GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Bitter Fennel
Foeniculum vulgare Miller subsp. vulgare var. vulgare
Chemotype: trans-anethole / fenchone type
- PLANT PART
- ripe fruits
- EXTRACTION
- steam distillation
- AROMA NOTE
- top
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
- 50 / 100
- Note layer
- top
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
- 1.8%
- Phototoxicity
- Not flagged in this profile
- Oxidation risk
- high
A cited maximum is a limit, not a suggested dilution. Missing restrictions do not establish safety.
No furocoumarin-based phototoxic restriction was identified in the cited public sources for bitter fennel fruit oil.
Contraindications & cautions
- majorAvoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding because the cited safety profile flags reproductive-hormone concerns and estragole exposure.
- majorAvoid in children under five years of age.
- moderateUse caution with anticoagulants or bleeding disorders because the cited safety profile flags possible clotting inhibition.
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
EMA's bitter-fennel assessment report defines bitter fennel oil by higher fenchone than sweet fennel, while still remaining trans-anethole dominant. The public profile used here follows the Pharmacopoeia-style bitter-fennel ranges and retains only directly readable quantitative values.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| trans-Anethole | 64.15% | 55–75% | phenylpropanoid | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum EMA lines 151-154: pharmacy-sample range 63.7-64.6%; pct_typical is the midpoint of the cited range |
| Fenchone | 22% | 12–25% | monoterpene ketone | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum EMA lines 152-154: pharmacy-sample range 21.2-22.8%; pct_typical is the midpoint of the cited range |
| Estragole | 4.4% | 2.8–6% | phenylpropanoid | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum; Kush Aroma Exports bitter fennel profile EMA lines 123-125 and EMA bitter-fennel oil table; pct_typical is the midpoint of the cited 2.8-6.0% range from the compiled source set |
| alpha-Pinene | 5.5% | 1–10% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum EMA lines 135-136 / bitter-fennel oil table: 1.0-10.0%; pct_typical is the midpoint of the cited range |
| Limonene | 2.95% | 0.9–5% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum EMA lines 136-137 / bitter-fennel oil table: 0.9-5.0%; pct_typical is the midpoint of the cited range |
| cis-Anethole | — | — | phenylpropanoid | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum EMA lines 137-138 / bitter-fennel oil table: max 0.5%; no distinct typical value published |
| Anisaldehyde | — | — | aromatic aldehyde | View sourceEMA assessment report on Foeniculi amari fructus aetheroleum EMA lines 138-140 / bitter-fennel oil table: max 2.0%; no distinct typical value published |
Profile source: EMA assessment report on Foeniculum vulgare Miller subsp. vulgare var. vulgare aetheroleum; Kush Aroma Exports bitter fennel profile; Fragrance University bitter fennel organoleptic listing · EMA lines 114-140 and 151-156 for steam-distilled ripe-fruit oil composition and pharmacy-sample ranges; Kush Aroma Exports profile for the 1.8% leave-on dermal maximum and safety cautions; Fragrance University odor entry for medium strength
What we're still learning · 3 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- Odor intensity 50 is a normalization of cited medium aroma strength into the archive's 0-100 scale.
- No direct public volatility-rate or tenacity-hour values were located for bitter fennel essential oil.
- cis-anethole and p-anisaldehyde are published only as maximum values in the reviewed sources, so pct_typical remains null.