Geraniums are native to arid areas of South Africa's Cape Province. It's not surprising that the aroma of geranium's fragrance resembles that of rose with a musty, minty-green undertone. Geranium oil has been described as a natural perfume complete unto itself. It's often used to scent soaps and detergents because, unlike many other essential oils, rose geranium's aroma profile is not readily affected by the alkaline nature of soap products. Rose geranium varies much across strains and distillations, in part because the plant is greatly influenced by the climate and soil in which it grows.
Geranium oil can range from very sweet and rosy to musty, minty and green.
One type of geranium oil, known as Bourbon, has established itself as a premium perfume oil. Bourbon geranium is cultivated and distilled exclusively on the island of Reunion in the Indian ocean. The environment of Reunion has produced a strain of geranium with a very rich, rosy aroma. Perfumers prefer to work with Bourbon oil because it blends well with a wide array of very different oils including clove, sandalwood and lavender. The main geranium oil-producing regions of the world are found on the African continent, Russia, China and Reunion.