Essential Branch

Minty essential oil

Peppermint

Mentha × piperita

A dense bed of bright green peppermint plants growing along a gravel path beside a brick wall.
A dense bed of bright green peppermint plants growing along a gravel path beside a brick wall. Photo: Rillke, CC BY-SA 3.0

Peppermint oil is distilled from the leaves and flowering tops of Mentha × piperita and smells cold, clean and unmistakable. A single drop goes a long way, which makes it a useful top note in focus and fresh-air blends but an easy one to overdo. It is often chosen for a mid-afternoon slump, for cooling massage blends after exercise and for clearing stale air. Most of its character comes from menthol, which is also why it needs care: menthol can affect breathing in small children, and veterinary poison lines flag the oil for cats. Keep it well away from the eyes and dilute it properly.

Safety at a glance

  • Pregnancy Use with caution
  • Children From age 6
  • Dogs Use with caution
  • Cats Avoid
  • Sunlight Not phototoxic
  • On skin Up to 5.4%

Reference

Botanical name Mentha × piperita
Plant family Lamiaceae
Plant part Leaves and flowering tops
Extraction steam distillation
Main origins United States and India
Aroma family Minty
Note Top note
Aroma Cold, sharp mint with a sweet undertone
Main constituents menthol, menthone, 1,8-cineole, menthyl acetate and isomenthone
Common uses focus, fresh air, muscle rub and cooling
Suggested maximum on skin 5.4% of the blend
Phototoxic No
Shelf life once opened 2 to 3 years
Pregnancy Use with caution
Children From age 6
Dogs Use with caution
Cats Avoid
Safety notes Menthol can slow or disturb breathing in babies and small children, so keep peppermint away from children's faces; guides differ on the age, and we use the stricter cut-off of 6. Pet Poison Helpline lists peppermint as toxic to cats; dogs are less sensitive, but concentrated oil can still harm them, so never apply it to a dog.

Blends well with

Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Focus, 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. Appropriate use of essential oils and their components in the management of upper respiratory tract symptoms in patients with COVID-19 (J Herb Med, 2021), safety table for Eucalyptus and Mentha x piperita, PubMed Central (NIH)
  3. Peppermint and eucalyptus for children, Tisserand Institute
  4. Updates on essential oils, Pet Poison Helpline