Cinnamon Essential Oil For Perfume Candle Skin Care

Cinnamon bark oil (Cinnamomum verum) is derived from the plant of the species name Laurus cinnamomum and belongs to the Lauraceae botanical family. Native to parts of South Asia, today cinnamon plants are grown across different nations throughout Asia and shipped around the world in the form of cinnamon Essential Oil or cinnamon spice. It’s believed that today over 100 varieties of cinnamon are grown worldwide, but two types are definitely the most popular: Ceylon cinnamon and Chinese cinnamon.

Browse through any essential oils guide, and you’ll notice some common names like cinnamon oil, Orange Oil, lemon essential oil and Lavender Oil. But what makes essential oils different than ground or whole herbs is their potency. Cinnamon oil is a highly concentrated source of beneficial antioxidants. (1)

Cinnamon has a very long, interesting background; in fact, many people consider it one of the longest-existing spices in human history. Cinnamon was highly valued by ancient Egyptians and has been used by Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine practitioners in Asia for thousands of years to help heal everything from depression to weight gain. Whether in extract, liquor, tea or herb form, cinnamon has provided people relief for centuries.

According to research, the list of cinnamon benefits is long. Cinnamon is known to possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, and anticancer properties. It can also help to fend off heart disease, high cholesterol and neurological health disorders, like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. 

The major active components of cinnamon essential oil taken from the bark are cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and linalool. These three make up about 82.5 percent of the oil’s composition. The primary ingredient of cinnamon essential oil depends upon which part of the plant the oil comes from: cinnamaldehyde (bark), eugenol (leaf) or camphor (root). 

There are two primary types of cinnamon oils available on the market: cinnamon bark oil and cinnamon leaf oil. While they have some similarities, they’re different products with somewhat separate uses. Cinnamon bark oil is extracted from the outer bark of the cinnamon tree. It’s considered very potent and has a strong, “perfume-like” smell, almost like taking an intense whiff of ground cinnamon. Cinnamon bark oil is usually more expensive than cinnamon leaf oil.

Cinnamon leaf oil has a “musky and spicy” smell and tends to have a lighter color. While cinnamon leaf oil might appear yellow and murky, cinnamon bark oil has a deeper red-brown color that most people usually associate with cinnamon spice. Both are beneficial, but cinnamon bark oil may be more potent.

Many of the benefits of cinnamon bark oil have to do with its ability to dilate blood vessels. Cinnamon bark can help enhance nitric oxide function, which causes increased blood flow and lower levels of inflammation. 

Some of the most researched health benefits of cinnamon oil include:

• Decreases inflammation
• Reduces blood sugar
• Decreases bad cholesterol
• Fights infections
• High antioxidant content
• Stimulates the immune system
• Stimulates libido
• Fights parasites