White thyme oil takes its name not from the colour of the plant, but from its scent profile, a refined expression of true thyme (Thymus vulgaris). The same species is capable of yielding remarkably different oils depending on how it is distilled. Our white thyme oil is steam distilled twice to soften its character, resulting in a lighter, cleaner ‘white’ scent profile: aromatic and herbaceous, with the familiar clarity of thyme as used in cooking.
The name itself is thought to trace back to the Greek thymos, meaning ‘perfume’ or ‘fragrance’, a reference to its strong aromatic quality. The Greeks believed thyme brought courage, and used it in sacrifices and to purify temples.