Eucalyptus Oil
Eucalyptus oil is the essential oil steam distilled from the leaves and terminal branchlets of Eucalyptus species, principally Eucalyptus globulus and, for the highest cineole grades, Eucalyptus polybractea. The flavour and odour rest almost entirely on 1,8-cineole, also called eucalyptol, which makes up seventy to ninety percent of the rectified oil and carries the sharp camphoraceous, cooling, medicinal character, with alpha-pinene, limonene and para-cymene making up most of the balance.
Not every eucalyptus species yields a cineole oil. The genus divides into cineole-rich medicinal types, the citronellal-rich lemon eucalyptus group and the phellandrene-rich industrial types used for mineral flotation, and only the first is traded as eucalyptus oil for flavour and pharmaceutical use. The species and the cineole content on the certificate are what identify the material.
The oil is a colourless to pale yellow mobile liquid with a strong penetrating odour, practically insoluble in water and miscible with ethanol and vegetable oils. Crude oil carries aldehydes and terpene hydrocarbons that oxidise and give a harsh note, which is why almost all commercial oil is rectified. It is stored cold in filled containers protected from light, and is used at low levels because of its intensity.
We source bulk Eucalyptus Oil from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Jiangxi. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
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Specifications
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Clear colourless to pale yellow mobile liquid |
| Botanical Source | Eucalyptus globulus leaves and terminal branchlets |
| 1,8-Cineole Content | 80.0% minimum by gas chromatography |
| alpha-Pinene Content | ≤ 9.0% by gas chromatography |
| Aldehyde Content (as valeraldehyde) | ≤ 0.1% |
| Specific Gravity (20 degrees Celsius) | 0.906 to 0.927 |
| Refractive Index (20 degrees Celsius) | 1.458 to 1.470 |
| Optical Rotation (20 degrees Celsius) | 0 to plus 10 degrees |
| Solubility in 70% Ethanol | Soluble in 5 volumes, clear solution |
| Acid Value | ≤ 1.0 mg KOH/g |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Lead | ≤ 2 mg/kg |
| Arsenic | ≤ 1 mg/kg |
| Pesticide Residues | Complies with destination market limits |
Common Markets Grades
The trade divides into three functional grades. Pharmaceutical and medicinal grade is rectified oil meeting pharmacopoeial monographs, with cineole content usually specified at eighty percent minimum and aldehyde content controlled. Perfumery grade is rectified to a defined cineole level for fragrance and personal care work. Industrial grade is crude or lightly processed oil from phellandrene-rich species used in mineral flotation and as a solvent, and is not suitable for food or pharmaceutical use.
Within the medicinal grades, oil is quoted by cineole percentage, with material rectified to eighty, eighty five and above ninety percent traded at different values. Origin matters commercially, with Chinese, Australian, Indian, Portuguese and South African material all in the market. Isolated eucalyptol is a separate article, produced by fractionating and crystallising the oil, and lemon eucalyptus oil from Corymbia citriodora is a distinct product with a different composition and use.
Applications
- Cough drops, lozenges and throat pastilles, where the cineole gives the cooling medicinal character
- Oral care, in toothpaste and mouthwash formulations
- Chewing gum and confectionery, in menthol eucalyptus and herbal sweet profiles
- Inhalant and chest rub preparations, alongside menthol and camphor
- Nasal sprays, vapour products and steam inhalation formulations
- Pharmaceutical flavouring, masking bitterness in syrups and oral preparations
- Personal care and toiletries, in soaps, shower gels, shampoos and muscle rubs
- Household and air care products, in cleaners, laundry products and diffusers
- Insect repellent formulations, where certain eucalyptus fractions are used as active or supporting components
- Feedstock for the isolation of eucalyptol as a single flavour and fragrance compound
Brands Using Eucalyptus Oil
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Eucalyptus Oil on the ingredient label.
- VicksVapoRub Cough Suppressant and Topical Analgesic Ointment ↗The drug facts panel lists eucalyptus oil at 1.2 percent as one of three active cough suppressant ingredients, alongside camphor and menthol.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Aura CaciaEucalyptus (globulus) Essential Oil 0.5 fl oz ↗A single ingredient bottle whose ingredient statement reads Eucalyptus globulus (eucalyptus) oil.Label verified 2026-08-31
- Dr. Bronner'sEucalyptus Pure-Castile Liquid Soap ↗Organic eucalyptus oil appears in the soap's ingredient list between the organic olive oil and the organic hemp seed oil.Label verified 2026-08-31
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Eucalyptus Oil
Top Eucalyptus Oil manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
Regulatory Status
In the United States eucalyptus oil and eucalyptol are used as flavouring substances in food under the framework for natural flavouring substances and natural substances used in conjunction with flavours, with FEMA GRAS determinations covering their flavour use, and 21 CFR 172.510 lists eucalyptus leaf material among natural substances permitted for use in conjunction with flavours subject to stated conditions. Eucalyptol and eucalyptus oil also appear in over-the-counter monograph products such as cough and cold preparations and oral antiseptics, which brings those uses under the relevant drug rules rather than food law.
In the European Union eucalyptus oil used in food is a natural flavouring preparation under Regulation (EC) No 1334/2008 on flavourings, and no E number applies. Pharmaceutical grade oil is controlled by the European Pharmacopoeia monograph for eucalyptus oil, which sets the cineole content and related purity criteria, and the European Medicines Agency has published a herbal monograph covering its traditional medicinal use. Undiluted eucalyptus oil is toxic if swallowed in quantity, so packaging, child-resistant closures and hazard labelling requirements apply to retail presentations in most markets.
Manufacturing Process
Leaf and terminal branchlet material is harvested by coppicing the stand, cutting the regrowth on a cycle of one to two years so that the tree resprouts, or by collecting leaf from timber operations. Harvested material is left to wilt briefly, which raises oil recovery, and is loaded into large distillation bins that are moved directly to the still.
Extraction is by steam distillation over several hours. The vapour is condensed and the oil separated from the distillation water in a Florentine flask, then decanted, settled and filtered to give crude oil, which is typically sixty to seventy five percent cineole. Almost all commercial material then goes through vacuum rectification, in which the low boiling terpene hydrocarbons and the aldehyde fraction are removed and the cineole content is lifted to the eighty percent and higher grades. Fractional distillation and freezing crystallisation are used where isolated eucalyptol is the target. Finished oil is profiled by gas chromatography, checked against the relevant pharmacopoeial requirements for the medicinal grade, blended to specification and filled into lined drums.
