Allspice Berry - The oil has a warm, spicy-sweet aroma. It is used in spicy or masculine scents. It combines well with orange, ginger, patchouli and all of the spice oils including cinnamon, cassia and clove.

Aromatherapy benefits: warming, cheering, comforting, nurturing.

 

Amyris - Amyris is also known as West Indian sandalwood, although unrelated to the true Indian sandalwood. It has a woody, slightly sweet, balsamic aroma, suggestive of sandalwood. Amyris is used as a fragrance fixative-it slows the evaporation and dissipation of the fragrance it is added to. It blends well with cedarwood, jasmine and rose scents.

Aromatherapy benefits: strengthening, centering.

 

Anise - The oil of anise and star anise are often used and sold interchangeably because they are similar in aroma and chemical make-up. he primary constituent of both is anethole, a sweet substance that solidifies at room temperature. If this happens simply warm the bottle in a warm water bath until the oil liquefies.

Aromatherapy benefits: cheering, mildly euphoric.

 

Basil, Sweet – There are many types of basil: linalool basil, exotic basil and sweet basil. The odor of the linalool type is very green, floral-sweet and is most often used in expensive perfumes. The exotic type of basil is stronger with a hint of camphor. Frontier's sweet basil type combines both qualities in a floral-spicy aroma with a lasting herbal sweetness. Clary sage, bergamot and lime oil work well with basil oil.

Aromatherapy benefits: clarifying, uplifting, energizing, refreshing.

 

Bay — Bay oil is distilled from the leaves and small twigs of the bay rum tree. It has a powerful, spicy, sweet aroma with a distinctive clove note. It is used to produce bay rum fragrance and as a component of fresh, spicy scents.

Aromatherapy benefits: clarifying, warming.

 

Bergamot — Bergamot oil is cold-pressed from the peel of the nearly ripe fruit. The aroma of bergamot oil is fresh, lively, fruity and sweet. It is an excellent deodorizer. It contains a constituent called bergaptene that increases the skin's sensitivity to sunlight. Bergamot BF means "bergaptene free." Most of the sensitizing bergaptene constituent has been distilled out of this product but traces may still remain.

Aromatherapy benefits: uplifting, inspiring, confidence-building.

 

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Camphor, White - White is the grade preferred in scenting detergents, soaps, disinfectants, deodorants, room sprays and other household products.

Aromatherapy benefits: clarifying, energizing, purifying.

 

Cardamom Seed - The oil has a spicy, camphor-like aroma with floral undertones. It imparts a warm note to masculine scents and floral perfumes. It blends well with bergamot, frankincense, ylang ylang, cedarwood and coriander.

Aromatherapy benefits: warming, comforting, alluring.

 

Carrot Seed - This oil is distilled from the seed of the common carrot. Its aroma is dry-woody, somewhat sweet and earthy. In perfumery, carrot seed oil is appreciated for the interesting fatty-woody note it lends to Oriental, fantasy, and nature-type perfumes. It is an excellent addition to skin care oils.

Aromatherapy benefits: replenishing, nourishing, restoring.

 

Cassia Bark - Cassia, or Chinese cinnamon, is the spice sold as cinnamon in the United States. Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum) is considered the true cinnamon in most of the rest of the world. The two are similar in taste, though Ceylon cinnamon has a sweeter, more delicate flavor. The oils of both contain cinnamic aldehyde as the major component, with cassia having the larger amount.

Caution: Cassia oil is very irritating to the skin and should be handled with care.

Aromatherapy benefits: comforting, energizing, warming.

 

Cedar, Atlas - The Atlas cedar grows in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria. The aroma of Atlas cedar is woody, oily and slightly animal-like. The tree is closely related to the famous centuries-old biblical cedars of Lebanon now protected from further destruction by law. Atlas cedar is used for its aroma and fixative powers in soaps and perfumes. It blends well with woody, floral fragrances.

Aromatherapy benefits: stabilizing, centering, strengthening.

 

Cedarwood, Red - Red cedarwood essential oil actually comes from a type of juniper known as Juniperus virginiana, whose common name is eastern red cedar. The balsamic-woody aroma of cedarwood oil evokes a feeling of inner strength and centeredness. It is quite useful in times of emotional stress and anxiety to overcome feelings of powerlessness.

 

Chamomile, German - The oil of German chamomile is also known as blue chamomile. The color of the oil is deep blue, turning green then brown with age and exposure to light. The odor is sweet, tobacco-like and fruity, apple-like. It adds a warm, long-lasting, rich undertone in perfumes. Chamomile is a mild, soothing oil and is popular in massage blends and other herbal preparations.

Aromatherapy benefits: calming, relaxing, soothing.

 

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Chamomile, Roman - Roman chamomile contains only trace amounts of the intense blue component azulene, which gives German chamomile its color. This oil is commonly used in perfumery. It blends well with bergamot, jasmine, neroli and clary sage, lending a warm, fresh note when added in small quantities. The aroma is not long-lasting like that of the German chamomile but it is a mild, soothing oil.

Aromatherapy benefits: relaxing, calming.

 

Chamomile, Wild - Wild or Moroccan chamomile is related to Roman chamomile. While the fragrance of these two are somewhat similar, wild chamomile is distinct enough to have earned its own place in perfumery. Wild chamomile has a fresh, herbal note and a rich, balsamic, sweet undertone which is very long-lasting. It blends well with woody fragrances like cypress, as well as citrus oils and musk scents like angelica.

Aromatherapy benefits: soothing, nurturing.

 

Cinnamon Bark - Also known as Ceylon cinnamon, this is the true cinnamon of world commerce. Its aroma is similar to cassia, or Chinese cinnamon. The aroma of Ceylon cinnamon is preferred to cassia for perfume where it gives a warm, floral-enhancing effect. Cinnamon oil blends well with oriental-woody notes and is often combined with frankincense. It is a skin irritant and should be handled with care.

Aromatherapy benefits: comforting, warming.

 

Cinnamon Leaf - Cinnamon leaf oil is distilled from the leaves of the same tree that produces cinnamon bark oil. The aroma is more reminiscent of cloves than cinnamon due to the large amount of eugenol in the oil. It is often used in Oriental fragrances. Use with care, cinnamon leaf can irritate the skin.

Aromatherapy benefits: refreshing, vitalizing.

 

Citronella - There are two types of citronella essential oil: the Java type and the Ceylon type. Aura Cacia offers both types of citronella — our Ceylon type is certified organic. While the grass that produces the Java type oil is grown in many parts of the tropical world, the Ceylon type is cultivated in Sri Lanka. The oils produced from the two types of grasses vary somewhat in composition and aroma. The odor of Ceylon citronella is fresh, grassy and

warm-woody. It is preferred for scenting outdoor sprays, room sprays and household products. Java oil has a sweeter, more floral aroma which is preferred in perfumery.

Aromatherapy benefits: purifying, vitalizing.

 

Clary Sage - Clary sage oil has a spicy, hay-like, bittersweet aroma. It combines well with coriander, cardamom, citrus oils, sandalwood, cedarwood, geranium and lavandin. The aroma of clary sage is long-lasting and the oil is valued as a fixative for other scents.

Aromatherapy benefits: centering, euphoric, visualizing.

 

Clove Bud - The best clove oil is distilled from the whole dried flower buds of the clove tree. Inferior oils are distilled from the leaves and stems and are sometimes sold as clove oil without any designation of the source. Clove bud oil has a powerful, spicy-fruity, warm, sweet aroma. Clove oil is highly irritating to the skin and should be handled with caution.

Aromatherapy benefits: warming, comforting.

 

Coriander Seed - Coriander oil has a delightful fragrance: spicy, aromatic, pleasantly sweet, not unlike bergamot orange. It blends well with clary sage, bergamot, cinnamon bark, jasmine and frankincense for use in spicy, masculine perfumes or light, floral colognes.

Aromatherapy benefits: nurturing, supportive.

 

Cypress - The oil has a refreshing, spicy, juniper and pine needle-like aroma and is often used as a modifier in pine fragrances. It blends well with lavender, clary sage, citrus and Angelica. Aromatherapy benefits: purifying, balancing.