Patchouli Essential Oil
Patchouli Essential Oil is a rich, earthy oil with deep musky-sweet and subtly spicy undertones, steam distilled from the dried leaves of Pogostemon cablin. Known for its grounding and long-lasting aroma, it’s widely used in perfumery, skincare, and home fragrance applications. This distinctive oil adds depth, warmth, and fixation to candles, soaps, perfumes, and diffuser blends. It pairs exceptionally well with sandalwood, amber, vanilla, and citrus oils for a smooth, balanced, and sensual composition.
Patchouli Essential Oil offers excellent versatility across wellness and personal care formulations as it is almost allergen-free. It is valued for its skin-regenerating and soothing properties, that is why it is primarily used in products targeting dry, irritated, or mature skin. Its calming effect on the mind makes it suitable for stress-relief and mood-balancing blends, while its natural antibacterial and insect-repelling qualities enhance its use in both skincare and air care applications. A staple base note in countless formulations, Patchouli brings depth, performance, and character to any blend.
Ambiance: Earthy / Woody / Warm / Grounding
Please note
This is a pure, undiluted essential oil designed for crafting end products such as candles, diffusers, soaps, bath products, and other personal care items. Essential oils are highly concentrated and should not be applied directly to the skin without proper dilution in a carrier oil. All our essential oils are measured in grams, not milliliters. Bottle fill levels may vary due to differences in oil density, which affects volume.
For specific usage limits, please refer to the Patchouli Essential Oil IFRA guidelines or consult the Safety Data Sheet (SDS) included in the “Related Documents” tab. Compliance of the final product remains the responsibility of the manufacturer.
Packaging note: 10g testers are supplied in PET bottles for affordable evaluation and are not intended for long-term archival storage. Production sizes from 50g upwards are supplied in premium aluminium bottles for improved long-term protection. Read more
Olfactive Profile
- Note classification: Base note
- Scent family: Earthy / Woody / Balsamic / Herbal
Patchouli Essential Oil has a deep, earthy, woody profile with balsamic, camphoraceous, herbal, slightly smoky, and softly sweet nuances. It feels darker and more grounded than cedarwood, earthier than sandalwood, and more textured than most resinous oils. Its character is rich, persistent, and unmistakably natural, making it especially useful in woody, oriental, amber, chypre, incense, musky, floral, and bohemian compositions.
The opening is earthy, herbal, and slightly camphoraceous, while the drydown becomes warmer, smoother, woodier, and more balsamic. Compared to lighter aromatic oils, patchouli brings weight, longevity, and a fixative effect, making it valuable when a formula needs depth, natural warmth, and a stronger base structure.
Technical Data & IFRA limits
- Product type: 100% pure essential oil
- Botanical name: Pogostemon Cablin
- CAS number: 8014-09-3
- Plant part: Leaves
- Extraction method: Steam Distillation
- Origin: Not specified in the provided documents
- Flashpoint: 110°C
- Appearance: Dark brown, slightly viscous liquid
- Main natural constituents: Naturally rich in patchouli alcohol, with alpha-guaiene, beta-caryophyllene, and related earthy, woody, sesquiterpenic aromatic constituents. Exact composition may vary by batch.
IFRA Maximum Usage Levels
- Candles: 100%
- Diffusers: 100%
- Perfumes: 100%
- Soaps: 100%
For full category-specific limits, refer to the Patchouli Essential Oil IFRA certificate available in the “Related Documents” tab.
Formulation & Creative Uses
Patchouli Essential Oil works as a powerful earthy-woody base note and natural fixative. It adds depth, warmth, longevity, and a grounded structure to a formula, helping citrus, floral, woody, amber, musk, resinous, or spicy compositions feel fuller and more complete. It is especially useful when a blend needs a darker base, better persistence, or a more natural earthy signature.
Common applications
- Diffusers: Excellent for grounding, woody, earthy, amber, incense, meditative, sensual, and spa-like blends.
- Candles & wax melts: Adds depth and warmth, especially in amber woods, incense, oriental, autumn, earthy, floral-woody, and dark botanical compositions.
- Soaps: Brings a persistent earthy-woody character, with testing required for scent retention and process stability.
- Bath & body products: Suitable when used within IFRA limits and proper dilution guidelines.
- Perfumery: Useful in chypres, ambers, oriental blends, woody bases, musky florals, rose-patchouli accords, incense compositions, leather accords, fougeres, and natural fixative structures.
Creative directions
Use Patchouli Essential Oil when a formula needs depth, grounding, warmth, and lasting power. It works especially well in blends that feel too thin, sharp, fleeting, citrusy, floral, or clean, helping the composition become more substantial, sensual, and anchored.
For floral compositions, combine patchouli with rose, jasmine, ylang ylang, geranium, lavender, or orange blossom to create a deeper and more elegant floral base. For oriental and amber directions, use it with benzoin, frankincense, labdanum-style accords, vanilla-like materials, tonka-style notes, cinnamon, clove, or resins to build warmth and richness. For woody and earthy blends, pair it with cedarwood, sandalwood, vetiver, amyris, oakmoss-style materials, pine, or fir to create a darker natural structure.
Patchouli is also useful in incense blends, masculine aromatic profiles, dark florals, earthy spa compositions, natural perfumery, and long-lasting home fragrance bases. Because it is strong, persistent, and highly recognisable, it can dominate a formula if overdosed. It performs best when balanced with citrus oils, florals, woods, musks, spices, or soft balsamic materials that shape its earthy richness into a more polished accord.
Storage & Natural Variations
Patchouli Essential Oil is classified as hazardous if swallowed and enters the airways, irritating to the eyes, and toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Always follow the IFRA guidance and SDS for the intended product category. The final safety assessment, dilution level, labeling, and regulatory compliance remain the responsibility of the manufacturer.
Essential oils are natural aromatic materials, and slight variations in scent, colour, density, viscosity, and appearance may occur from batch to batch. These differences are normal and can be influenced by harvest conditions, climate, origin, plant material, aging, and natural compositional variation.
Patchouli Essential Oil is naturally dark and slightly viscous, and its aroma can become smoother, deeper, and more rounded over time. This aging character is normal for patchouli, but the oil should still be stored correctly to protect its quality and prevent unnecessary degradation.
Scent perception may also vary depending on individual sensitivity, dilution level, formulation base, and application method. Essential oils may not smell exactly the same in the bottle as they do in a finished product. We strongly recommend testing a 10g bottle before committing to larger quantities, especially for commercial production.
To preserve quality, store tightly sealed in the original container, away from heat, light, air, and moisture. Store in a cool, dry, well-ventilated place and avoid release into drains, surface water, or the environment.
Order processing times
Standard lead time is 1-2 business days. Processing times may be longer during peak holiday seasons—please plan accordingly.
Bulk Orders
For larger quantities, we offer bulk production starting from 5kg per fragrance code, with a 10% discount per kilogram. Customers who need more than 5kgs per scent, can contact us to arrange a proforma invoice. Bulk orders are produced in multipliers of 5 (5kg, 10kg, 15kg, etc.) and lead times vary depending on fragrance and time of the year, usually within the range of 3 to 8 weeks.
Product Suitability Guide
Comparison of typical formulation levels with the maximum permitted use for each application based on IFRA 51st amdt.
| Application | Typical Use | Suitability |
|---|---|---|
Candles & Wax Melts
|
7–12% | Suitable |
Electric Diffusers
|
Up to 100%* | Suitable* |
Pillow Mists
|
1–5% | Suitable |
Room Sprays
|
2–5% | Suitable |
Reed Diffusers
|
15–25% | Suitable |
Soaps & Rinse-off
|
1–3% | Suitable |
Hair Fragrance
|
1–3% | Suitable |
Lotions & Body Oils
|
0.5–2% | Suitable |
Fine Fragrance
|
10–15% | Suitable |
Facial Makeup
|
0.1–1% | Suitable |
Body Mist & Deodorant
|
1–5% | Suitable |
How to Read the Suitability Statements
✓ Suitable: the permitted concentration reaches or exceeds the average typical-use range. △ Limited: the permitted concentration falls within the typical-use range but remains below its midpoint. × Below Range: the permitted concentration falls below the typical-use range. × Not Permitted: the applicable limit is 0%.
Please Note
Typical-use ranges are general formulation benchmarks, not product-specific recommendations. Suitability is determined by comparing the stated typical-use range with the maximum permitted concentration shown in the current supplier IFRA document.
This guide does not confirm scent performance, base compatibility, stability, device compatibility or complete finished-product compliance. Appropriate testing and all applicable safety, labelling and regulatory requirements remain the responsibility of the finished-product manufacturer.
*Electric diffusers: Up to 100% fragrance may be used only in equipment designed for undiluted fragrance oil. Dilution, carrier and compatibility requirements vary by device. Always follow the equipment manufacturer’s instructions.
Explore Similar Scents
Why Choose Perfumedom
⚡ Swift Response Times
With a 97% stock uptime and our efficient order fulfillment system, your fragrance oils are delivered promptly, ensuring you meet your production timelines.
⭐ Consistent Performance
Our fragrance oils are sourced from established European manufacturers and designed for professional use, offering consistency and performance in every batch.
🛡️ Commitment to Safety
Every fragrance in our assortment is supported by up-to-date SDS, IFRA, and CLP guidance, and manufactured strictly only with REACH regulated substances.
Reviews
There are no reviews yet