Jasmine (Jasminum sambac)
An intensely floral, luxurious oil traditionally used in perfumery and prized for its uplifting aroma when diffused.
How to use it
Just 1–2 drops delivers a rich floral scent; more overwhelms a small room.
Dilute well and patch-test — absolutes are more concentrated than distilled oils.
Safety in detail
- Max dermal use
- Dilute low in a carrier oil for skin
- Phototoxic
- No
- As an absolute it may carry trace solvent residue and is intensely aromatic — dilute low and patch-test; it contains recognised fragrance allergens like linalool and benzyl benzoate.
- Not phototoxic. Keep out of reach of children.
Composition & chemistry
Aggregated from 2 GC-MS samples across 2 peer-reviewed open-access studies (2022–2026). Figures are the distribution across those samples — median with interquartile range — not a single reading.
- Oxygenated monoterpene 30%
- Unclassified 20.4%
- Sesquiterpene hydrocarbon 14.1%
- Phenylpropanoid / aromatic 8.4%
- Aliphatic / other 8.2%
- Oxygenated sesquiterpene 6.1%
- Other terpenoid/aromatic 5.1%
- Aliphatic / small aromatic 4%
- Other 1.7%
- Diterpene 1.2%
- Monoterpene hydrocarbon 0.8%
| Constituent | Median | Typical range | Max | Detected in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| linalool ↗ C10H18O | 21.3% | 19.3–23.4% | 25.4% | |
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| α-farnesene ↗ C15H24 | 10.4% | 10.4–10.4% | 10.4% | |
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| benzyl acetate ↗ C9H10O2 | 8.9% | 8.9–8.9% | 8.9% | |
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| benzyl benzoate ↗ C14H12O2 | 6.9% | 6.9–6.9% | 6.9% | |
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| hexadecanoic acid ↗ C16H32O2 | 3.4% | 3.4–3.4% | 3.4% | |
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| epi-α-cadinol ↗ C15H26O | 3.0% | 3.0–3.0% | 3.0% | |
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| tricosane ↗ C23H48 | 2.8% | 2.8–2.8% | 2.8% | |
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| benzyl salicylate ↗ C14H12O3 | 2.6% | 2.6–2.6% | 2.6% | |
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| carvone ↗ C10H14O | 2.2% | 2.2–2.2% | 2.2% | |
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| (z)-β-ocimene ↗ C10H16 | 1.4% | 1.4–1.4% | 1.4% | |
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| nerolidol ↗ C15H26O | 0.5% | 0.5–0.5% | 0.5% | |
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| γ-cadinene ↗ C15H24 | 0.4% | 0.4–0.4% | 0.4% | |
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+ 11 more compounds reported across the dataset.
2 peer-reviewed sources behind these figures
- Yassen MS, Ayoub IM, El-Ahmady SH, Singab ANB. (2026). Comparative analysis of flower volatiles from four Jasminum species growing in Egypt using multivariate analysis. Scientific reports.
- Mansour KA, El-Neketi M, Lahloub MF, Elbermawi A. (2022). Nanoemulsions of Jasminum humile L. and Jasminum grandiflorum L. Essential Oils: An Approach to Enhance Their Cytotoxic and Antiviral Effects. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland).
Every figure above traces to a named table in one of these open-access papers. How this was built →
- Benzyl acetate — the dominant sweet-floral ester at the heart of jasmine's aroma Natural Product Communications review (2020)
Jasminum sambac, or Arabian jasmine, is the same species used to flavor jasmine tea.
What the research says
An honest read of the published research — what has actually been studied, at what stage. Not medical advice or a promise of results.
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Jasmine absolute is well characterised chemically and valued in perfumery; its mood and relaxation uses are traditional and preliminary rather than clinically established.
Natural Product Communications review (2020)
Evidence & sources
Peer-reviewed research on Jasmine's chemistry and safety. These describe composition and documented effects — not health or treatment claims.
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Jasmine absolute is dominated by benzyl acetate and benzyl benzoate, with indole giving the heady, slightly animalic depth characteristic of true jasmine.
Natural Product Communications review (2020)
Frequently asked questions
Why is jasmine an 'absolute' and not an essential oil?
Jasmine blossoms are too delicate for steam distillation, so the aroma is captured by solvent extraction, producing an 'absolute'. That's why you'll rarely see a true steam-distilled jasmine essential oil. Natural Product Communications review (2020)
Why does jasmine smell so intense?
Alongside its sweet floral esters, jasmine contains a small amount of indole, a compound that adds a heady, almost animalic depth. A tiny amount goes a long way. Natural Product Communications review (2020)
Is jasmine phototoxic?
No — jasmine isn't phototoxic. Because it's a concentrated absolute, dilute it low and patch-test, but there's no sun-exposure restriction.
Gallery
The Flower and Its History
Jasmine is one of the most prized florals in perfumery, with a history stretching back centuries in Indian, Persian, and Southeast Asian traditions, where the flowers were strung into garlands, worn in the hair, and used to scent everything from tea to oil lamps. Young Living’s oil is typically extracted from Jasminum sambac (sometimes called Arabian jasmine), a species also used to flavor jasmine tea.
Extraction
Because jasmine flowers yield very little oil relative to their weight — and the delicate aromatic compounds don’t survive steam distillation well — jasmine is usually produced as an absolute, using a solvent-extraction process rather than pure steam distillation. This is a common, accepted method for delicate florals like jasmine and rose, and it captures a fuller, truer representation of the living flower’s scent than distillation would.
Aroma Character
The result is a rich, heady, intensely floral scent with a sweet, fruity quality and a faint, almost animalic depth underneath (from trace indole) that gives real jasmine its complexity — a scent that reads far more “alive” than most synthetic jasmine fragrances.
Everyday Use
In the diffuser: just 1–2 drops delivers a rich, heady floral scent; more can quickly become overwhelming in a small room, since jasmine is one of the most potent florals by volume.
On skin: dilute well before any topical use, and patch-test first — floral absolutes can be more concentrated in aromatic compounds than steam-distilled oils, so a little goes further than you’d expect.
Pairs Well With
Jasmine is a classic perfumery note that blends beautifully with sandalwood, bergamot, or ylang ylang for a rounded floral-woody fragrance, and with rose for an intensely romantic combination.
Sourcing Note
Genuine jasmine oil is expensive because of how little oil the flowers yield — inexpensive “jasmine” fragrance oils sold elsewhere are usually synthetic recreations, not the real botanical extract, and won’t carry the same depth or complexity.
Found in these blends
Jasmine is one of the oils inside 5 Young Living blends.