In short
Celery seed oil is distilled from the seeds of Apium graveolens. It is mostly limonene, but its character comes from phthalides that give a warm, savoury celery note.
What Celery Seed Oil smells like
Celery seed oil owes its celery character to phthalides, present in small amounts. A glossary describes the scent as angular, green, watery and slightly bitter, with a faint warm-spicy depth, especially in the seed oil; a supplier gives fresh, spicy and warm-herbaceous. It reads lighter and greener than lovage root oil.
- Leading note
- Green celery
- Supporting facets
- Warm spice, watery, bitter, herbaceous
- Character
- Green, angular, diffusive
What makes Celery Seed Oil distinctive
Celery's green angularity with a seed's warm spice beneath it.
How Celery Seed Oil is used
Used in traces in herbal, spicy and green compositions, and in savoury flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Celery Seed Oil differs from similar materials
- Lovage Root Oil
- Lovage root shares the celery-phthalide core but is warmer, heavier and more savoury, with leathery, musky undertones. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Fenugreek Absolute
- Fenugreek pairs a celery note with maple and curry; celery seed is greener and more angular, without the sweetness.
- Parsley Seed Oil
- Parsley seed is warmer and woodier; celery seed is phthalide-led, green and angular.
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
Its savoury note can dominate; use sparingly.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Aromatic / Spicy
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Apium graveolens
- CAS number
- 8015-90-5
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
-
Lovage Root Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Spicy — celery, sweet, spicy, herbal
-
Helichrysum Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Gourmand — honey, hay, curry, fruity
-
Carrot Seed Oil
Essential oil · Woody / Powdery — earthy, woody, orris, dry
-
Coriander Seed Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Floral — spicy, floral, fresh, woody
Celery Seed Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Parsley Seed Oil.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
Celery Seed Oil is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Celery Seed Oil
Is Celery Seed Oil natural or synthetic?
Celery Seed 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 Celery Seed Oil?
8015-90-5, 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 Celery Seed Oil?
Celery Seed Oil is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Green Pod Theory and Neroli Bigarade Base. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135284849, checked 19 October 2026.
- Premiere Peau — Celery — published perfumery reference.
- The Good Scents Company — celery odour category — odour database.
- 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.