Essential Branch

Floral essential oil

Geranium

Pelargonium graveolens

Pale pink rose geranium flowers with darker veins, above deeply cut green leaves.
Pale pink rose geranium flowers with darker veins, above deeply cut green leaves. Photo: Didier Descouens, CC BY-SA 4.0

Geranium oil is distilled from the leaves and stems of rose-scented Pelargonium graveolens, mainly in Egypt, China and South Africa. It smells rosy and green with a hint of mint, which makes it an affordable stand-in for rose in many blends. It is often chosen for skin-care oils, calming blends and bath recipes, and it bridges citrus and woods well. Its main compounds, citronellol and geraniol, can sensitise skin at higher amounts, which is why the skin limit given here is lower than some older references suggest. Patch test before using it in a body oil.

Safety at a glance

  • Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
  • Children From age 2
  • Dogs Use with caution
  • Cats Use with caution
  • Sunlight Not phototoxic
  • On skin Up to 6%

Reference

Botanical name Pelargonium graveolens
Plant family Geraniaceae
Plant part Leaves and stems
Extraction steam distillation
Main origins Egypt, China and South Africa
Aroma family Floral
Note Middle note
Aroma Rosy and green with a hint of mint
Main constituents citronellol, geraniol, citronellyl formate, linalool and isomenthone
Common uses skin, calm, bath and perfume
Suggested maximum on skin 6% of the blend
Phototoxic No
Shelf life once opened 2 to 3 years
Pregnancy Generally well tolerated
Children From age 2
Dogs Use with caution
Cats Use with caution
Safety notes Tisserand and Young suggest up to 17.5%, but IFRA caps geraniol and citronellol in leave-on body products, which works out to about 6% for the richest geranium oils, so we use 6%. Patch test first if you have sensitive skin. Pet poison lines do not flag it, but we keep it at caution around pets.

Blends well with

Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Calm

Sources

  1. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
  2. IFRA Standards, 51st Amendment (ylang ylang extracts, citral, geraniol, citronellol, eugenol), International Fragrance Association (IFRA)
  3. Aromatherapy and pregnancy guidelines, International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (hosted by NAHA)