Ylang ylang is a tropical tree, Cananga odorata, best known for its long, drooping, star-shaped yellow flowers and their rich, sweet scent. The flowers are distilled into one of perfumery's most important floral oils, and in the Pacific they are worn fresh in leis and flower crowns. The name is pronounced EE-lang EE-lang.
Here is a guide to the tree, the flower, where it grows and how its scent reaches your skin.
The ylang ylang tree
Cananga odorata is a fast-growing evergreen tree in the custard apple family (Annonaceae). In the wild it can grow tall, with drooping branches and glossy, oval leaves. On plantations, growers often prune and train the trees low so the flowers can be picked by hand.
It is native to tropical Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia, and is grown across the tropics. Madagascar, the Comoros and the nearby island of Mayotte are known for ylang ylang oil production, and the tree also grows throughout the Pacific islands, including Tahiti.
The ylang ylang flower
- Shape: six long, narrow, slightly twisted petals that hang down like a loose star.
- Color: the flowers open green and turn yellow as they mature. Perfumers want the mature yellow flowers, which hold the most scent.
- Scent: rich, sweet, creamy and fruity, with a soft spice. Our ylang ylang scent guide goes note by note.
- Bloom: in warm climates the tree can flower much of the year. Flowers are traditionally picked early in the morning, when the scent is fullest.
Where the name comes from
"Ylang ylang" comes from the Tagalog ilang-ilang, from the Philippines. You will see it spelled ylang-ylang, ylang ylang or ilang-ilang. All refer to the same tree. In Tahiti and the Cook Islands it has its own name, moto'i, and it is a familiar flower in Polynesian leis and crowns.
How the flower becomes an oil
Ylang ylang essential oil is made by steam-distilling the fresh flowers. The distillation is often done in stages, and the oil is sold in grades. "Extra" is the first and most delicate fraction, followed by grades I, II and III, which are heavier and longer-lasting. "Complete" ylang is the whole distillation in one oil.
In perfumery, ylang ylang appears as a heart note in many floral fragrances, and it is famously cited as a note in Chanel No. 5. In body care, it is often used as a fragrance in oils, soaps and lotions.
Ylang ylang in monoi
Monoi is a Tahitian tradition: tiare flowers soaked in refined coconut oil. Parfumerie Tiki has bottled it in Papeete since 1942, and in 1990 it added Ylang Ylang monoi, sometimes described as the scent of "the perfume tree." Each bottle still holds a dried tiare flower, the sign of the real thing. The result is a creamy coconut and tiare base with a lush ylang ylang scent on top, the second-boldest in the line.
Read the Ylang Ylang body oil guide for how to wear it, or the what is monoi oil guide for the full story of monoi.
Can you grow ylang ylang?
Only in warm climates. The tree needs heat, humidity, sun and no frost. It grows in Hawaii and other tropical areas. In cooler places, a dwarf variety (often sold as Cananga odorata var. fruticosa) can be grown in a pot and brought inside in winter.
How ylang ylang is harvested
Ylang ylang is still largely hand-picked. Harvesters choose flowers that have turned fully yellow, usually in the early morning while the air is cool and the scent is at its peak, and get them to the distillery quickly, since the fresh flowers are delicate. It takes a large amount of fresh flowers to produce a small amount of oil, which is part of what makes good ylang ylang oil valuable.
Ylang ylang in Polynesian culture
In Tahiti and across Polynesia, moto'i flowers are tucked into hair and woven into crowns (hei) and leis with tiare and other blossoms. The drooping yellow petals add color and a sweet, rich scent. Like tiare and jasmine, ylang is part of the everyday flower culture that monoi grew out of: people in the islands have long scented coconut oil with the flowers around them.
Ylang ylang vs cananga oil
You may also see "cananga oil." It comes from a closely related form of the same species and is often described as heavier and more woody-leathery than ylang ylang. Both are used in perfumery, but ylang ylang is the more delicate, floral one.
Ylang ylang and other tropical flowers
Next to its island neighbors, ylang ylang is the richest and most exotic. Tiare is creamier and cleaner, jasmine is sweeter and greener, and plumeria is softer and fruitier.
Ylang ylang FAQ
What is ylang ylang?
A tropical tree, Cananga odorata, and its fragrant yellow flower, used in perfume, body care and Polynesian leis.
How do you pronounce ylang ylang?
EE-lang EE-lang.
What color is a ylang ylang flower?
Green when young, turning yellow as it matures. The yellow flowers are the most fragrant.
Is ylang ylang a flower or an oil?
Both. The name refers to the tree and flower, and also to the oil distilled from the flower.
Wear the perfume tree
We are the official U.S. importer of Monoi Tiki Tahiti, shipping from Hawaii. See every scent in the monoi scent guide.
Shop Ylang Ylang monoi oil, 4 fl oz, $19. Orders of $30 or more ship free in the U.S.