GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Ginger
Zingiber officinale Roscoe
Chemotype: zingiberene / sesquiphellandrene type
- PLANT PART
- root (rhizome)
- EXTRACTION
- steam distillation
- AROMA NOTE
- mid-base
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
- 70 / 100
- Note layer
- mid-base
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
- 4%
- 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.
AromaWeb notes that low-level phototoxic effects reported for ginger oil are not considered significant, and the consulted public sources did not identify a furocoumarin-based dermal UV cap for steam-distilled ginger oil.
Contraindications & cautions
- moderateDo not use Ginger essential oil on children under 12 years old.
- minorConsult a healthcare professional before using Ginger essential oil during pregnancy and nursing.
- majorFor external use only; may be fatal if swallowed and enters the airways (aspiration hazard). If swallowed, seek medical attention immediately and do not induce vomiting.
- moderateBest avoided by individuals with eczema or highly allergy-prone skin; contains linalool, limonene, and geraniol allergens and causes skin/eye irritation. Patch test before use.
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
This China-origin record is anchored to the ISO 16928:2014 profile ranges for Chinese ginger oil as quoted in the 2022 Nepal quality-assessment paper. That public source identifies alpha-zingiberene, beta-sesquiphellandrene, ar-curcumene, camphene, and beta-bisabolene as the defining major constituents for Chinese ginger essential oil. Closure was extended in this pass using a directly readable GC-MS composition table (Table 1) for a Guangzhou, China-sourced Zingiber officinale essential oil sample (Zhang et al. 2022, Frontiers in Nutrition), adding farnesene, (+)-beta-cedrene, and beta-elemene as major additional China-sourced sesquiterpene constituents.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alpha-Zingiberene | 34.5% | 29–40% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceQuality Assessment of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Essential Oil from Nepal; alpha-zingiberene entry https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080322 (ISO 16928:2014 quote for China ginger: alpha-zingiberene 29-40%); https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1007011.html (CAS 495-60-3) |
| beta-Sesquiphellandrene | 12% | 10–14% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceQuality Assessment of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Essential Oil from Nepal; beta-sesquiphellandrene entry https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080322 (ISO 16928:2014 quote for China ginger: beta-sesquiphellandrene 10-14%); https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/beta-Sesquiphellandrene (CAS 20307-83-9) |
| ar-Curcumene | 8% | 5–11% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceQuality Assessment of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Essential Oil from Nepal; ar-curcumene entry https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080322 (ISO 16928:2014 quote for China ginger: ar-curcumene 5-11%); https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1003491.html (CAS 644-30-4) |
| Camphene | 7.25% | 4.5–10% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceQuality Assessment of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Essential Oil from Nepal; camphene entry https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080322 (ISO 16928:2014 quote for China ginger: camphene 4.5-10%); https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Camphene (CAS 79-92-5) |
| beta-Bisabolene | 5.75% | 2.5–9% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceQuality Assessment of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Essential Oil from Nepal; beta-bisabolene entry https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080322 (ISO 16928:2014 quote for China ginger: beta-bisabolene 2.5-9%); https://www.thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1004461.html (CAS 495-61-4) |
| Farnesene | 12.17% | 12.17–12.17% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEssential oils of Zingiber officinale: Chemical composition, in vivo alleviation effects on TPA induced ear swelling in mice and in vitro bioactivities https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1043175/full (Table 1, GC-MS composition of Z. officinale essential oil sourced from Guangzhou, China; total identified 99.52%) (Farnesene 12.17%) |
| (+)-beta-Cedrene | 12.85% | 12.85–12.85% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEssential oils of Zingiber officinale: Chemical composition, in vivo alleviation effects on TPA induced ear swelling in mice and in vitro bioactivities https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1043175/full (Table 1, GC-MS composition of Z. officinale essential oil sourced from Guangzhou, China; total identified 99.52%) ((+)-beta-Cedrene 12.85%) |
| beta-Elemene | 3.54% | 3.54–3.54% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceEssential oils of Zingiber officinale: Chemical composition, in vivo alleviation effects on TPA induced ear swelling in mice and in vitro bioactivities https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.1043175/full (Table 1, GC-MS composition of Z. officinale essential oil sourced from Guangzhou, China; total identified 99.52%) (beta-Elemene 3.54%) |
Profile source: Quality Assessment of Zingiber officinale Roscoe Essential Oil from Nepal; Ginger Essential Oil: Benefits, Uses & Insights; Essential Oil Safety and Dermal Limits: A Guide for Skincare Formulators (Pt 2) · https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1934578X221080322 ; https://www.aromaweb.com/essential-oils/ginger-essential-oil.php ; https://www.craft360.com.au/blogs/news/essential-oil-safety-and-dermal-limits-a-beginners-guide-for-skincare-formulators-v2
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 a warming, grounding effect
- reported to support digestive comfort, especially before travel, in folk aromatherapy use
- used in massage blends for a warming sensation and muscle comfort
- traditionally associated with a sense of energy and motivation
- used in perfumery and culinary fragrancing for its warm, spicy, woody-fresh note
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 · 2 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- The China-origin composition here is a public ISO profile range citation rather than a batch-specific open GC-MS table, so the percentages are representative standard ranges instead of one lot's measured values.
- No public source reviewed in this pass provided verified volatility-rate or tenacity-hour values.