| ✨Hey there! This post may contain affiliate links, meaning we earn a commission if you make a purchase through our links, at no cost to you. Please read our disclosures for more info. |
Quick answer: clove essential oil is distilled from the dried flower buds, leaves or stems of the clove tree, Syzygium aromaticum. All three oils are dominated by eugenol, a compound that gives clove its warm, spicy scent and also makes it one of the strongest skin irritants and sensitizers among common essential oils. Essential Oil Safety by Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young recommends a maximum skin concentration of about 0.5% for clove bud oil. It can interfere with blood clotting, should not be used on children under 2, and must be kept out of reach of kids, since swallowing clove oil has caused serious poisonings. Diffusing small amounts is the lowest-risk way to enjoy it.
Clove is one of the oldest traded spices in the world, and its essential oil has a scent most people recognize instantly: warm, sweet, sharp and slightly medicinal, like holiday baking and an old-fashioned dentist’s office at the same time. That second association is not an accident, because eugenol from clove has a long history in dental materials.
Clove essential oil is also one of the oils most often misused at home. Its strength is exactly why it needs careful handling. This guide explains what clove oil is, how the different types compare, what the evidence supports, and how to use it with appropriate caution. For the basics of choosing, diluting and storing oils, see our essential oils guide.
Sources: Robert Tisserand and Rodney Young, Essential Oil Safety, 2nd edition (Churchill Livingstone, 2014); National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) clove fact sheet; National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control) guidance on clove oil and essential oils; U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) GRAS listings (21 CFR 182.20); MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) clove monograph; ISO standards for clove oils. Checked October 2026.
What Clove Essential Oil Is
The clove tree, Syzygium aromaticum, is an evergreen in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. It is native to the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, historically known as the Spice Islands, and is now grown in Indonesia, Madagascar, Tanzania (Zanzibar), Sri Lanka and other tropical regions. The spice we buy is the dried, unopened flower bud.
Steam or water distillation of clove plant material produces an essential oil that is pale yellow to light brown, darkening with age and exposure to air. Older references sometimes list the plant as Eugenia caryophyllata or Eugenia aromatica; these are earlier names for the same species.
Eugenol: the key compound
Eugenol is the main constituent in all clove oils. According to the composition data in Essential Oil Safety, clove bud oil typically contains roughly 70% to 90% eugenol, along with eugenyl acetate and beta-caryophyllene. Leaf and stem oils also contain high levels of eugenol, often with less eugenyl acetate.
Eugenol has a strong, warm, spicy smell and a numbing, warming feel on skin and mucous membranes. It is also the reason clove oil carries the cautions explained below: eugenol can irritate skin, cause allergic sensitization, and affect blood clotting.
Clove Bud vs Leaf vs Stem Oil
Three clove essential oils are sold, and the differences matter for scent, price and safety.
| Oil | Plant part | Scent | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clove bud oil | Dried flower buds | Sweetest, richest, most like the spice | Most common in aromatherapy; higher price |
| Clove leaf oil | Leaves | Harsher, more woody and medicinal | Cheaper; often used in fragrance and cleaning products |
| Clove stem oil | Flower stems | Between bud and leaf | Less common in retail aromatherapy |
The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) publishes separate quality standards for clove bud, leaf and stem oils, which reflects how different they are in commerce. Aromatherapists usually prefer bud oil for its smoother scent. Leaf oil is sometimes sold cheaply as “clove oil” without the plant part named, so check the label for the part used and the botanical name.
Safety guidance applies to all three. Tisserand and Young treat clove bud, leaf and stem oils as having similar hazards because of their high eugenol content, with maximum dermal limits around 0.5% to 0.6%.
Traditional and Modern Uses of Clove
Culinary and historical use
Cloves have been traded for more than two thousand years, and they shaped the spice trade between Asia, the Middle East and Europe. Today, clove and its oil are used to flavor foods, baked goods, chai blends and spice mixes. The FDA lists clove bud, leaf and stem oils and extracts as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for use as food flavorings under 21 CFR 182.20, at the tiny amounts used in commercial food. That status does not mean drinking or swallowing undiluted essential oil is safe.
Dental use
Eugenol from clove has been used in dentistry for over a century. Zinc oxide eugenol is still used by dentists in some temporary fillings and dressings. This long history is why clove oil is a well-known folk remedy for toothache.
NCCIH notes that clove oil and eugenol have been used for dental pain, but that there is not enough reliable evidence to show that home use of clove oil is effective for toothache, and that applying clove oil in the mouth can damage the gums, the tooth pulp and other tissues. A toothache usually signals infection or decay that needs a dentist.
Aromatherapy use
In aromatherapy, clove bud oil is used mainly in diffuser blends and in very small amounts in massage blends. Its scent pairs well with sweet orange, cinnamon, ginger and other warm spices, which makes it popular for fall and winter blends. Many people use it simply because they like the smell.
What Research Says About Clove Essential Oil
Laboratory studies have found that clove oil and eugenol have antimicrobial, antifungal and antioxidant activity in test tubes. These findings are often repeated online as if they proved clove oil treats infections in people. They do not.
MedlinePlus, from the U.S. National Library of Medicine, rates the evidence for most clove uses as insufficient. A few small human studies have tested clove in gels or creams for dental or skin use, but results are limited and these products are formulated at controlled concentrations rather than mixed at home.
The fair summary is that clove oil is a powerful aromatic with interesting lab activity, a long history in dentistry and flavoring, and very little evidence for home health use. It should not replace medical or dental care.
Clove Essential Oil Safety
Clove is one of the essential oils where safety rules matter most.
Skin irritation and sensitization
Eugenol-rich oils can irritate skin and mucous membranes, especially undiluted or at high concentrations. Repeated use can also cause sensitization, an allergic response that may show up as redness, itching or a rash and can recur every time you are exposed afterward. Tisserand and Young recommend a maximum dermal concentration of about 0.5% for clove bud oil. That is roughly 3 drops in 30 mL (1 fluid ounce) of carrier oil, and it should be treated as a ceiling rather than a target.
- Never apply clove oil undiluted (“neat”) to skin, gums or teeth.
- Avoid using it on broken, inflamed or sensitive skin.
- Do a patch test with the diluted blend on the inner forearm and wait 24 to 48 hours.
- Stop using it if any redness, burning or itching appears.
Our essential oil dilution chart shows how to calculate low percentages accurately, and our guide to essential oil skin reactions explains how to tell irritation from allergy.
Blood clotting and medications
Eugenol can inhibit platelet aggregation, which is part of how blood clots. Essential Oil Safety advises caution with oral use of clove oil for people taking anticoagulant medications such as warfarin, and for those with bleeding disorders, peptic ulcers or upcoming major surgery. Anyone in these groups should talk to a doctor or pharmacist before using clove oil in any way other than light diffusion.
Children
Clove oil is a serious poisoning risk for children. The National Capital Poison Center warns that swallowing even small amounts of some essential oils, clove included, can cause severe symptoms in young children, and NCCIH notes reports of serious liver damage and other harm in children who swallowed clove oil. Keep bottles with child-resistant caps and orifice reducers, store them out of reach and never leave them on bedside tables or in diaper bags.
Tisserand and Young advise against applying clove oil to the skin of children under 2. For older children, use it only rarely and at very low dilution. Our guide to essential oils for kids by age has more detail.
If anyone swallows clove oil, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 in the United States or use the webPOISONCONTROL online tool, and seek emergency care for symptoms such as vomiting, drowsiness or trouble breathing.
Pregnancy and pets
Clove is not one of the oils most often banned outright in pregnancy, but its potency means many aromatherapists avoid it or keep it to occasional diffusion during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Ask your doctor or midwife first.
Cats are particularly sensitive to phenols such as eugenol because they metabolize them poorly. Keep clove oil away from cats and avoid diffusing it in rooms where cats cannot leave freely.
Ingestion
Do not swallow clove essential oil or add it to drinks. Food-grade labels and GRAS status refer to tiny amounts in commercial flavoring, not to drops of concentrated oil in water.
How to Use Clove Essential Oil Safely
Diffusing
Diffusion is the lowest-risk way to enjoy clove oil.
- Add 1 to 2 drops of clove bud oil to a water-based ultrasonic diffuser, along with 2 to 4 drops of a milder oil such as sweet orange.
- Run it in a ventilated room for 30 to 60 minutes, then take a break.
- Keep children, pets and anyone with asthma able to leave the room.
Topical use
If you choose to use clove on skin, keep it to 0.5% or less in a carrier oil, use it on small areas and only occasionally. For most people, there is little reason to use clove topically at all, since milder oils serve the same aromatic purpose.
Household use
Clove leaf oil appears in some natural cleaning recipes. If you use it this way, wear gloves, keep the concentration low and keep cleaning mixtures labeled and out of children’s reach.
Clove Essential Oil Blends
Clove is strong, so one drop goes a long way in a blend. These diffuser combinations use small amounts:
- Warm spice: 3 drops sweet orange, 1 drop clove bud, 1 drop cinnamon leaf
- Winter forest: 3 drops fir needle, 2 drops sweet orange, 1 drop clove bud
- Chai-inspired: 2 drops sweet orange, 1 drop ginger, 1 drop cardamom, 1 drop clove bud
- Pomander: 4 drops sweet orange, 1 drop clove bud
Each blend is for a water-based diffuser. Adjust down if the scent feels sharp or anyone in the room is sensitive.
How to Buy Clove Essential Oil
Quality checks for clove oil follow the general rules for essential oils:
- Look for the botanical name, Syzygium aromaticum, and the plant part (bud, leaf or stem).
- Check for the country of origin and, ideally, a batch number with GC/MS test results available.
- Expect bud oil to cost more than leaf oil. Very cheap oil labeled only “clove” is often leaf oil.
- Choose dark glass bottles with orifice reducers and child-resistant caps.
- Avoid products marketed for swallowing or for undiluted use on teeth.
Clove oil oxidizes and darkens over time, so buy small bottles, keep them capped and store them away from heat and light.
Clove Essential Oil Summary
Clove essential oil is distilled from the buds, leaves or stems of Syzygium aromaticum and is dominated by eugenol. Bud oil has the sweetest scent and is the usual aromatherapy choice. Its long use in dentistry and cooking is real, but evidence for home health uses is weak, and NCCIH warns that clove oil can damage oral tissues. Keep skin use at 0.5% or lower, avoid it with blood thinners and bleeding conditions, never use it on children under 2 and store it where children cannot reach it. A drop or two in a diffuser blend is the simplest and safest way to enjoy its warm, spicy scent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is clove essential oil safe to put on skin?
Only when well diluted. Essential Oil Safety recommends no more than about 0.5% clove bud oil on skin, roughly 3 drops per ounce of carrier oil, and a patch test first. Never apply it undiluted.
Can I put clove oil on a toothache?
Clove oil has a history in dentistry, but NCCIH says there is not enough evidence for home use and that clove oil can damage gums and tooth pulp. See a dentist for tooth pain.
What is the difference between clove bud and clove leaf oil?
Bud oil comes from the dried flower buds and has a sweeter, richer scent. Leaf oil comes from the leaves, smells harsher and costs less. Both are high in eugenol and need similar caution.
Is clove oil dangerous for children?
Yes, swallowing clove oil can cause serious poisoning in children, including liver damage. Store it out of reach, avoid skin use under age 2 and call Poison Control if a child swallows any.
Can I diffuse clove essential oil around pets?
Use caution, especially with cats, which process phenols like eugenol poorly. Diffuse only small amounts in ventilated rooms and make sure pets can leave the area.
