Essential Nose LogoEssential Nose

Browse 203 oil profiles.

Chamomile

Genus Matricaria / Anthemis

Chamomile essential oil

Four different oils are sold as chamomile, and only two of them are chamomile. Roman chamomile is pale and smells of apples, while German chamomile comes out of the still deep blue. Distillation turns a colourless compound in the flower into chamazulene, which gives both the colour and the effect on inflamed skin.[1] The other two are Moroccan plants from a different genus, and are in fact the same plant under two names. In cell and mouse tests, German chamomile oil calmed psoriasis-like skin inflammation.[2]

Roman Chamomile

Anthemis nobilis

Also Known As
English Chamomile, True Chamomile
Family
Floral
Perfumery Note
Middle
Intensity
Light
Extraction
Steam Distillation
Plant Parts
Flowering tops
Origins
United Kingdom, France, Hungary
Effect
Sleep & Relaxation
Aroma
Floral, Sweet, Apple-like
Applications
Diffusing & Inhalation, Skincare, Massage & Body
Price
$$$$Chamaemelum nobile flowers are hand-harvested and yield very little oil - roughly 0.2-0.3% by weight; the labour-intensive harvest in France, England, and Hungary makes it one of the pricier herb oils

Roman chamomile smells like a bruised apple, sweet and fruity with no medicinal edge at all. Around three quarters of the oil is a single family of esters, which is unusually pure for an essential oil. That is what makes it so gentle, and why it is the chamomile reached for at bedtime. In tests on isolated gut muscle, the oil relaxed contractions by up to seven tenths.[3] Reviews also credit it with easing pain and swelling and helping sleep.[4]

Moroccan Chamomile

Ormenis multicaulis

Also Known As
Ormenis Flower, Wild Chamomile
Family
Herbal
Perfumery Note
Middle
Intensity
Medium
Extraction
Steam Distillation
Plant Parts
Flowering tops
Origins
Morocco
Effect
Grounding & Centering, Sleep & Relaxation
Aroma
Herbal, Sweet, Warm
Applications
Diffusing & Inhalation, Skincare, Perfumery & Fragrance Making
Price
$$$$Ormenis multicaulis (not a true chamomile) is harvested wild or cultivated in Morocco at larger scale than Roman or German chamomile; the higher yield and lower harvest cost make it the most affordable chamomile-type oil

Moroccan chamomile is not a chamomile at all, and it is the same plant as wild chamomile, sold under a second name. It smells warm, herbal and rustic, with a camphor edge and none of the apple sweetness of the real thing. The oil is built on unusual alcohols, santolina and yomogi, that hardly appear anywhere else. In lab tests it worked better against Staphylococcus aureus and E. coli blended with other oils than it did alone.[5] Later work confirmed it pulls its weight in such blends.[6]

German Chamomile

Matricaria chamomilla

Also Known As
Blue Chamomile, Hungarian Chamomile, Matricaria
Family
Floral
Perfumery Note
Middle
Intensity
Medium
Extraction
Steam Distillation
Plant Parts
Flowering tops
Origins
Germany, Hungary, Egypt, Bulgaria, Morocco
Effect
Sleep & Relaxation
Aroma
Sweet, Herbaceous, Apple-like, Warm
Applications
Diffusing & Inhalation, Skincare, Massage & Body
Price
$$$$Matricaria chamomilla is widely cultivated in Eastern Europe but the small flower heads still yield under 0.5% oil; high demand for the distinctive blue oil sustains a premium price despite broad cultivation

German chamomile is the blue one, and the blue is made in the still. The fresh flower contains none of it: heat turns a colourless compound called matricine into chamazulene, which is both the pigment and the active ingredient.[1] That makes this the chamomile for angry skin rather than for sleep. In cell and mouse tests, the oil itself calmed psoriasis-like skin inflammation and brought down the immune signals driving it.[2]

Wild Chamomile

Ormenis mixta

Also Known As
Ormenis Flower, Mixed Chamomile, Ormenis multicaulis
Family
Floral
Perfumery Note
Middle
Intensity
Medium
Extraction
Steam Distillation
Plant Parts
Flowering tops
Origins
Morocco, Spain
Effect
Sleep & Relaxation, Grounding & Centering
Aroma
Floral, Herbaceous, Sweet, Slightly Fruity
Applications
Diffusing & Inhalation, Skincare, Massage & Body
Price
$$$$Wild-harvested in small batches from uncultivated land; variable seasonal yield and the cost of manual collection mean pricing is higher than conventionally farmed chamomile despite modest raw material demand

Wild chamomile is not a chamomile but a Moroccan daisy. It is sold under two names, Ormenis mixta and Ormenis multicaulis, which botanists now treat as the same plant. Its oil is built on germacrene and 1,8-cineole, giving a green, faintly eucalyptus-like edge the true chamomiles lack. In lab tests the oil was strong at mopping up the unstable molecules that damage cells, better than the geranium oil tested alongside.[5] Against bacteria it was weaker, though the two oils together beat either alone.[5]

References

  1. [1]Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla L.): A Review of Ethnomedicinal Use, Phytochemistry and Pharmacological Uses - El Mihyaoui A, Esteves da Silva JCG, Charfi S, et al. Life (Basel), 2022
  2. [2]Essential Oil of Matricaria chamomilla Alleviates Psoriatic-Like Skin Inflammation by Inhibiting PI3K/Akt/mTOR and p38MAPK Signaling Pathway - Chen G et al. Clinical, Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology, 2024
  3. [3]Evidence Supports Tradition: The in Vitro Effects of Roman Chamomile on Smooth Muscles - Sandor Z et al. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 2018
  4. [4]Chamomile: A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Chemical Constituents, Pharmacological Activities and Quality Control Studies - Dai Y-L et al. Molecules, 2022
  5. [5]Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Pelargonium asperum and Ormenis mixta essential oils and their synergistic antibacterial effect - Ouedrhiri W et al. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 2018
  6. [6]Combination of Chemically-Characterized Essential Oils from Eucalyptus polybractea, Ormenis mixta, and Lavandula burnatii: Optimization of a New Complete Antibacterial Formulation - Jeddi M et al. Advances in Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2023