Essential Oils · Syzygium Oils
Clove Bud Oil (Syzygium aromaticum): Eugenol, ISO 3142
Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- ISO standard
- ISO 3142:1997
Species
| Binomial | Syzygium aromaticum |
|---|---|
| Accepted name | Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry |
| WCVP status | accepted |
| Family | Myrtaceae |
| IPNI identifier | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:601421-1 |
| ISO standard | ISO 3142:1997 |
| EU-regulated allergen | Annex III, entry 356: Eugenia caryophyllus oil |
Source: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 of 26 July 2023 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products, accessed on 22/09/2026.
Source: Govaerts R. (ed.), World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, accessed on 21/09/2026.
Source: ISO 3142:1997.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 November 2009 on cosmetic products (recast), accessed on 22/09/2026.
Key facts
- ISO 3142:1997, whose title names Syzygium aromaticum and the synonym Eugenia caryophyllus, had the status “Published” in a copy of its catalogue record dated 4 June 2026.
- One study of Zanzibar-variety buds from a plantation in Central Java reports eugenol and “β-cis-Caryophyllene” in the oil by bud stage and tree age.
- In that study, the buds were dried in the sun, then hydrodistilled for 8 hours in a Clevenger apparatus.
- Entry 356 of an EU regulation amending the cosmetics rules, “Eugenia caryophyllus oil”, provides for an indication in the list of ingredients above values the entry sets.
The oil of clove buds is named, with Syzygium aromaticum, in the title of ISO 3142:1997. In one study from Central Java, the oil of buds at the budding-3 and full-budding stages is given as “Concentration (%)” of eugenol, “β-cis-Caryophyllene” and eugenol acetate. In EU cosmetics law, entry 356 of Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 bears the name “Eugenia caryophyllus oil” and sets a labelling indication.
Which plant does clove bud oil come from?
According to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, Kew), in an extract read on 3 November 2026, Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. & L.M.Perry is a name of rank “Species”, status “Accepted”, in the family Myrtaceae (identifier 199236). In the same extract, Eugenia caryophyllus (Spreng.) Bullock & S.G.Harrison is a “Species” name with status “Synonym”. Its accepted name identifier is 199236, that of Syzygium aromaticum.
The Central Java study by Alfikri et al. (2020) writes the name “S. aromaticum L.” and names the variety “Zanzibar”. The EU regulation names its entry “Eugenia caryophyllus oil”.
What does clove bud oil contain?
Alfikri et al. (2020) give the composition of clove bud oil as “Concentration (%)”, each value an average of three replications. The compounds were analysed by GC-MS, and the chromatograms were analysed on mass spectral match and the “NIST11” Library. The table keeps the compound names as the study writes them; a dash marks a cell this page does not give.
| Bud stage | Tree age | Eugenol (%) | β-cis-Caryophyllene (%) | Eugenol acetate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budding-3 | Young trees | 68.05 | 7.70 | — |
| Full budding | Young trees | 74.62 | 4.46 | 6.62 |
| Budding-3 | Mature trees | 71.89 | 5.57 | — |
| Full budding | Mature trees | — | 2.53 | 6.54 |
Each row gives one analytical condition as the study reports it.
| Step | Condition reported |
|---|---|
| Dilution | analytical grade n-hexane, ratio 1 : 1000 (oil : n-hexane), before injection |
| Instrument | GC-MS QP2010S at 70 eV and 310°C |
| Column | “HP Agilent column 5”, 30 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 1.0 µm |
| Oven | 70°C for 5 minutes, then programmed heating from 70°C to 300°C for 19 minutes |
| Injector | 270°C |
| Carrier gas | helium, constant flow rate 0.50 mL/min, split ratio 80 |
| Ion source | 225°C |
| Identification | mass spectral match and the “NIST11” Library |
How do the oils of whole and ground buds compare?
Ben Hassine et al. (2021) identified the oil constituents by their retention indices relative to n-alkanes, compared with the literature or with authentic compounds of their laboratory. Mass spectra were then matched with those of NIST 08 and other published mass spectra. The percentage composition was calculated by normalisation of the GC peak areas, assuming an identical mass response factor for all compounds. Table 1 of the study gives each value in “% peak area of the chemical component”.
The tables keep the compound and class names as the study writes them.
| Batch | “Eugenol” (% peak area) | “Cyperene” (% peak area) | “cis-Thujopsene” (% peak area) | “Phenethyl isovalerate” (% peak area) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole buds (“Ungrounded buds”) | 87.39 | 7.22 | 0.75 | 3.63 |
| Ground buds (“Grounded buds”) | 68.73 | 20.52 | 1.94 | 6.41 |
| Batch | “Phenolic compounds” (% peak area) | “Others” (% peak area) |
|---|---|---|
| Whole buds (“Ungrounded buds”) | 87.39 | 3.63 |
| Ground buds (“Grounded buds”) | 68.73 | 6.41 |
Each row gives one analytical condition as Ben Hassine et al. (2021) report it.
| Step | Condition reported |
|---|---|
| Gas chromatograph | Varian Star 3400 Cx |
| Column | DB-5MS capillary column (5% phenyl-methyl-polysiloxane), 30 m × 0.25 mm, film thickness 0.25 µm |
| Oven | 60°C to 260°C at 5°C/min, 15 min at 260°C, then up to 340°C at 40°C/min |
| Injection | 1 µL in 1 : 10 split mode, injector at 200°C |
| Carrier gas | helium, 1 mL/min |
| Mass spectrometer | Varian Saturn GC/MS/MS 4D, emission current 10 µA, electron multiplier voltage “between 1.400 and 1.500 V” |
| Trap and transfer line | 220°C and 250°C respectively |
| Mass scanning | 40 to 650 amu |
According to the text of Ben Hassine et al. (2021), the compound written “β-caryophyllene” “was not detected in this study”.
What physical properties were measured on clove bud oil?
Alfikri et al. (2020) also give physicochemical properties of the oil by bud stage and tree age, each an average of three replications. Values and signs are written as the table gives them, minutes of arc included, without conversion.
| Bud stage | Tree age | Specific gravity 15° | Optical rotation | Refraction index (nD) 20° | Miscibility in ethanol |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budding-3 | Young | 1.07 ± 0.01 | 0°17’ ± 0°85' | 1.534 ± 0.002 | 1 : 1–1 : 2 (70% ethanol) |
| Full budding | Young | 1.07 ± 0.00 | 0°60’ ± 0°45' | 1.534 ± 0.001 | 1 : 2 (70% ethanol) |
| Budding-3 | Mature | 1.05 ± 0.01 | 1°63’ ± 1°10' | 1.535 ± 0.001 | 1 : 1–1 : 2 (70% ethanol) |
| Full budding | Mature | 1.06 ± 0.01 | −0°40’ ± 1°40' | 1.535 ± 0.001 | 1 : 2 (70% ethanol) |
How were the buds harvested, dried and distilled?
Alfikri et al. (2020) collected buds of the Zanzibar variety from the clove plantation of PT Cengkeh Zanzibar, in Kalisidi village, West Ungaran District, Central Java, Indonesia. The plantation lies at “573 m above sea level”. They harvested “Flower buds” at three phenological stages, “budding-3, full-budding, and flowering”, from 9 plants aged 3-4 years and 3 trees aged 45 years. Table 1 of the study describes the flowering stage as “The cap is lost (bloomed) with only calyxes and stamens left”.
Each stage had three replications in young and in mature trees, and every replication contained 200 ± 0.05 gr dry weight of clove buds. The flower buds were grouped by stage on trays, placed directly under sunlight and dried for ±8 days or until 12%–14% water content.
In this study, the samples were hydrodistilled in 1500 mL of water in a Clevenger apparatus for 8 hours. During the extraction, 500 mL of water was added every 2 hours. The distilled bud oils were stored at 0°C until analysis.
What yield did whole and ground buds give?
Ben Hassine et al. (2021) bought the clove buds they studied at a local market in Kef, in north-west Tunisia. The buds were cleaned, sorted and homogenised. Two batches of 50 g of raw material were prepared: whole buds (“ungrounded”) and buds ground (“grounded”) to about 0.6 mm in an electric grinder (Moulinex AR 1105).
Ben Hassine et al. (2021) hydrodistilled the whole and the ground buds separately for 6 h in a Clevenger-type apparatus, at atmospheric pressure. The buds were submerged in 500 mL of distilled water in a 1 L round-bottom flask, with pumice stones to regulate boiling. The organic phase lay below the aqueous phase; the distillate was placed in a separating funnel and salt-saturated water was added. The oil was dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and stored in amber bottles at 4°C.
Ben Hassine et al. (2021) calculate the extraction yield, in %, from the essential oil volume (“EOV”, in mL) and the dry matter (“DM”, in mg). Their data are means ± standard deviations of triplicate measurements.
| Batch | Extraction yield (%) |
|---|---|
| Whole buds (“ungrounded”) | 7.1 ± 0.8 |
| Ground buds (“grounded”, particle size 0.6 mm) | 14.3 ± 0.6 |
Of the two batches of this study, the ground buds gave the highest extraction yield.
Which standards and regulations name clove bud oil?
Which ISO standards does the catalogue list?
Each row is an entry of the ISO catalogue for ICS 71.100.60, read in a web archive copy of 19 March 2026. Titles and stage codes are reproduced as the catalogue writes them; the content of the standards is not given here.
| Reference | Title | Stage | Committee |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISO 3142:1974 | “Oil of clove bud” | “[Withdrawn]”, stage 95.99 | ISO/TC 54 |
| ISO 3142:1997 | “Oil of clove buds [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. et Perry, syn. Eugenia caryophyllus (Sprengel) Bullock et S. Harrison]” | stage 90.60 | ISO/TC 54 |
The catalogue record of ISO 3142:1997, in a web archive copy of 4 June 2026, gives the status “Published”, publication date 1997-06, edition 2 and 5 pages. The record names ISO/TC 54 as its technical committee. Its “Life cycle” section gives stage 90.60, reached on 2023-06-05. The same record states that the publication “was last reviewed and confirmed in 2018”.
Under “Previously”, the “Life cycle” section of the record names ISO 3142:1974.
What does EU cosmetics regulation provide for?
Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amends Annex III of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, and its entry 356 bears the name “Eugenia caryophyllus oil”. On the fourth line of the entry, the glossary name is “Eugenia Caryophyllus Bud oil”, the CAS cell reads “84961-50-2” and the EC cell reads “284-638-7”. The entry provides for the presence of the substance or substances to be indicated as “Eugenia Caryophyllus Oil” in the list of ingredients referred to in Article 19(1), point (g). This indication applies when the concentration of the substance or substances exceeds values that the entry sets.
See also: Cinnamomum verum leaf oil, Piper nigrum, Elettaria cardamomum, drops ↔ ml.
References
- Alfikri F.N., Pujiarti R., Wibisono M.G., Hardiyanto E.B., « Yield, Quality, and Antioxidant Activity of Clove (Syzygium aromaticum L.) Bud Oil at the Different Phenological Stages in Young and Mature Trees », Scientifica 2020;2020:9701701, doi:10.1155/2020/9701701 — https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pmc&id=7290900
- Ben Hassine D., Kammoun El Euch S., Rahmani R., Ghazouani N., Kane R., Abderrabba M., Bouajila J., « Clove Buds Essential Oil: The Impact of Grinding on the Chemical Composition and Its Biological Activities Involved in Consumer’s Health Security », BioMed Research International 2021;2021:9940591, doi:10.1155/2021/9940591 — https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pmc&id=8352679
- Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 of 26 July 2023 amending Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products — https://publications.europa.eu/resource/celex/32023R1545
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO), online catalogue, ICS 71.100.60 « Essential oils », archived copy of 19/03/2026 (Internet Archive) — https://web.archive.org/web/20260319152944id_/https://www.iso.org/ics/71.100.60/x/
- International Organization for Standardization (ISO), catalogue record « ISO 3142:1997 — Oil of clove buds [Syzygium aromaticum (L.) Merr. et Perry, syn. Eugenia caryophyllus (Sprengel) Bullock et S. Harrison] », edition 2, 1997-06, archived copy of 04/06/2026 (Internet Archive) — https://web.archive.org/web/20260604223435id_/https://www.iso.org/standard/8312.html
- Govaerts R. (ed.), World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — https://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/wcvp.zip