Known for its warm, sweet aroma and distinctive flavour, cinnamon has long been treasured in kitchens and healing traditions around the world. Beyond its culinary charm, it carries a rich profile of natural compounds that support the body’s defence against inflammation, infection, and oxidative stress.
These powerful properties are captured in essential oils derived from the cinnamon tree, each offering unique benefits depending on whether they’re extracted from the bark or the leaves. With uses ranging from skincare and home fragrance to natural remedies, these oils bring both comfort and care in every drop.
What Is Cinnamon Oil Used for?
Cinnamon is a powerful antioxidant designed to help the body fight free radicals. While its unique flavour and aroma are the most important things people are attracted to, the truth is that this powerful product has an array of beneficial properties for the body, mind and soul.
This spicy, sweet and flavourful essential oil is stocked with numerous benefits that can help in fighting different kinds of infection, regulating blood sugar and more. Achieving this is possible thanks to its antibacterial, antidiabetic, antifungal and antioxidant properties. What you should know, though, is that you can choose from two types of cinnamon essential oil: cinnamon bark and cinnamon leaf oil.
What’s the Difference Between These Two Oils?
Cinnamon Bark Essential Oil
As the name suggests, this oil is obtained from the inner bark of the cinnamon tree, which explains its strong, spicy yet warm aroma. This oil has a sweet undertone, and all of these things combined make it one of the most popular options for aromatherapy.
This beneficial, aromatic and nourishing cinnamon oil is extremely popular for creating cosy and inviting environments, and its use is especially popular during fall and winter because of its pleasant aroma. When compared to the other type of oil, this one seems to be more potent because of its harvesting process. Given the fact that labour is needed for harvesting bark and turning it into essential oil, this explains its higher price tag.
Cinnamon Leaf Essential Oils
This one is obtained from the cinnamon tree leaves, which explains its lighter and more herbal aroma. Given the fact that this oil is less intense than the previous one, this makes it perfect for being used year-round.
Key Differences
Manufacturing
Both of these oils are made differently. To make leaf cinnamon oil, after being harvested, leaves go through a distillation process and with the help of steam or carbon dioxide, the oil is extracted from them.
While the process of making essential oil from leaves is straightforward, making oil from bark is exactly the opposite. After obtaining cinnamon, one should get to the inner bark, which is done by removing the outer skin. Once there, thinner layers of the inner bark are peeled, where they obtain a curly form and are left to dry in the sun. Once dry, the oil is obtained from them with the help of the steam distillation process. Making bark essential oil is more complex and takes more time, which explains its higher price tag.
Colour and Texture
Being made from different parts of the cinnamon tree and being made differently explains the reason for their different consistency and colour. While cinnamon bark oil has a golden-yellow colour and has a more oily consistency, the one made from the leaf has a thin to medium consistency and brown to yellow colour.
Aroma
Even though both cinnamon leafy and bark oils have a woody aroma, there’s still a slight difference in their aroma. Generally speaking, bark oil has a stronger cinnamon and herbaceous aroma, it also gives a spicy and sweet aroma at the same time, making it more potent. Leaf essential oil, on the other hand, has a more musky, warmer and lighter aroma fragrance because it’s made from leaves instead of barks.
Which One Should You Choose?
Generally speaking, both of these cinnamon oil types can be used in cosmetic and household uses. Even though they cannot be combined or used together because of their potency, they can still be mixed with carrier oils and used like that.
Bark Cinnamon
Because of its warmer aroma, bark essential oil is used for producing a large selection of soaps, lotions and other cosmetic products. This oil is used in oil-based perfumes as well for a touch of spiciness. It can also be used as a hair oil to obtain a thicker hair appearance. To improve your hair’s condition, just add a few drops of it to your shampoo or conditioner. Avoid using it directly on your hair because it’s potent and may burn your scalp.
Another great use of this oil is as a pest repellent. To make a homemade spray repellent, just add 40 drops of this oil to 500 ml of water, and that’s it. For better results, shake before use.
Leaf Cinnamon
This oil can be used for making candles and a whole range of cosmetic body products like lotions, soaps, sprays, etc. Being much gentler and lighter than bark, leaf cinnamon oil is also used in diffusers to give the space a nice warm smell that isn’t overpowering.
When mixed with carrier oil, you can apply leaf cinnamon oil directly onto the skin for a more nourished and hydrated skin. Mixed that way, you can also use this oil as a massage oil. For a nice and pleasant aroma, mix it with lemon, ginger, frankincense and lavender essential oils.
