Top 25 Most Popular Essential Oil Profiles

An essential oil bottle dispensing a single drop of oil

Curious about which essential oils captivate the most interest?

An essential oil profile is a detailed overview of an essential oil’s key characteristics, including general information, botanical name, aromatic description, therapeutic properties, safety considerations and common uses.

The below list highlights the top 25 most popular essential oil profiles on AromaWeb, based on reader traffic over a year.

This list can be a helpful resource for estimating the interest in particular essential oils.

While this ranking reflects consumer curiosity and research trends, it is not reflective of sales volume or actual usage of these oils.

The List of the Top 25 Most Popular Essential Oil Profiles on AromaWeb

The most popular 25 essential oils are ranked and listed below. Click on the essential oil name to view a detailed profile for the essential oil.

With over 150 essential oil profiles available on AromaWeb, this selection represents only about 17% of the full section of available oil profiles.

As you explore, remember that safe essential oil usage is key. Be sure to review the safety guidelines for each oil to enhance your knowledge and experience.

Close-up of Patchouli leaves growing on my large patchouli plant

1. Patchouli Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Pogostemon cablin
Aromatic Classification: Earthy
Perfumery Note: Base

Pieces of aromatic frankincense resin, also known as frankincense tears

2. Frankincense Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Boswellia carterii / Boswellia sacra
Aromatic Classification: Resinous
Perfumery Note: Base
There are other beautiful Frankincense Essential Oils distilled from other species of frankincense also available.

Fresh flowering sprigs of lavender in focus with a lavender field shown in the background

3. Lavender Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Lavandula angustifolia / Lavandula officinalis
Aromatic Classification: Floral
Perfumery Note: Top/Middle

A cluster of oranges hanging from a tree

4. Orange (Sweet) Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus sinensis
Aromatic Classification: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Top

A beautiful yellow ylang ylang blossom hanging from a Cananga odorata var genuina tree

5. Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Cananga odorata var genuina
Aromatic Classification: Floral
Perfumery Note: Middle/Base

Bergamot slices showing the color of the peel and the inner fruit

6. Bergamot Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus bergamia
Aromatic Classification: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Middle/Base

Branches and cones from an Atlas cedarwood tree

7. Atlas Cedarwood Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Cedrus atlantica
Aromatic Classification: Conifer/Wood
Perfumery Note: Base
Atlas Cedarwood is endangered.

8. Vetiver Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus bergamia
Aromatic Classification: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Middle/Base

A close-up of fresh sprigs of peppermint growing in a garden

9. Clary Sage Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Salvia sclarea
Aromatic Classification: Floral
Perfumery Note: Middle

10. Peppermint Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Mentha piperita
Aromatic Classification: Minty
Perfumery Note: Top

A close-up of Rosa damascena roses growing in the garden

11. Rose Otto Essential Oil
and Rose Absolute

Botanical Name: Rosa damascena
Aromatic Classification: Floral
Perfumery Note: Middle

12. Spikenard Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Nardostachys jatamansi
Aromatic Classification: Earthy / Rooty
Perfumery Note: Base

Neroli blossoms, each with five petals, blooming on a Citrus aurantium tree

13. Neroli Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus aurantium
Aromatic Classification: Floral
Perfumery Note: Middle

Close-up of the tips of aromatic rosemary leaves

14. Rosemary Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Salvia rosmarinus / Rosmarinus officinalis
Aromatic Classification: Camphorous / Cineolic
Perfumery Note: Middle

The exquisite flowers of the Vanilla planifolia plant

15. Vanilla Absolute or Vanilla CO2

Botanical Name: Vanilla planifolia
Aromatic Classification: Balsamic
Perfumery Note: Base

Close-up of geranium leaves and a vivid geranium flower

16. Geranium Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Pelargonium graveolens / Pelargonium asperum
Aromatic Classification: Green / Floral
Perfumery Note: Middle

Eucalyptus globulus essential oil bottles surrounded by fresh eucalyptus leaves

17. Eucalyptus Globulus Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Eucalyptus globulus
Aromatic Classification: Cineolic
Perfumery Note: Top - Middle

18. Agarwood Essential Oil (Oud)

Botanical Name: Aquilaria crassna
Aromatic Classification: Earthy / Woody
Perfumery Note: Base

Brachylaena huillensis Bark by Maarten Vanhove. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

19. Muhuhu Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Brachylaena hutchinsii / Brachylaena huillensis
Aromatic Classification: Woody
Perfumery Note: Base

20. Cistus Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Cistus ladaniferus
Aromatic Classification: Green / Woody
Perfumery Note: Base

A cluster of vivid yellow lemons hanging from a lemon tree

21. Lemon Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus limon
Aromatic Classification: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Top

Leaves and branches of an Indian sandalwood tree

22. Sandalwood (Indian) Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Santalum album
Aromatic Classification: Wood
Perfumery Note: Base

23. Rosewood Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Aniba rosaeodora
Aromatic Classification: Wood
Perfumery Note: Middle

24. Niaouli Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Melaleuca quinquenervia
Aromatic Classification: Cineolic
Perfumery Note: Middle

A cluster of mandarins hanging from a mandarin tree

25. Mandarin Essential Oil

Botanical Name: Citrus reticulata
Aromatic Classification: Citrus
Perfumery Note: Top

View 125 More Essential Oil Profiles

Aromatherapy Blending Guide:

Part 1: Introduction to Blending Essential Oils
Part 2: Aromatic Blending of Essential Oils
Part 3: Formulating Masculine/Earthy Aromatherapy Blends
Part 4: Therapeutic Blending of Essential Oils
Part 5: Working With and Blending Thick Aromatic Oils
Part 6: How to Substitute Essential Oils in Aromatherapy Recipes and Blends
Part 7: Safely Diluted Essential Oil Blends May Seem Weak At First
Part 8: Guide to Evaluating the Aroma of an Essential Oil

See Also:

Essential Oil Top Notes
Essential Oil Middle Notes
Essential Oil Base Notes
Essential Oil Aromatic Classifications
Why Fragrance Test Strips Are a Must When Working With Essential Oils
Top 25 Best Smelling Essential Oils
The Best Carrier Oils to Use for Aromatic Blending (You Are On This Page Now)

General Safety Information

Do not take any oils internally and do not apply undiluted essential oils, absolutes, CO2s or other concentrated essences onto the skin without advanced essential oil knowledge or consultation from a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. For general dilution information, read AromaWeb's Guide to Diluting Essential Oils. If you are pregnant, epileptic, have liver damage, have cancer, or have any other medical problem, use oils only under the proper guidance of a qualified aromatherapy practitioner. Use extreme caution when using oils with children and be sure to first read the recommended dilution ratios for children. Consult a qualified aromatherapy practitioner before using oils with children, the elderly, if you have medical issues or are taking medications. Before using this or any essential oil, carefully read AromaWeb's Essential Oil Safety Information page. For in-depth information on oil safety issues, read Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young.

Shelf Life

View Shelf Life Information

Important Information About the Profiles

The essential oil information provided on AromaWeb is intended for basic educational purposes only. The references to safety information, test results, constituents and percentages is generalized information. Essential oils can vary greatly in composition. The data is not necessary complete and is not guaranteed to be accurate. The essential oil photos are intended to represent the typical and approximate color of each essential oil. However, essential oil composition and color can vary based on harvesting, distillation, age of the essential oil and other factors. Profiles for several CO2 Extracts and absolutes are included within the directory, and are denoted as such.