At Valensole, the distillation of lavender or lavandin, i.e the transformation of lavender into essential oil, is the oldest and most widely used transformation method. It consists of passing water vapor through the flowers to carry their essential oil. The mixture then passes through a cooling evaporative condenser consisting of a multitude of coils irrigated with water at 77°F (25°C) and is decanted inside an essencier. Given their difference in density, the one hundred times more abundant distilled water (called hydrosol or floral water) remains at the bottom, and the lighter essential oil floats on the surface. They are collected by two different taps.