In short
Caraway oil is distilled from the seeds of Carum carvi. It is mostly d-carvone and limonene and has the warm, spicy smell of rye bread.
What Caraway Oil smells like
Caraway oil is most often said to smell of rye bread. A supplier calls it definitely spicy, with weedy top notes and a fatty undertone; another a very strong, fresh, diffusive, spicy, fruity, woody, warm aroma. A glossary finds the opening bright with a limonene citrus lift, after which the carvone warmth takes over within minutes. Its main constituents are d-carvone and limonene, in proportions sources report differently.
- Leading note
- Rye-bread spice
- Supporting facets
- Citrus lift, weedy, herbal
- Faint facets
- Fatty
- Character
- Warm, fresh, diffusive
What makes Caraway Oil distinctive
Rye bread in a bottle: d-carvone's caraway warmth with a passing citrus lift.
Where the descriptions disagree: Sources report very different carvone-to-limonene proportions.
How Caraway Oil is used
Used in small amounts in spicy, herbal and masculine compositions, and in flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Caraway Oil differs from similar materials
- d-Carvone
- d-Carvone is the oil's caraway note alone, dry and savoury; the oil adds limonene's citrus lift and weedy, fatty notes. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Cumin Seed Oil
- Cumin is a dense, sweaty, animalic spice; caraway is a fresher, bread-like warmth.
- Dill Oil
- Dill weed is greener and grassier; caraway is the carvone-rich, rye-bread spice.
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Carvone has an IFRA Standard; check the contribution from the oil.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Aromatic / Spicy
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Caraway seed oil
- Botanical source
- Carum carvi
- CAS number
- 8000-42-8
The CAS number was checked on 19 October 2026 against a PubChem substance record that gives it for this material. A natural material is a mixture, so it has no single formula; its composition varies with origin and processing.
Safety and compliance
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
d-Carvone
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Spicy — caraway, dill, herbal, warm
-
Dill Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Green — herbal, green, fresh, caraway
-
Coriander Seed Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Floral — spicy, floral, fresh, woody
-
d-Limonene
Aroma chemical · Citrus / Fruity — citrus, orange, fresh, light
Used in formulas and accords
Not currently used in any published formula.
The Formula & Accord Library lists Caraway Oil here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.
Further reading
Questions about Caraway Oil
Is Caraway Oil natural or synthetic?
Caraway Oil is natural. It is a volatile oil obtained from plant material by steam distillation or, for citrus peels, by cold expression.
What is the CAS number of Caraway Oil?
8000-42-8, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 17397528, checked 19 October 2026.
- Eden Botanicals — Caraway CO2 — distributor's description.
- Premiere Peau — Caraway — published perfumery reference.
- Wikipedia — Caraway — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.