LAVENDER: THE BLUE GOLD OF PROVENCE UNDER THREAT | France 2 | Envoyé Spécial

They call it the “blue gold of Provence”. Over the last fifty years, lavender has left the mountains of Haute Provence to conquer the world. It now resides in the bottles of the greatest perfumers, it has become a star of aromatherapy and you can even find it on the menus of the celebrity chefs. It tops the bill in “household products”, adding scent to detergents and fabric softeners. It is also produced in sachets to hang in the wardrobe. In short, lavender has been used all around the house for centuries. However, this flourishing trade, estimated annually at several billion euros, is now under threat. Although France remains the world leader there are few French producers who can make a decent living from it. They have to face not only competition from the East and from China, but also from synthetic lavender copies: a reconstituted chemical version that is sold at extremely low prices. This synthetic origin is not always mentioned on the flasks and bottles of lavender products. Practices that many decry. For several years now, French lavender has also been the victim of a strange disease that is decimating whole fields. An investigation into the threats that are turning the blue gold… into grey.