In short
Spearmint oil is distilled from Mentha spicata and is rich in l-carvone. It gives a sweet, fresh mint note.
What Spearmint Oil smells like
Spearmint oil owes its minty aroma mainly to l-carvone. Glossaries describe spearmint as warm, sweet and herbaceous, where peppermint is cold, sharp and medicinal. l-Carvone itself is sweet, spearmint and herbal, floral in dilution (Pell Wall); a glossary finds it sharp, cool spearmint with a herbal-green clarity when fresh, softening over hours to a sweet, transparent mint.
- Leading note
- Sweet spearmint
- Clear facets
- Herbaceous
- Supporting facets
- Warm
- Faint facets
- Floral, in dilution
- Character
- Warm, sweet, soft
What makes Spearmint Oil distinctive
The warm mint: carvone's sweet herbal note, with little of peppermint's cold.
How Spearmint Oil is used
Used in fresh, herbal and aromatic compositions, and widely in chewing gum, oral care and flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Spearmint Oil differs from similar materials
- Peppermint Oil
- Peppermint is cold, sharp and medicinal; spearmint is warm, sweet and herbaceous. (compared directly by a cited source)
- l-Carvone
- l-Carvone is the oil's main odorant alone; the oil is a fuller, greener herb. (compared directly by a cited source)
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 l-carvone, which is covered by an IFRA Standard.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Aromatic / Green
- Note position
- Top note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Botanical source
- Mentha spicata L.
- CAS number
- 8008-79-5
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
-
Peppermint Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Green — minty, cooling, fresh, herbal
-
l-Carvone
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Green — spearmint, minty, sweet
-
Basil Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Spicy — herbal, green, aniseed, fresh
Spearmint Oil is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Cornmint Oil and Isopulegol.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 6 published formulas
Spearmint Oil is an ingredient in 5 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Spearmint Oil
Is Spearmint Oil natural or synthetic?
Spearmint 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 Spearmint Oil?
8008-79-5, 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 Spearmint Oil?
Spearmint Oil is used in 6 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Frost Herb Accord, Glacier Bottle and Honeydew Static. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135335129, checked 19 October 2026.
- Eden Botanicals — Spearmint — distributor's description.
- Premiere Peau — Spearmint — published perfumery reference.
- Scentspiracy — Spearmint oil natural — 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.