In short
Clary sage oil is distilled from Salvia sclarea. It gives a herbaceous, tea-like and ambery note and is related to the ambergris-like materials made from its sclareol.
What Clary Sage Oil smells like
Clary sage oil is floral, tea-like and herbaceous, with a musky, ambery and slightly tobacco-like depth. One evaluation describes an opening that is floral and tea-like, with aspects in common with lavender and neroli, turning to a greenish 'mint tea' afternote; a glossary describes a late phase of dried muscat grapes, warm hay and tea leaves. Its linalyl acetate and linalool give the floral side; its sclareol is the ambery link.
- Leading note
- Floral tea-like herb
- Supporting facets
- Ambery, musky, lavender-like
- Faint facets
- Dried grape, hay, tobacco
- Character
- Warm, herbal, soft, rounded
What makes Clary Sage Oil distinctive
A herb with amber in it: floral and tea-like like lavender, but warmer and muskier, drying to hay and dried grape.
How Clary Sage Oil is used
Used in fougères, chypres and ambery compositions, and as a heart note bridging herbs and ambers.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Clary Sage Oil differs from similar materials
- Clary Sage Absolute
- A glossary describes the absolute as pushing further into tobacco — richer, denser and balsamic; the oil is lighter, floral and tea-like. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Clarycet
- Clarycet is a drier, fruitier synthetic with dry plum and a hint of clary sage; the oil is the fuller natural herb, floral and ambery.
- Sclareol
- Sclareol is the nearly odourless diterpene extracted from the plant; the oil is the fragrant, linalyl acetate-led herb.
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 linalyl acetate and linalool.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Aromatic / Amber
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Salvia sclarea L.
- CAS number
- 8016-63-5
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
-
Lavender Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Floral — lavender, herbal, floral, fresh
-
Bergamot Oil (Expressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, zesty, floral, tea-like
-
Sclareol
Natural isolate · Amber / Woody — amber, balsamic, faint, tobacco
-
Labdanum Absolute
Absolute · Amber / Leather — amber, balsamic, leathery, animalic
-
Clary Sage Absolute
Absolute · Amber / Aromatic — ambery, tobacco, herbaceous, sweet
Clary Sage Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Alpha Farnesene, Angelica Root Oil, Armoise Oil, Clarycet, Hyssop Oil and Roman Chamomile Oil.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 29 published formulas
Clary Sage Oil is an ingredient in 28 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Clary Sage Oil
Is Clary Sage Oil natural or synthetic?
Clary Sage 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 Clary Sage Oil?
8016-63-5, 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 Clary Sage Oil?
Clary Sage Oil is used in 29 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Ambrette Halo, Anise Ink and Bitter Bridle. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135311392, checked 19 October 2026.
- Premiere Peau — Clary sage — published perfumery reference.
- Basenotes — clary sage discussion (forum) — 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.