Essential Branch

Spicy essential oil

Clove bud

Syzygium aromaticum

Clusters of unopened clove buds, some just flowering, on a branch among glossy leaves.
Clusters of unopened clove buds, some just flowering, on a branch among glossy leaves. Photo: tinofrey, Public domain

Clove oil is distilled from the dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, grown mainly in Madagascar, Indonesia and Tanzania. It is intensely warm and sweet-spicy and dominated by eugenol, the compound behind the numbing reputation of cloves in traditional tooth remedies. At home it is a favourite in seasonal and fresh-home diffuser blends with orange and cinnamon leaf. On skin it is irritating and sensitising, so it needs a very low dilution and never belongs in the bath. Keep the bottle well out of reach of children, because swallowing clove oil has caused serious poisoning in young children.

Safety at a glance

  • Pregnancy Avoid
  • Children From age 6
  • Dogs Use with caution
  • Cats Avoid
  • Sunlight Not phototoxic
  • On skin Up to 0.5%

Reference

Botanical name Syzygium aromaticum
Plant family Myrtaceae
Plant part Flower buds
Extraction steam distillation
Main origins Madagascar, Indonesia and Tanzania
Aroma family Spicy
Note Middle note
Aroma Intense, warm, sweet spice
Main constituents eugenol, beta-caryophyllene, eugenyl acetate and alpha-humulene
Common uses seasonal, fresh home and warming
Suggested maximum on skin 0.5% of the blend
Phototoxic No
Shelf life once opened 2 to 3 years
Pregnancy Avoid
Children From age 6
Dogs Use with caution
Cats Avoid
Safety notes Clove irritates skin and mucous membranes: 0.5% at most, never in the bath, and while Tisserand and Young rule out skin use only up to age 2, we suggest waiting until 6. Swallowed clove oil has caused liver failure in young children, so store it out of reach. The IFPA lists clove among oils to avoid in pregnancy, and Pet Poison Helpline lists it as toxic to cats.

Blends well with

Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Seasonal Comfort

Sources

  1. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
  2. Clove (Syzygium aromaticum): a precious spice (Cortés-Rojas et al., 2014), PubMed Central (NIH)
  3. Essential oil poisoning: N-acetylcysteine for eugenol-induced hepatic failure and analysis of a national database (Janes et al., 2005), European Journal of Pediatrics (Springer)
  4. Updates on essential oils, Pet Poison Helpline