Composition
100% essential oil of Eucalyptus globulus. Origin: Madeira, Portugal.
The plant and the oil
The oil is steam-distilled from the fresh or partly dried, long and narrow leaves.[1] Medicinal eucalyptus oil is the oil of eucalyptus species rich in 1,8-cineole, mainly Eucalyptus globulus.[3]
Scent
What it smells like. The scent is well known, fresh and camphor-like, and smells of grass.[2] Rectified eucalyptus oil is colourless and keeps better, while old or poorly stored oil turns yellow.[1]
Where it is used. Mainly in pharmaceutical preparations, cough drops, vaporisers, gargles and toothpaste; in perfumery it is used in cheap scents, including those for technical products, and in scents for soap it makes the other ingredients stand out.[1]
How to use
Scent a room. The oil is intended as a refreshing room scent.[2]
Make a massage oil. Mix the oil into a carrier oil such as jojoba oil. 1% means 1 ml of eucalyptus oil in 100 ml of blend.
For people aged 15 and over, the recommended share of essential oil in a blend is up to 2% for general wellbeing, but not every day. During an illness, at most 5% is acceptable, and only for a short time.[4]
| Share of eucalyptus oil | Eucalyptus oil in 10 ml of blend | Carrier oil in 10 ml of blend |
|---|---|---|
| 0.5% | 0.05 ml | 9.95 ml |
| 1% | 0.1 ml | 9.9 ml |
| 2% | 0.2 ml | 9.8 ml |
Before the first use, try a little of the blend on a small patch of undamaged skin. If the skin reacts, stop and apply a little vegetable oil or cream.[5]
Add it to a bath. Stir it into a little vegetable oil or a bath gel base first, so that it does not float on the water as undiluted drops.[5][6] People with large skin injuries or open wounds, acute skin disease, high fever, severe infections, severe circulation problems or heart failure should not take hot baths with eucalyptus oil.[3]
Precautions
- do not swallow it or put it on the skin undiluted;[7]
- keep it away from the eyes;[5]
- keep the bottle out of the reach of children.[5]
- Eucalyptus oil medicines must not be given to children under 30 months of age, because of the risk of a spasm of the larynx (voice box), nor to children who have had seizures, with or without fever.[3]
- People with asthma should try the scent carefully at first: fragrances, natural ones included, can make the condition worse.[8]
- In pregnancy, use it on the skin only well diluted, at 1 to 2%.[9]
- Premature babies get no essential oils on the skin, and babies up to 3 months old get at most 0.1%.[4]
- Older children, too, need much weaker blends than adults.[4]
- The oil burns easily: keep it away from candles and flames.[5]
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Eucalyptus Globulus.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Vivasan, product packaging of Eucalyptus Madeira 80/85 (E 150).
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 European Medicines Agency, Eucalypti aetheroleum: herbal medicinal product. Retrieved 14 October 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Guidelines to IFPA Members Treating Babies and Children. Revised August 2021.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA), Safety. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Tisserand Institute, Safety guidelines. Retrieved 8 November 2026.
- ↑ International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Statement on Internal and Undiluted Use of Essential Oils. November 2019.
- ↑ Robert Tisserand, Proof of Safety: Challenges Facing Essential Oil Therapy. AIA Conference 2007.
- ↑ International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (IFPA), Pregnancy and Lactation Guidelines. Revised August 2021.