Floral essential oil
Roman chamomile
Chamaemelum nobile
Roman chamomile oil comes from the small, daisy-like flowers of Chamaemelum nobile and smells sweet, herbal and faintly like green apples. It is a different plant from German chamomile, whose deep blue oil is used mostly in skin care. Roman chamomile is traditionally used in calming and bedtime blends and is one of the gentler oils for evening use, especially in a bath or a light massage oil. It pairs well with lavender, bergamot and clary sage. Because it belongs to the daisy family, people who react to ragweed, chrysanthemums or similar plants should patch test first.
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 No published maximum
Reference
| Botanical name | Chamaemelum nobile |
|---|---|
| Plant family | Asteraceae |
| Plant part | Flowers |
| Extraction | steam distillation |
| Main origins | United Kingdom and France |
| Aroma family | Floral |
| Note | Middle note |
| Aroma | Sweet, herbal and faintly like green apples |
| Main constituents | isobutyl angelate, isoamyl angelate, methallyl angelate and 2-methylbutyl angelate |
| Common uses | sleep, calm, bath and skin |
| Suggested maximum on skin | No published maximum |
| 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 | No skin limit is commonly set, but it belongs to the daisy family, so people allergic to ragweed or chrysanthemums should patch test first. The IFPA notes chamomile can occasionally irritate skin in pregnancy. Pet poison lines do not flag it, but we keep it at caution around pets. |
Blends well with
Used in: Essential Oil Blends for Sleep, Essential Oil Blends for Calm
Sources
- Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition (Tisserand & Young), Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier
- Chamomile: a herbal medicine of the past with bright future (Srivastava et al., 2010), PubMed Central (NIH)
- Aromatherapy and pregnancy guidelines, International Federation of Professional Aromatherapists (hosted by NAHA)