Composition
100% essential oil of Eugenia caryophyllata. Origin: Indonesia.
The plant and the oil
What is sold as clove oil is usually distilled from the buds, but it can also come from the stems or the leaves. Clove bud oil contains up to 85% eugenol, the compound that shapes its scent, its properties and its safety precautions.[2]
Scent
What it smells like. The oil smells spicy and warming yet slightly bitter and slightly woody, like clove buds but much stronger.[2]
Where it sits in a blend. It is a middle note with a strong initial scent.[2]
What it goes with. Other spice oils such as cinnamon bark, and citrus, wood and floral oils.[2] In perfumery, clove bud oil gives a sweet-spicy note; together with lavender it forms the classic "rondeletia" type, and it blends very well with ylang-ylang.[3]
How to use
- As a room scent: the oil is intended to stimulate mental activity and to be both invigorating and balancing.[1]
- In aromatherapy it is described as invigorating and mentally stimulating and is used, among other things, for muscle pain, rheumatism and tired limbs.[2]
- Clove bud oil is widely used to flavour food and in mouthwashes, toothpastes and chewing gum.[3]
In the air. The scent is strong, so use it sparingly when you first blend it.[2] Air the room regularly: breathing a lot of vapour for an hour or more can cause headaches, dizziness and nausea.[4]
On the skin, only very diluted. Clove oil can be very irritating to the skin. At most 0.5% is recommended on the skin, and it should not be used at full strength.[2] Mix it into a carrier oil such as jojoba oil.
| Share of essential oil | Essential oil in 10 ml of blend | Carrier oil in 10 ml of blend |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 0.05 ml | 9.95 ml |
Example: for 10 ml of a 0.5% blend, mix 0.05 ml of the oil with 9.95 ml of carrier oil.
Before the first use. Test a little of the blend on a small patch of skin. Apply it only to unbroken skin. If the skin reacts, stop and apply a little vegetable oil or cream.[4]
Not in the bath. Clove oil should not be used in the bath at all.[4]
Precautions
- do not swallow the oil;[5]
- keep it away from the eyes;[4]
- keep the bottle out of the reach of children.[4]
- Clove oil irritates the skin and the mucous membranes, the moist linings of the body.[4]
- Oils rich in phenols such as eugenol may cause skin reactions and should always be diluted before they are applied to the skin.[4]
- Irritation of the mucous membranes and allergic reactions have been reported with clove oil medicines, and people allergic to Peru balsam should not use them.[6]
- Swallowed clove oil is dangerous for young children: a two-year-old boy who drank about 10 ml had convulsions, lost consciousness and developed a severe blood-clotting disorder.[7]
- Young children are more sensitive to essential oils than adults.[4]
- The safety of clove oil medicines in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and they are not recommended at these times.[6]
- Women who may be pregnant or are trying to become pregnant should use essential oils with caution.[4]
- The oil is highly flammable: keep it away from candles and open flames.[4]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Vivasan, product packaging of Clove Oil (E 124).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 AromaWeb, Clove Bud Essential Oil. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Clove Bud Oil.
- ↑ 4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), Safety. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Statement on Internal and Undiluted Use of Essential Oils. November 2019.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products, Community herbal monograph on Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merill et L. M. Perry, floris aetheroleum, EMA/HMPC/534924/2010, 13 September 2011.
- ↑ European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products, Assessment report on Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merill et L.M. Perry, flos and Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merill et L.M. Perry, floris aetheroleum, EMA/HMPC/534946/2010, 13 September 2011.