In short
Cumin seed oil is distilled from the seeds of Cuminum cyminum. It gives a powerful, warm, sweaty-spicy note.
What Cumin Seed Oil smells like
Cumin oil is extremely powerful, diffusive, green-spicy and slightly fatty, in a chemical reference, but softer and less sharp than cuminaldehyde alone — a softness it calls hard to reproduce with the aldehyde. Cuminaldehyde and two menthadienals are among its main constituents. Perfumery sources describe the raw spice as a dense, sweaty warmth after an initial green-herbaceous flash, and use the oil for an animalic skin note.
- Leading note
- Green-spicy cumin
- Clear facets
- Sweaty, animalic
- Supporting facets
- Green, herbaceous
- Faint facets
- Fatty
- Character
- Powerful, warm, diffusive
What makes Cumin Seed Oil distinctive
The spice that smells of skin: cumin's dense, sweaty warmth, softer and rounder than its aldehyde.
How Cumin Seed Oil is used
Used in traces for an animalic, skin-like warmth in oriental, leather and spicy compositions, and in flavours. It is phototoxic and restricted by IFRA.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Cumin Seed Oil differs from similar materials
- Cuminaldehyde
- A chemical reference finds the oil softer and less sharp than cuminaldehyde alone, a softness hard to reproduce with the aldehyde. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Caraway Oil
- Caraway is a fresher, bread-like warmth; cumin is a dense, sweaty, animalic 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
Phototoxic; covered by an IFRA Standard. Very strong — dose from dilution.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Spicy / Animalic
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Cuminum cyminum L.
- CAS number
- 8014-13-9
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
The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Cumin Seed Oil:
- "Cumin oil" — Restriction, 49th Amendment, published 2020-01
Limits differ by product category and are set out in the Standard itself; this page does not reproduce them. The list above reflects the library as read on 19 October 2026.
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
-
Coriander Seed Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Floral — spicy, floral, fresh, woody
-
Jasmine Absolute (Grandiflorum)
Absolute · Floral / Animalic — jasmine, floral, indolic, fruity
-
Isobutyl Quinoline
Aroma chemical · Leather / Green — leathery, earthy, green, smoky
-
Cuminaldehyde
Aroma chemical · Spicy / Green — cumin, spicy, green, herbal
Cumin Seed Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for p-Cymene.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 3 published formulas
Cumin Seed Oil is an ingredient in 3 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Cumin Seed Oil
Is Cumin Seed Oil natural or synthetic?
Cumin 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 Cumin Seed Oil?
8014-13-9, 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 Cumin Seed Oil?
Cumin Seed Oil is used in 3 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Black Saddle, Dune Spice Market and Skin Heat. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Is Cumin Seed Oil covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "Cumin oil" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 439427175, checked 19 October 2026.
- IFRA — Standards Library, read 19 October 2026.
- ChemicalBook — cumin oil (CAS 8014-13-9) — odour database.
- Premiere Peau — Cumin — published perfumery reference.
- Bioshop — Cumin essential oil — distributor's description.
- 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.