Cananga Oil, derived from the flowers of the Cananga odorata tree, is a fragrant oil commonly used in perfumery. It has a sweet, floral scent reminiscent of ylang-ylang, making it a valuable ingredient in creating floral accords. In formulations, Cananga Oil is often utilized in the heart or middle notes, where its rich and exotic character can be fully appreciated. It can also serve as a supporting note in various fragrance families, enhancing the overall complexity of a scent. While Cananga Oil is generally considered safe for use in cosmetics, it is important to note that it may contain allergens, and perfumers should be mindful of potential sensitivities. As with many natural oils, it is advisable to adhere to established safety guidelines and regulations, including those set forth by IFRA, to ensure safe usage levels in finished products. Overall, Cananga Oil is a versatile ingredient that can add depth and richness to a wide range of fragrance compositions. — AI-generated summary, 2026-09-02.
A softer, more leathery and woody cousin of ylang-ylang. Cananga oil opens with a warm, sweet floral note tinged with green and slightly rubbery facets, drying down to a balsamic, faintly spicy woodiness. Less creamy and less fruity than true ylang extra, with more tenacity and a coarser character.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin, page 89.
Java cananga oil is a yellow to orange-yellow or slightly greenish-yellow, somewhat viscous liquid.
Cananga oil has a sweet-floral, balsamic and tenacious odor. The initial notes are woody-leathery with a fresh-floral undertone, a characteristic combination.
Cananga oil is useful in soap perfumery and for the popular leathery notes in men’s fragrances where it combines well with castoreum, calamus, birch tar oil rectified, cyclamal, creosol, copaiba oil, isobutyl cinnamate, isoeugenol, labdanum products, guaiacwood oil, nerol, para-cresyl salicylate, oakmoss products, etc. and with fougére bases, violet bases, etc.
The oil is water-distilled from the flowers of Cananga odorata (forma macrophylla) in the northern and western parts of Java (Indonesia).
Restricted IFRA-standard materials typically present in this NCS at the listed concentrations.
| Constituent | CAS | Typical % |
|---|---|---|
| BENZYL BENZOATE | 120-51-4 | 4.2% |
| CINNAMYL ACETATE | 103-54-8 | 4.2% |
| FARNESOL | 4602-84-0 | 2% |
| GERANIOL | 106-24-1 | 0.7% |
| ISOEUGENOL | 97-54-1 | 0.5% |
| BENZYL SALICYLATE | 118-58-1 | 0.4% |
| EUGENOL | 97-53-0 | 0.4% |
| ALPHA-CEDRENE | 469-61-4 | 0.4% |
| METHYL EUGENOL | 93-15-2 | 0.2% |
| BENZYL ALCOHOL | 100-51-6 | 0.1% |
| BENZYL CYANIDE | 140-29-4 | 0.05% |
| FARNESAL | 19317-11-4 | 0.02% |