Cinnamomum verum J.Presl (Ceylon cinnamon): bark oil studies

What is Ceylon cinnamon, botanically?

According to the World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP, Kew), in the extract read on 28/10/2026, Cinnamomum verum J.Presl is a name of rank “Species” with the status “Accepted”, placed in the family Lauraceae (identifier 2721692). In the same extract, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume is a name of rank “Species” with the status “Synonym”, whose accepted name carries identifier 2721692 (its own identifier: 2721719).

According to the Plants of the World Online (POWO, Kew) entry for the taxon “Cinnamomum verum J.Presl”, the native range of the species is “Sri Lanka”. The same entry describes Cinnamomum verum as “a tree” that grows “primarily in the wet tropical biome”.

How was the bark oil of Alizadeh Behbahani et al. (2020) obtained?

According to Alizadeh Behbahani et al. (2020), bark of C. zeylanicum labelled “(Mashhad, Iran)” was subjected to hydrodistillation to isolate its essential oil. In WCVP, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume is a synonym whose accepted name carries identifier 2721692. In this study, 20 g of dried bark were placed in a Clevenger-type apparatus, and the extraction ran for 3 h. The essential oil obtained was collected in clean glass vials, dried over anhydrous sodium sulfate and stored at 4 °C until the analyses.

How did Alizadeh Behbahani et al. (2020) analyse the oil?

The compounds of the oil were identified by gas chromatography coupled with a mass spectrometer, with a DB-5 capillary column (30 m × 0.25 mm, 0.25 μm stationary phase thickness). For the GC-MS analysis, the column temperature was raised from 40 °C to 250 °C at 2.5 °C per minute; helium was the carrier gas, and the ionisation energy was 70 eV. The retention indices and mass spectra of the oil’s constituents were compared with published data, and the retention indices were then calculated with a homologous series of n-alkanes (C8-C20). In the footnote to Table 1, KI are the Kovats retention indices relative to the C8-C20 n-alkanes, determined on a DB5 capillary column. The GC-MS analysis identified 17 chemical compounds in this oil, presented in Table 1.

Which compounds does Table 1 of Alizadeh Behbahani et al. (2020) list?

The rows below are those of Table 1 of the study, in its order, with the compound names as the table writes them.

How did Gębarowska et al. (2026) analyse a commercial bark oil?

According to Gębarowska et al. (2026), the essential oil studied, distilled from the bark of Cinnamomum verum J. Presl (syn. Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, Lauraceae), was purchased. The chemical analysis was performed by GC-MS on a ZB-5 type column. The temperature programme started with an oven at 60 °C, raised to 200 °C at 2 °C per minute, then to 290 °C at 10 °C per minute. Mass spectra were recorded from 38 to 300 m/z by electron impact (EI) ionisation at 70 eV; samples were injected at a split ratio of 1:50, and helium was the carrier gas at a flow rate of 1.0 mL per minute. Chemical ionisation (CI) mode was also applied to determine the molecular masses of individual components, with methanol as the reagent gas. The oil’s components were identified by (i) comparing the mass spectra with the NIST 23 and FFNSC databases, (ii) comparing the calculated linear retention indices (LRIs) with the values of NIST 23 and FFNSC, and (iii) comparing retention times with authentic standards “when available”. The linear retention indices were calculated relative to a homologous series of n-alkanes analysed under identical chromatographic conditions. The quantitative analysis was based on response factors calculated for groups of the oil’s constituents. The GC–MS analysis identified 64 compounds in this oil; the components present at concentrations ≥1% are listed in Table 1. According to the footnote to Table 1, the retention times (RT) were obtained on a ZB-5 MSi column, under the chromatographic conditions described in section 4.1.

What do Gębarowska et al. (2026) write about this oil’s profile?

In the text of the study (section 2.1), the oil was dominated by phenylpropanoids, with cinnamaldehyde as the principal component, accompanied by eugenol and trans-cinnamyl acetate. In the same section, oxygenated monoterpenes represented a substantial fraction of the oil, particularly linalool, 1,8-cineole and α-terpineol. In the abstract of the study, the oil was dominated by cinnamaldehyde, linalool and eucalyptol. The “Contribution [%]” values of Table 1 rest on the response factors calculated for groups of constituents.

The rows below are those of Table 1 of the study, in its order, with the compound names as the table writes them.

What does EU Regulation 2023/1545 list for Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark oil?

By its title, Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 of 26 July 2023 amends Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as regards the labelling of fragrance allergens in cosmetic products. In the annex of this regulation, the entry with reference number 349 carries the chemical name “Cinnamomum zeylanicum bark oil”, the Common Ingredients Glossary name “Cinnamomum Zeylanicum Bark Oil”, the CAS numbers “8015-91-6/ 84649-98-9” and, in the EC number column, “-/” then “283-479-0”. In WCVP, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume is a synonym whose accepted name carries identifier 2721692.

References

• Govaerts R. (ed.), World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew — https://sftp.kew.org/pub/data-repositories/WCVP/wcvp.zip
• Alizadeh Behbahani B., Falah F., Lavi Arab F., Vasiee M., Tabatabaee Yazdi F., « Chemical Composition and Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, and Antiproliferative Activities of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Bark Essential Oil », Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2020;2020:5190603, doi:10.1155/2020/5190603 — https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pmc&id=7210559
• Gębarowska E., Budek K., Gębarowska M., Kmieć A., Szumny A., « Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil as a Natural Plant Protection Agent: Chemical Profile, Antimicrobial Activity, and Defence Induction », Molecules 2026;31(6):1036, doi:10.3390/molecules31061036 — https://eutils.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/eutils/efetch.fcgi?db=pmc&id=13028868
• 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
• Plants of the World Online (POWO), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, taxon page « Cinnamomum verum J.Presl », archived copy of 30/09/2026 (Internet Archive) — https://web.archive.org/web/20260930114759id_/https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:463752-1