Made in Scotland: Scottish Lavender Oils

Welcome to our monthly Made in Scotland blog where we explore the incredibly creative makers in the best wee country in the world! This month’s blog comes to you after Jack and his family visited the beautiful Scottish Lavender fields in Kinross during their growing season. They were so taken with the place and got chatting to Marina who, along with her husband Rory, grow, create and make lavender products and perfumes. Read on to find out more about their family farm, lavender distillation and their beautifully aromatic creations!

Can you tell us how your business got started?

The first lavender plants were planted by my in-laws about ten years ago. The land had been intensively farmed, and through a fortuitous combination of impoverished, sandy soil, a south-facing slope that benefited from plenty of sun and drainage, and a bit of luck, they have since thrived, despite being thousands of miles north of their native environment, the Mediterranean basin. We learnt about traditional distillation, added other plants and herbs, and also trained in perfumery. It’s been a lot of trial and error to see what worked and what didn’t, and it might be completely different again in the future.

My favourite part of our business is seeing people come in, perhaps tired or stressed by a week of work, obligations or just life. Then, after they’ve enjoyed the colours of the fields and our guided tour, all the scents of the flowers and our products, I like it when they leave with a big smile, saying that they took some good pictures, or that their kids enjoyed running up and down the lavender rows. There’s a big wellbeing element to our business, which comes  and simply from the beauty of being outdoors on a summer’s day and reconnecting with nature. I think it’s something we all as humans crave and don’t do enough in this digital age.

Where do you look for inspiration when you are designing new products? 

We try to keep things simple and see what our customers consistently like to buy from our product range. Our lavender essential oil, soap and room spray have always been popular, so they are the core of our offer. In terms of our perfume range, Middleshade Perfumes, we intended to develop classic perfumes that are easy to wear and appeal to a wide range of people. We like to think we have a fragrance for everyone.

Can you tell us a bit more about how you make your products?

We harvest our lavender plants at the end of the flowering season, around the second half of August. We then distil the plants into essential oils using our copper stills. Once we have the oil, we leave this to settle for a month or two before we spend the winter making products for the following summer.

What are your most popular products and which are your own favourites?

Our most popular products are our lavender room and pillow spray and our essential oil. Also, our Over the Sea to Skye perfume has been our best-selling fragrance since we released it last summer. My personal favourites are our essential oil (there are so many uses for it) and our Scottish Lavender perfume. I wear the latter every day.

If you had to pick one place in Scotland to recommend that people visit, where would it be?

There are so many beautiful places in Scotland, and I have by no means visited them all. Having said that, Orkney has a special place in my heart. The sheer number of breathtaking archaeological sites, the impressive St Magnus Cathedral and the shape of the land, slipping seamlessly into the North Sea, are so special. Here’s a picture of me visiting the Broch of Gurness in October 2025.

Which other Scottish Makers do you love to recommend?

Thank you so much to Marina for taking the time to talk with us and do make sure that you follow Scottish Lavender Oils and Middleshade Perfume on Facebook or either of their Instagrams!