What can't be overstated is just how popular lavender essential oil really is, and how many ways in which it can be used. There are hundreds of articles posted online from the U.S. National Library of Medicine documenting studies of Lavandula angustifolia and its derivatives as a potential treatment for everything from agitated behaviour in dementia patients to restless leg syndrome . And all of the doctors that I spoke to agreed that lavender oil is "generally" beneficial for "most" people as an ingredient in skin care, provided it's properly diluted and plays well with the rest of the formulation — a somewhat frustrating conclusion for me, a person who sees lavender not as a necessity for a sweet Biblical garden but one of my skin's worst allergy triggers.