Niaouli Oil

What Niaouli Oil smells like

Niaouli oil is herbal and camphoraceous: The Good Scents Company lists sweet, camphoraceous, eucalyptus, minty, woody and resinous, and Takasago describes it as camphoraceous, minty, woody and herbal. Other suppliers give fresh and spicy, or fresh, sweet and camphoraceous. A Madagascar specification names 1,8-cineole as its main constituent, followed by alpha-pinene.

Leading note

Sweet camphoraceous

Clear facets

Eucalyptus

Supporting facets

Minty, woody, resinous

Character

Fresh, soft, sweet

• camphoraceous
• fresh
• sweet
• earthy

What makes Niaouli Oil distinctive

The gentler cineole oil: eucalyptus freshness with a sweet, woody-resinous softness.

How Niaouli Oil is used

Used in fresh, herbal and functional fragrances, and in pharmaceutical and skin-care products.

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

How Niaouli Oil differs from similar materials

Cajeput Oil

Cajeput is more pungent, with turpentine and a faint fruit; niaouli is softer and sweeter.

Eucalyptus Oil

Eucalyptus is the sharper, more penetrating cineole oil; niaouli is softer, with minty, woody and resinous notes.

Nerolina Oil

Nerolina is the nerolidol–linalool chemotype of the same tree: fresh and citrus-floral rather than camphoraceous.

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

Melaleuca quinquenervia

CAS number

8014-68-4

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

Amrita's safety data sheet for niaouli oil from Melaleuca quinquenervia gives H226, H304 (aspiration hazard), H315, H317 (skin sensitiser) and H319, with the signal word Danger. Every supplier sheet found carries H304; the other statements vary, and some oils sold as niaouli come from Melaleuca viridiflora, so check the species on your supplier's sheet.

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

• Cajeput Oil

  Essential oil · Aromatic / Fruity — camphoraceous, fresh, fruity, medicinal

• Eucalyptol

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

• Tea Tree Oil

  Essential oil · Aromatic / Spicy — medicinal, herbal, spicy, woody

• Lavender Oil

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

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists Niaouli Oil here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Aromatic Notes in Perfumery: Lavender, Sage, Rosemary and Mint

  The aromatic family for formulators: lavender, lavandin and spike, clary sage, rosemary, mint and basil — chemistry, chemotypes and EU allergen status.

Questions about Niaouli Oil

Sources

• PubChem — substance 135310849, checked 19 October 2026.
• Amrita — Niaouli (Organic) safety data sheet — safety information, read 26 October 2026.
• The Good Scents Company — niaouli oil (with Takasago's description) — odour database.
• SpecialChem — New Directions Aromatics niaouli essential oil — distributor's description.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 25 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.