Constituent · Phenylpropanoid / aromatic
eugenol
A warm, clove-like phenol; powerful aroma and a strong skin/mucous-membrane irritant, so clove and cinnamon leaf are used very dilute.
Essential oils richest in eugenol
Measured relative composition (GC peak-area %) pooled across published GC-MS samples — median, typical range (middle 50%) and the maximum seen.
| Oil | Median | Typical range | Max | Samples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clove | 72.5% | 41.4%–79.21% | 89.28% | 17 |
| Basil | 14.2% | 1.94%–22.17% | 57.4% | 107 |
| Peppermint | 9.02% | 4.53%–13.51% | 18% | 2 |
| Goldenrod | 7.78% | 7.39%–8.16% | 8.55% | 2 |
| Black pepper | 5.06% | 5.06%–5.06% | 5.06% | 1 |
| Tangerine | 4.22% | 4.22%–4.22% | 4.22% | 1 |
| Cinnamon bark | 4.1% | 1.79%–7.04% | 82.6% | 22 |
| Laurel | 2.1% | 1.2%–3.4% | 9.04% | 23 |
| Cardamom | 1.96% | 1.04%–2.88% | 3.8% | 2 |
| Myrtle | 1.71% | 1.1%–2.31% | 2.91% | 2 |
| Tarragon | 1.33% | 0.7%–1.65% | 1.98% | 3 |
| Lemongrass | 1.12% | 0.81%–3.55% | 5.97% | 3 |
| Rose | 0.99% | 0.67%–1.74% | 4.3% | 36 |
| Frankincense | 0.98% | 0.98%–0.98% | 0.98% | 1 |
| Marjoram | 0.88% | 0.86%–0.9% | 0.95% | 4 |
| Palmarosa | 0.76% | 0.58%–0.83% | 0.9% | 3 |
| Citronella | 0.58% | 0.28%–0.9% | 1.7% | 5 |
| Yarrow | 0.57% | 0.24%–1.99% | 3% | 6 |
| Nutmeg | 0.53% | 0.28%–0.7% | 4% | 27 |
| Thyme | 0.41% | 0.26%–0.57% | 0.72% | 2 |
Oils in our library are linked above — open any profile for its full composition, safety panel and the research behind it.
Related constituents
Other phenylpropanoid / aromatic compounds across the oils.
Figures are GC peak-area percentages pooled across published GC-MS samples, not concentrations, and describe chemistry — not health effects. How this is built →