# Cassia essential oil

> A warm, sweet-spicy single oil closely related to Cinnamon Bark, often used in cleansing blends and home-cleaning solutions.

Canonical page: https://essential-oils.club/oils/single/cassia

Type: Single oil

## At a glance

- **Botanical name:** Cinnamomum cassia
- **Plant part:** Bark
- **Extraction:** Steam-distilled
- **Aroma:** Warm, sweet-spicy
- **Origin:** Southern China
- **Blends with:** Orange, lemon

## Composition

- (E)-Cinnamaldehyde: 80%
- Cinnamyl acetate: 5%
- o-Methoxycinnamaldehyde: 4%
- Coumarin: 3%
- β-Caryophyllene: 2%

Source: Industrial Crops and Products study on cassia oil (2011) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.10.018)

## Key constituents

- **Cinnamaldehyde** (80-95%) — Dominant compound giving cassia its warm, sweet-spicy aroma; very similar to Cinnamon Bark but typically an even higher concentration

## How to use it

- **In the diffuser:** 2–3 drops with orange or lemon — its intensity needs a lighter hand than most spice oils.
- **Around the house:** A drop or two in a DIY cleaning-spray recipe adds a spicy, fresh note.
- **Go easy on skin:** A hot oil — keep any topical use to 1% or less in a carrier oil and patch-test first.

## Safety

- Cassia is a hot oil that can irritate skin even at moderate dilution — keep topical use to 1% or less in a carrier oil, patch-test first, and keep away from children.
- Maximum dermal use: Extremely low — cinnamaldehyde is a strong sensitiser; avoid leave-on skin use.
- One of the very harshest oils — around 80% cinnamaldehyde. Never apply neat; most practitioners avoid leave-on skin use entirely.
- A strong mucous-membrane irritant: keep away from eyes, nose, and mouth, and diffuse only sparingly.
- Not phototoxic. Keep well out of reach of children.

## What the research says

- Cassia oil and cinnamaldehyde are studied for antimicrobial activity in the laboratory. These are in-vitro findings; cassia's headline for consumers is its harshness, not a health benefit. — Industrial Crops and Products study (2011) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.10.018)

## Evidence

- Cassia is even more cinnamaldehyde-dominant than true cinnamon bark, which makes it both intensely aromatic and among the most skin-irritating essential oils. — Industrial Crops and Products study (2011) (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2010.10.018)

## Frequently asked questions

### Is cassia the same as cinnamon?

They're related and smell similar, but cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) is a different species from true cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) and is typically even higher in cinnamaldehyde — so it's harsher on skin. Much supermarket 'cinnamon' is actually cassia.

### Can I use cassia oil on my skin?

It's best not left on skin at all — at ~80% cinnamaldehyde it's a strong sensitiser and irritant. If used, it must be very heavily diluted and patch-tested; for most people it's a diffuser-only oil, used a drop at a time.

### Is cassia phototoxic?

No — it isn't phototoxic. Its real hazard is its very high cinnamaldehyde content, which makes it one of the harshest oils to handle.

_Educational reference only — not medical advice. Essential oils are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease._