-balsamic and fresh, with a clear citrus top. The scent you walk into on Christmas Eve.
- Secondary note: Fruity and light, almost mandarin – carried by the high limonene content.
- Nuance: A green base of fresh needles that holds it together and keeps the scent from turning sugary.
Intensity: Low to medium – the gentlest oil of the conifer family. It fills a room without imposing, which makes it work even where someone is sensitive to fragrance.
The chemistry of the oil
A single molecule explains almost all of silver fir: limonene, which reaches unusually high levels here (roughly 25–40%). It is the same terpene released when you peel an orange, and it is the reason for this oil's fruity, cheerful character – and equally the reason limonene appears among the declarable fragrance allergens. Alpha-pinene (around 10–25%) brings the classic conifer freshness, camphene (around 5–15%) a lightly balsamic, woody note, and bornyl acetate in smaller amounts (around 1–8%) that soft warmth which dominates in Siberian fir. Beta-pinene, santene and tricyclene round it off – present only in traces, but decisive for the finesse of the scent. Limonene-rich oils are, however, also the most oxygen-sensitive: a bottle left open loses freshness far faster than a woody oil.
The plant
Abies alba, the silver fir, is the tree that shaped the very image of the Christmas tree in Europe. It is an imposing conifer: passing 40 metres and living for several centuries is no problem for it. Its name comes not from the needles – glossy dark green on top – but from the pale, almost silvery bark and the two white stripes on the underside of each needle. Turn one between your fingers and you see them at once. The needles do not prick: they are flat, rounded at the tip and arranged like a comb, which is the simplest way to tell a fir from a spruce or a pine. It grows in the mountain forests of Europe, often alongside beech, and for distillation the needles and young shoots are used, harvested when essential oil content is at its peak.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Why does silver fir cost more than the other conifer oils?
Because we only receive two or three kilos at a time. South Tyrolean silver fir is distilled in very small batches, unlike mountain pine or Swiss stone pine, which we can buy in larger lots. We pass on what arrives, and once it is gone there is a wait until the next batch. None of this changes the scent: it remains the softest and gentlest conifer oil in our range.
What is the difference from Siberian fir?
They are close relatives, but the nose tells them apart easily. Silver fir is fruitier and more citrusy thanks to limonene; Siberian fir is warmer and more balsamic thanks to bornyl acetate. Silver fir is the scent of the holidays, Siberian fir that of the winter forest.
Can I use it for cleaning?
That is one of the most popular uses: five drops in a bucket of water leave a clean forest scent behind. It does not replace a cleaning product – the point is the scent.
Can I use it in the sauna?
Yes. Mix 2–3 drops into the infusion water, never neat onto the stones. Because it is so gentle, it also works as a sauna oil for anyone who finds mountain pine too strong.
Is it suitable for children?
In the diffuser, generally from age 6, always sparingly (1–2 drops). It is not suitable for infants and toddlers, and anyone with asthma should avoid it. On children's skin, always dilute very well.
How should I store it?
Protected from light and heat, always tightly closed. Because of the high limonene content this oil is more prone to oxidation than others: close the bottle right after use and use it up within a reasonable time. An oxidised oil irritates the skin considerably more than a fresh one.
Choose your size
Organic Silver Fir Essential Oil
10 ml bottle
EUR —
The small bottle of a rare distillation.
Recommended
30 ml bottle
EUR —
If you want to be sure it lasts. You save!
Safety, warnings and CLP labelling
For external and aromatic use. Use diluted only, never neat on the skin. Avoid contact with eyes and mucous membranes. Keep out of reach of children. Not suitable for infants and toddlers. Do not use in case of asthma. During pregnancy and breastfeeding, consult your doctor before use. May cause skin sensitisation: always patch test on a small area of skin first.
Classification according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP)
Flam. Liq. 3 · Asp. Tox. 1 · Skin Irrit. 2 · Skin Sens. 1 · Aquatic Acute 1 · Aquatic Chronic 1
DANGER
Hazard statements
- H226 Flammable liquid and vapour.
- H304 May be fatal if swallowed and enters airways.
- H315 Causes skin irritation.
- H317 May cause an allergic skin reaction.
- H410 Very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects.
Precautionary statements
- P101 If medical advice is needed, have product container or label at hand.
- P102 Keep out of reach of children.
- P210 Keep away from heat, hot surfaces, sparks, open flames and other ignition sources. No smoking.
- P273 Avoid release to the environment.
- P280 Wear protective gloves.
- P301+P310 IF SWALLOWED: Immediately call a POISON CENTER or doctor.
- P331 Do NOT induce vomiting.
- P302+P352 IF ON SKIN: Wash with plenty of water and soap.
- P501 Dispose of contents and container at a hazardous or special waste collection point.
Contains: limonene, linalool. · EC No.: 289-870-2 · CAS: 90028-76-5
