In short
Cardamom oil is distilled from the seeds of Elettaria cardamomum. It is a fresh, aromatic spice note.
What Cardamom Oil smells like
Cardamom oil is warm, spicy and aromatic, with a penetrating eucalyptus-like top note. A supplier describes a medicinal eucalyptol top note on a warm, woody, dry background, with a balsamic, slightly sweet, floral middle; a CO2 oil is described as warm and spicy-aromatic with an initial camphoraceous-cineole odour that becomes balsamic-woody and finally sweet, balsamic and floral on dry-out. Its two main constituents are 1,8-cineole and alpha-terpinyl acetate, in roughly equal measure.
- Leading note
- Fresh aromatic spice
- Clear facets
- Eucalyptus, cineole
- Supporting facets
- Balsamic, floral
- Faint facets
- Woody
- Character
- Fresh, warm, aromatic, diffusive
What makes Cardamom Oil distinctive
Cool and warm at once: a eucalyptus-fresh opening that dries down sweet, balsamic and floral.
How Cardamom Oil is used
Used in spicy, oriental, citrus and fresh-spicy masculine compositions, with rose and muguet bases, and in flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); lift (adds diffusion and radiance, especially at the top).
How Cardamom Oil differs from similar materials
- Ginger Oil
- Ginger is woody-lemony and warmer, with no eucalyptus top; cardamom opens cool and cineole-fresh, then turns floral.
- Black Pepper Oil
- Black pepper is dry, terpenic and woody; cardamom is fresher and more aromatic, with a balsamic, floral drydown.
- Eucalyptol
- Eucalyptol is cardamom's cool top alone, without terpinyl acetate's balsamic, floral sweetness. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Bay Laurel Leaf Oil
- Bay laurel shares the cineole top and turns creamy-spicy and clove-like; cardamom turns balsamic and floral.
- Cardamom Absolute
- A perfumer finds the absolute much warmer, woodier and sweeter than the oil. (compared directly by a cited source)
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
Rich in 1,8-cineole and terpinyl acetate.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Spicy / Aromatic
- Note position
- Top note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Elettaria cardamomum (L.) Maton
- CAS number
- 8000-66-6
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
-
Bergamot Oil (Expressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, zesty, floral, tea-like
-
Pink Pepper Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Fruity — peppery, rosy, fruity, fresh
-
Iso E Super
Aroma chemical · Woody / Amber — woody, velvety, amber, cedar
Cardamom Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Cardamom Absolute, Cuminaldehyde, Ginger CO2 Extract, Terpinyl Acetate, Turmeric Oil and Yuzu Oil.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 22 published formulas
Cardamom Oil is an ingredient in 22 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Cardamom Oil
Is Cardamom Oil natural or synthetic?
Cardamom 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 Cardamom Oil?
8000-66-6, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Cardamom Oil?
Cardamom Oil is used in 22 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Black Pepper Sail, Cardamom Crema and Champaca Tea Room. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 17397543, checked 19 October 2026.
- The Good Scents Company — cardamom seed oil — odour database.
- Scentspiracy — Cardamom oil — distributor's description.
- Premiere Peau — Cardamom — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.