Ylang-ylang is the name given to a tropical tree native to the Philippines whose fragrant blossoms led to its adoption in other countries, first in Indonesia and then in Reunion, Madagascar and the Comoros.
In its wild state, Cananga odorata is a large tree, but the popularity of its flowers has led planters to cultivate it like a fruit tree, pruning it severely and bending its young shoots downward to make the blossoms easily accessible to pickers.

Essential oil of Cananga is produced in limited quantities in Indonesia and even in Yunnan (southern China), but the term Ylang is now understood to mean the essential oil produced in the Comoros and Madagascar, which constitutes virtually the entire world supply, even though there are many Ylang cultivation projects in other countries.
The development of Ylang in the Indian Ocean dates from the early 20th century, and was initiated by French priests. The tree has been grown most successfully on the island of Anjouan (Comoros), in Mayotte and on Nosy Bé, an island north of Madagascar.
The production of essential oil of Ylang has been subject to wide fluctuations over the past 20 years. Today it amounts to 40 to 50 tons for the Comoros (including Mayotte) and 15 to 20 tons for Madagascar.
Although derived from the same tree, the two origins have distinctly different compositions and odors.
The Ylang flower has a high yield in essential oil, averaging about 2%.
Over time, the market has settled on several fractions of the oil, depending on their density. In principle the oil is divided into four grades: "extra", followed by "first", "second" and "third". Extra is the first oil produced and usually the most highly prized.
However, a series of disruptions of the production at the source and the habitual adulteration of the oils have made the Ylang market particularly unstable and nontransparent. In the past few years the qualities have deteriorated, and today the "extra" and "third" oils fall far short of their traditional quality standards.
Biolandes produces an essential oil of Ylang in Ambanja, on the northwestern coast of Madagascar across from Nosy Bé.
The flowers harvested from our 180 hectares of Ylang trees are used to produce a certified organic (Ecocert EC) essential oil that meets the quality standards of the Ylangs from the early 20th century. This means it is the first half of the essential oil, the finest part, that is distilled.
This production is filtered and checked for compliance with standards in France.