GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Cape Chamomile
Eriocephalus punctulatus DC.
Chemotype: ester-rich blue oil type
- PLANT PART
- stems and leaves
- EXTRACTION
- steam distillation
- AROMA NOTE
- mid
LEARN AS YOU COMPARE
What’s inside this oil?
Constituents are the natural chemicals that give an oil its character. See the main ones, learn what they do, and explore differences between batches.
Meet the main constituents, then select one to see what makes it interesting.
FOLLOW YOUR SENSES
Aroma & character
A closer look at this oil's scent, strength, and staying power.
- Aroma intensity
- 65 / 100
- Note layer
- mid
If you like this scent, explore
A LITTLE CARE GOES A LONG WAY
Using it thoughtfully
Read the full safety context before bringing this oil into your routine.
- Cited dermal maximum · leave-on
- No restriction cited
- Phototoxicity
- Not flagged in this profile
- Oxidation risk
- medium
A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.
No phototoxic furocoumarin restriction was identified for the steam-distilled oil.
Contraindications & cautions
- moderateStore away from light and heat and avoid oxidized material because skin irritation and sensitization can occur if the oil has degraded.
Explore measured chemistry from supplier batches
A supplier report describes a particular sample. Open this workspace to investigate measured constituents and their original documents.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SCENT
Inside the oil
An oil's character comes from its natural chemical composition. Explore each constituent to understand the connections.
About this composition
Cape chamomile is a blue South African Eriocephalus oil dominated by fragrant esters rather than the sesquiterpene-rich profile seen in Cape snowbush. This record keeps the commercial-oil study as the quantitative anchor and uses public supplier safety text only for the absence of a documented general dermal restriction.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Methylbutyl 2-methylpropanoate | 21.2% | 21.2–21.2% | aliphatic ester | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, p.3 lines 668-676, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| 2-Methylbutyl 2-methylbutanoate | 5.6% | 5.6–5.6% | aliphatic ester | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, p.3 lines 668-676, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| 2-Methylpropyl 2-methylpropanoate | 5.3% | 5.3–5.3% | aliphatic ester | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, p.3 lines 668-676, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| 7-Methyl-2-octyl acetate | 4.5% | 4.5–4.5% | aliphatic ester | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, p.3 lines 668-676, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| Linalyl acetate | 4.4% | 4.4–4.4% | monoterpene ester | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, p.3 lines 677-680, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| alpha-Pinene | 1.9% | 1.9–1.9% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, p.3 lines 677-680, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| Artedouglasia oxide C | 2.2% | 2.2–2.2% | oxygenated sesquiterpene | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF Table 2, p.3 lines 481-487 and 555-560, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| Spathulenol | 1.4% | 1.4–1.4% | oxygenated sesquiterpene | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF Table 2, p.3 lines 484-487 and 557-563, https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| 3-Methylbutyl 2-methylpropanoate | 2.6% | 2.6–2.6% | aliphatic ester | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) Ulex Lab PDF, Results and Discussion prose p.3: "Further important esters are 2-methylbutyl 2-methylbutanoate (5.6%)...2-methylpropyl 2-methylpropanoate (5.3%), 7-methyl-2-octyl acetate (4.5%) and 3-methylbutyl 2-methylpropanoate (2.6%)", https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf |
| Artedouglasia oxides A-D (combined) | 5.9% | 5.9–5.9% | oxygenated sesquiterpene | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ffj.1259 (Mierendorff et al., Flavour Fragr. J. 2003; abstract: "the artedouglasia oxides A-D...could be detected in amounts of 5.9%"; combined group total from the abstract, not split by individual isomer because the full peak table was not accessible in this pass. Artedouglasia oxide C alone (2.2%) is already itemized separately above using the fuller Ulex Lab transcription; this row represents the remaining group total reported in the journal abstract and is not summed with the itemized oxide C row to avoid double counting. |
| Davanones (combined) | 0.4% | 0.4–0.4% | oxygenated sesquiterpene | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ffj.1259 (Mierendorff et al., Flavour Fragr. J. 2003; abstract: "several davanones...could be detected in amounts of...0.4%"; combined group total from the abstract, individual davanone isomers not itemized because the full peak table was not accessible in this pass) |
| Laciniata furanones (combined) | 1.4% | 1.4–1.4% | oxygenated sesquiterpene | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ffj.1259 (Mierendorff et al., Flavour Fragr. J. 2003; abstract: "laciniata furanones...could be detected in amounts of...1.4%"; combined group total from the abstract, individual furanone isomers not itemized because the full peak table was not accessible in this pass) |
| Chamazulene | 0.2% | 0.2–0.2% | azulene sesquiterpene derivative | View sourceComposition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780323997942000234 and https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365870880_Eriocephalus_punctulatus (ScienceDirect "Eriocephalus punctulatus" chapter entry, citing Mierendorff et al. 2003, Flavour Fragr. J. 18(6):510-514, doi 10.1002/ffj.1259, states the oil "contains only 0.2% of the anti-inflammatory agent, chamazulene, that also gives the oil its nice blue color"; this is the same underlying Mierendorff study already anchoring this record's other grouped sesquiterpene rows, so it is treated as a direct extension of that source rather than a new/unrelated study, though the exact number was read via search-engine summary of the ScienceDirect page rather than a direct fetch of the page itself because mcp web-fetch returned persistent HTTP 429 errors in this pass |
| p-Cymene | 8% | 8–8% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEriocephalus punctulatus flower oil (Eriocephalus oil) https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/gca/gc1393361.html (catalog entry for Eriocephalus punctulatus flower oil, CAS 68916-49-4, GC composition table citing Lawrence 1979/1984); an independent, older ester-dominant GC profile of the same species distinct from the Mierendorff et al. 2003 dataset already anchoring most of this record's rows; value quoted directly from the table |
| beta-Pinene | 2% | 2–2% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEriocephalus punctulatus flower oil (Eriocephalus oil) https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/gca/gc1393361.html (catalog entry for Eriocephalus punctulatus flower oil, CAS 68916-49-4, GC composition table citing Lawrence 1979/1984); an independent, older ester-dominant GC profile of the same species distinct from the Mierendorff et al. 2003 dataset already anchoring most of this record's rows; value quoted directly from the table |
| Terpinen-4-ol | 2% | 2–2% | monoterpene alcohol | View sourceEriocephalus punctulatus flower oil (Eriocephalus oil) https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/gca/gc1393361.html (catalog entry for Eriocephalus punctulatus flower oil, CAS 68916-49-4, GC composition table citing Lawrence 1979/1984); an independent, older ester-dominant GC profile of the same species distinct from the Mierendorff et al. 2003 dataset already anchoring most of this record's rows; value quoted directly from the table |
| Limonene | 1% | 1–1% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEriocephalus punctulatus flower oil (Eriocephalus oil) https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/gca/gc1393361.html (catalog entry for Eriocephalus punctulatus flower oil, CAS 68916-49-4, GC composition table citing Lawrence 1979/1984); an independent, older ester-dominant GC profile of the same species distinct from the Mierendorff et al. 2003 dataset already anchoring most of this record's rows; value quoted directly from the table |
| alpha-Terpineol | 0.5% | 0.5–0.5% | monoterpene alcohol | View sourceEriocephalus punctulatus flower oil (Eriocephalus oil) https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/gca/gc1393361.html (catalog entry for Eriocephalus punctulatus flower oil, CAS 68916-49-4, GC composition table citing Lawrence 1979/1984); an independent, older ester-dominant GC profile of the same species distinct from the Mierendorff et al. 2003 dataset already anchoring most of this record's rows; value quoted directly from the table |
| Isoamyl isobutyrate | 3.6% | 3.6–3.6% | aliphatic ester | View sourceEriocephalus punctulatus flower oil (Eriocephalus oil) https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/gca/gc1393361.html (catalog entry for Eriocephalus punctulatus flower oil, CAS 68916-49-4, GC composition table citing Lawrence 1979/1984, row '3-methyl butyl 2-methyl propionate' 3.60%, cross-verified as isoamyl isobutyrate CAS 2050-01-3 via https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1003311.html) |
Profile source: Composition of commercial Cape chamomile oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus); Cape Chamomile Oil - Skimmelberg Fynbos Oils; The different types of Chamomile essential oils and their benefits · https://ulexlab.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/CompositionCapeChamomileOil.pdf ; https://www.skimmelbergfynbosoils.co.za/products/cape-chamomile-oil/ ; https://rosemarycreek.com/blogs/news/the-different-types-of-chamomile-essential-oils
A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY
Traditional & reported uses
These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.
- traditionally used in aromatherapy for calming, soothing, and easing occasional tension
- reported use in skincare blends for a gentle, comforting sensory profile similar to other chamomiles
- used in perfumery for a sweet, fruity-herbaceous, apple-like note
- traditionally associated with promoting restful sleep and emotional ease
- reported use in blends intended to support relaxation before bedtime
For aromatherapy and wellness use only — not medical advice. Effect statements are traditional/reported associations, not treatment claims. The Synergy Rating scores blend craft, harmony and safety, not medical efficacy. Read the safety framework.
What we're still learning · 5 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- max_dermal_pct 100 is an archive normalization from a public no-known-hazards/no-known-contraindications safety description rather than a directly published numeric leave-on maximum.
- CAS for 7-methyl-2-octyl acetate was not verified from an open registry in this pass, so it remains null instead of guessed.
- Odor intensity 65 remains a normalization of qualitative supplier strength descriptions rather than a native published 0-100 measure.
- Mass closure remains at roughly 49% of pct_typical. The source paper's full Table 1 (single-sample) and Table 2 (5-sample mean) list well over 100 additional minor GC/MS peaks, but the only public copy located (Ulex Lab OCR scan) has numeric columns too corrupted to transcribe reliably; only the abstract/discussion prose values (unambiguous plain text) were added. Reaching >=0.95 closure requires a clean-text or paywalled copy of the full compound table (e.g. Wiley Online Library ffj.1259) that was not accessible in this pass.
- Merged pass (2026-07-09): reused the sibling chamomile-cape.json record's fuller Eriocephalus punctulatus dataset (Mierendorff et al. 2003 abstract group rows plus Lawrence 1979/1984 GC table via The Good Scents Company) to add 10 new constituent rows not previously present here. Combined closure is now ~0.741. Remaining gap to 0.95 is structural: the full Mierendorff et al. 2003 peak table sits behind a Wiley paywall with no accessible mirror found across multiple research passes (see chamomile-cape.json gaps notes for full history), and a chemotaxonomy paper suggesting the true commercial source may be E. tenuifolius could not be accessed for numeric data. No further real numbers could be sourced this pass without fabrication.