RUŌOD Lab

Myrtle Oil

Essential oil · Aromatic / Green

fresh, herbal, camphoraceous, sweet — top note.

Aroma illustration for Myrtle Oil: a sprig of herbs and round eucalyptus leaves, for its herbal and camphoraceous notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Illustration of a myrtle twig with small glossy leaves and dark blue-black berries.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Myrtle Oil smells like (herbal, camphoraceous), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.An original illustration of the botanical source by RUŌOD Lab — not a photograph of the material.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Myrtle oil is distilled from the leaves of Myrtus communis. It has a fresh, herbal and slightly camphoraceous odour with a sweet, floral undertone.

What Myrtle Oil smells like

Myrtle oil is fresh, green and camphoraceous, with a sweet, fruity-herbal side tied to myrtenyl acetate. A supplier describes a bright, diffusive freshness with menthol-like, terpenic and lemony aspects; a chemical database notes that myrtenyl acetate represents the oil's sweetness, and Robertet's myrtenyl-acetate fraction, with the camphor-like top largely removed, smells of blackcurrant and raspberry with violet tones. Sources differ on whether it is more lemony or more woody-camphoraceous.

Leading note
Fresh green camphor
Supporting facets
Lemony, sweet, fruity
Faint facets
Minty
Character
Fresh, bright, light
  • fresh
  • herbal
  • camphoraceous
  • sweet

What makes Myrtle Oil distinctive

A Mediterranean freshness with a hidden sweetness: camphor-green on top, a fruity myrtenyl acetate beneath.

Where the descriptions disagree: Sources differ on whether it reads more lemony or more woody-camphoraceous.

How Myrtle Oil is used

Used as a fresh top note in colognes, herbal and aromatic compositions.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Myrtle Oil differs from similar materials

Bay Laurel Leaf Oil
Bay laurel is spicier, with clove; myrtle is lighter and lemony-fresh, with a sweet fruity side.
Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus is the sharper cineole freshness; myrtle is lighter and lemony, with a sweet, fruity side.

Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Identity and classification

Type
Essential oil
Origin
Natural
Odour family
Aromatic / Green
Note position
Top note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
Botanical source
Myrtus communis
CAS number
8008-46-6

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

Suppliers' safety data sheets for myrtle oil consistently give H304 (aspiration hazard), H315 (skin irritation) and H317 (skin sensitiser), with flammability and aquatic statements, as Amrita's does. Some sheets also give H351, suspected of causing cancer, which suppliers link to the methyl eugenol and estragole some oils contain; ChemicalBook's entry for CAS 8008-46-6 lists it. Which apply depends on the oil and its chemotype.

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

  • Eucalyptol

    Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Green — camphoraceous, cool, medicinal

  • Rosemary Oil

    Essential oil · Aromatic / Woody — herbal, camphoraceous, fresh, woody

  • Lavender Oil

    Essential oil · Aromatic / Floral — lavender, herbal, floral, fresh

  • Bergamot Oil (Expressed)

    Essential oil · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, zesty, floral, tea-like

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 1 published formula

Myrtle Oil is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

Further reading

Questions about Myrtle Oil

Is Myrtle Oil natural or synthetic?

Myrtle 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 Myrtle Oil?

8008-46-6, 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 Myrtle Oil?

Myrtle Oil is used in 1 published formula in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Thyme Cliff. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Myrtle Oil — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

The material library All materials