Most "jasmine essential oil" is not a true essential oil. Jasmine flowers are too delicate to steam-distill well, so their scent is usually captured by solvent extraction as a jasmine absolute. Other options are CO2 extracts, diluted absolutes sold in a carrier oil, and jasmine fragrance oils. A real jasmine absolute is thick, intensely fragrant and expensive; most affordable jasmine products are dilutions or fragrance blends. Here is how to tell them apart and choose.
Why jasmine isn't steam-distilled
Heat and steam damage jasmine's fragile aroma and yield very little oil. For centuries, perfumers captured it in other ways. The most famous was enfleurage, used in Grasse, France: fresh flowers laid on purified fat, which slowly absorbed their scent and was replaced with fresh blossoms again and again. Monoi works on a similar principle, with tiare flowers soaked in coconut oil until the oil takes on their fragrance.
The main kinds of jasmine oil
Jasmine concrete
Fresh flowers are washed with a solvent that pulls out their aroma along with natural plant waxes. When the solvent is removed, a waxy, fragrant solid remains: the concrete.
Jasmine absolute
The concrete is washed with alcohol, which dissolves the fragrance but not the waxes. The alcohol is removed, leaving the absolute: a thick, amber, very concentrated liquid. This is what perfumers mean by real jasmine. It takes a very large number of hand-picked flowers to make a small amount, which is why it costs so much.
Jasmine CO2 extract
Pressurized carbon dioxide extracts the aroma and then evaporates away. CO2 extracts are often described as smelling close to the fresh flower.
Diluted jasmine ("jasmine oil in jojoba")
Many products sold as jasmine oil are an absolute diluted in a carrier oil, often around 3 to 10 percent. That's a practical, more affordable way to buy real jasmine, as long as the label says so.
Jasmine fragrance oil
A perfumer's blend that recreates the jasmine scent with aroma molecules, sometimes plus naturals. Consistent, affordable and common in body care and perfume. Labeled as "fragrance" or "parfum."
Sambac vs grandiflorum
- Jasmine sambac (Arabian jasmine, called pikake in Hawaii and pitate in Tahiti) smells sweet, fruity and green, with a fresh tea-like edge. Read about the flower in Pikake: Hawaii's jasmine flower.
- Jasminum grandiflorum (Spanish or royal jasmine) is the classic of French perfumery: richer, more honeyed and more indolic.
India and Egypt are major producers of jasmine absolute. For what jasmine smells like in detail, see what jasmine smells like.
How to tell what's in the bottle
- Price: pure jasmine absolute is among the most expensive perfume materials. A cheap "100% pure jasmine essential oil" is very likely a fragrance oil or a dilution.
- Botanical name: look for Jasminum sambac or Jasminum grandiflorum, and the extraction method.
- Dilution: a percentage and a carrier (for example, "5% in jojoba") is a sign of honest labeling.
- Texture and color: an absolute is thick and amber to orange-brown. A thin, clear "jasmine oil" is diluted or a fragrance oil.
How to wear jasmine safely
- Dilute absolutes and extracts in a carrier oil, following the supplier's guidance.
- Patch-test on your inner arm first.
- Use very little. Jasmine is intense; one or two drops of a dilution on pulse points is enough.
- Don't swallow it, and keep it away from eyes.
The simple option: Pitate monoi
If you want to smell of jasmine without buying and diluting an absolute, Monoi Tiki Tahiti Pitate is ready to wear. Pitate is the Tahitian name for Jasminum sambac. Parfumerie Tiki in Papeete makes it on a base of Monoi de Tahiti (refined coconut oil with tiare flowers soaked in it) with a jasmine fragrance, and it has been part of the line since the 1970s. It is the boldest scent Tiki makes, sweet and full, so a few drops on damp skin are plenty.
Our Pitate jasmine body oil guide covers how people wear it, and there is a matching Pitate monoi soap ($6). Layer it under perfume to help the scent last; see how to make perfume last longer.
Monoi turns solid below about 68°F (20°C), which is normal; warm the bottle in your hands or in a cup of warm water. It is a cosmetic for skin and hair, not for eating, and it is not a sunscreen. Patch-test any new fragrance if your skin is sensitive.
Storing jasmine oil
Keep jasmine absolute and dilutions tightly capped in a dark bottle, away from heat and light. Absolutes are thick and may darken over time; that's normal. A good absolute changes slowly, and some perfumers say it smells richer with age.
Jasmine oil FAQ
Is jasmine essential oil real?
Steam-distilled jasmine is rare. Most natural jasmine is an absolute or CO2 extract, often sold diluted.
What is the difference between jasmine absolute and jasmine oil?
The absolute is the concentrated extract. "Jasmine oil" is often the absolute diluted in a carrier, or a fragrance oil.
Why is jasmine absolute so expensive?
Jasmine flowers are hand-picked, and it takes a very large number of them to make a small amount of absolute.
Is pitate the same as pikake?
Yes. Both are names for Jasminum sambac, in Tahiti and Hawaii.
Wear jasmine from Tahiti
We are the official U.S. importer of Monoi Tiki Tahiti, shipping from Hawaii. Compare scents in the monoi scent guide.
Shop Pitate jasmine monoi oil, 4 fl oz, $15. Orders of $30 or more ship free in the U.S.