In short
Tagetes oil is distilled from Tagetes minuta, a marigold relative. It has a strong fruity-green, herbal odour and is used in very small amounts.
What Tagetes Oil smells like
Tagetes oil (mainly Tagetes minuta) is intensely green-herbaceous with a powerful fruity character reminiscent of green apple and passion fruit, a sharp, ketonic edge and a warm, hay-like drydown. Givaudan's listing adds apple, juicy apricot and a faint tropical mango accent; Eden Botanicals calls it strong, warm and sweet-herbaceous with a pungent ketonic edge. It is sharp and slightly bitter when concentrated, the apple clearer in dilution, and it is photosensitising.
- Leading note
- Green fruity herb
- Clear facets
- Green apple
- Supporting facets
- Ketonic, pungent
- Faint facets
- Apricot, tropical, hay
- Character
- Intense, green, sharp, fruity
What makes Tagetes Oil distinctive
A herb that smells of green fruit — apple and passion fruit inside a pungent, ketonic greenness.
Concentration and dilution
Sharp and slightly bitter concentrated; the apple is clearer in dilution. Used in minimal amounts.
How Tagetes Oil is used
Used in very small amounts as a green-fruity modifier in green florals, chypres, fougères and fruit accords.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Tagetes Oil differs from similar materials
- Davana Oil
- Davana is boozy and dried-fruit, apricot and plum; tagetes is greener and sharper, green apple with a ketonic bite.
- Roman Chamomile Oil
- Roman chamomile is a softer, syrupy apple-herb; tagetes is a sharper, ketonic green apple.
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.
Formulation considerations
Phototoxic: tagetes oil and absolute are covered by an IFRA Standard. Check the limit for your product category.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Essential oil
- Origin
- Natural
- Odour family
- Fruity / Green
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Marigold oil (Tagetes)
- Botanical source
- Tagetes minuta
- CAS number
- 8016-84-0
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 Tagetes Oil:
- "Tagetes oil and absolute" — 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
-
Galbanum Oil
Essential oil · Green / Resinous — green, sharp, bitter, resinous
-
Bergamot Oil (Expressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, zesty, floral, tea-like
-
cis-3-Hexenol
Aroma chemical · Green / Fruity — green, cut grass, leafy, fresh
-
Blackcurrant Bud Absolute
Absolute · Fruity / Green — blackcurrant, green, sulphurous, fruity
Used in formulas and accords
Not currently used in any published formula.
The Formula & Accord Library lists Tagetes Oil here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.
Further reading
Questions about Tagetes Oil
Is Tagetes Oil natural or synthetic?
Tagetes 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 Tagetes Oil?
8016-84-0, the registry number for the essential oil as a substance rather than a single molecule. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Is Tagetes Oil covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "Tagetes oil and absolute" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — substance 135332907, checked 19 October 2026.
- IFRA — Standards Library, read 19 October 2026.
- Givaudan — Tagetes oil extra — manufacturer's description.
- Eden Botanicals — Tagetes — distributor's description.
- Fraterworks — tagetes 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.