In short
Nutmeg oil is distilled from the seeds of Myristica fragrans. It gives a warm, sweet, spicy-woody note.
What Nutmeg Oil smells like
Nutmeg oil has a light, fresh, warm-spicy aroma with a terpenic top note, a sweet-spicy body and a woody, warm, sweet dry-out, in an Arctander-based description, which also likens it to sweet marjoram oil. The FAO notes that West Indian oils are weaker and less spicy than East Indian ones, with less alpha-pinene and myristicin and more sabinene, and that the literature often fails to separate nutmeg and mace oils.
- Leading note
- Warm sweet spice
- Clear facets
- Terpenic, fresh
- Supporting facets
- Woody
- Faint facets
- Marjoram-like
- Character
- Warm, fresh, light
What makes Nutmeg Oil distinctive
A fresh, terpenic warmth: the seed's spice lifted by pine-like monoterpenes.
Where the descriptions disagree: The literature often does not distinguish nutmeg oil from mace oil.
How Nutmeg Oil is used
Used in spicy, woody, oriental and fougère compositions and in flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Nutmeg Oil differs from similar materials
- Mace Oil
- Mace oil is described as sweeter, more peppery and more balsamic, with nut-skin and incense notes; the two are often confused. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Sabinene
- Sabinene is one of the oil's terpenes, warm and peppery-woody alone; the oil adds sweet spice and a woody dry-out. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Parsley Seed Oil
- Parsley seed shares a myristicin-woody warmth but opens green and has a medicinal undertone; nutmeg is fresher and more terpenic.
- Nutmeg CO2 Extract
- The CO2 extract of the same seeds is described as warmer and balsamic, close in composition to the oil.
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
Contains myristicin and safrole in small amounts; check supplier documentation.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Spicy / Woody
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Myristica fragrans Houtt.
- CAS number
- 8008-45-5
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
-
Clove Bud Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Floral — clove, spicy, warm, sweet
-
Cardamom Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Aromatic — spicy, aromatic, fresh, eucalyptus
-
Lavender Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Floral — lavender, herbal, floral, fresh
-
Mace Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Woody — spicy, warm, sweet, woody
Nutmeg Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Nutmeg CO2 Extract, Sabinene and Terpinen-4-ol.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 9 published formulas
Nutmeg Oil is an ingredient in 9 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Nutmeg Oil
Is Nutmeg Oil natural or synthetic?
Nutmeg 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 Nutmeg Oil?
8008-45-5, 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 Nutmeg Oil?
Nutmeg Oil is used in 9 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Apple Cellar, Black Musk and Black Pepper Sail. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 505099823, checked 19 October 2026.
- Scentspiracy — Nutmeg oil (Arctander-based) — distributor's description.
- FAO — Composition and constituents of nutmeg and mace — published literature.
- The Good Scents Company — nutmeg oil — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.