Composition
100% essential oil of Amyris balsamifera. Origin: the West Indies.
The plant and the oil
The amyris tree, known in the trade as West Indian rosewood, grows in the north of South America, in Central America and in the West Indies, and its wood is an excellent furniture wood. Amyris oil is steam-distilled from the wood. It used to be called West Indian sandalwood oil, a misleading name.[1] Its main components include valerianol, guaiol and eudesmols; in one laboratory sample valerianol was 23.2% and guaiol 19.4%.[3]
Scent
What it smells like. Faintly woody but not dry, slightly oily-sweet and balsamic, sometimes with a faint peppery top note. The scent lasts a long time but soon loses its richness and fades into a very weak woody-balsamic note.[1]
Where it is used. In many perfumes, especially scents for soap, amyris oil is valued because it helps the other scents last longer and gently blends them together; its woody effect is far weaker than that of sandalwood oil.[1]
How to use
Scent a room. The oil is intended as a relaxing, sensual room scent.[2]
Make a massage oil. Mix the oil into a carrier oil such as jojoba oil. 1% means 1 ml of amyris 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 amyris oil | Amyris 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]
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]
- 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 1.4 Steffen Arctander, Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, Elizabeth, NJ, 1960: Amyris Oil.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vivasan, product packaging of Sandalwood West (E 141).
- ↑ Miroslava Kačániová et al., Chemical Composition and Antimicrobial Activity of Selected Essential Oils against Staphylococcus spp. Isolated from Human Semen. Antibiotics 2020, 9(11), 765, doi 10.3390/antibiotics9110765.
- ↑ 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.