GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Pennyroyal
Mentha pulegium
Chemotype: pulegone type
- PLANT PART
- flowers and leaves
- EXTRACTION
- steam distillation
- AROMA NOTE
- top-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
- 85 / 100
- Note layer
- top-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
- 1.3%
- 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 restriction was identified in the reviewed public sources for steam-distilled pennyroyal oil.
Contraindications & cautions
- majorAvoid during pregnancy because the oil is widely described as abortifacient and hepatotoxic due to pulegone content.
- majorPublic clinical and toxicology references describe pennyroyal oil as hepatotoxic and not recommended for internal or topical use except with stringent caution.
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 record is anchored to a directly readable supplier batch dossier for Moroccan Mentha pulegium oil and cross-checked against public pennyroyal composition literature. The public batch dossier identifies pulegone as the dominant constituent at greater than 80%, with isopulegone and limonene as minor quantified markers. Menthone, isomenthone, and piperitone were added from Agnihotri et al. 2005 (Flavour and Fragrance Journal), a peer-reviewed GC-MS study of a high-pulegone (65.9-83.1%) wild Himalayan Mentha pulegium chemotype closely matching this record's 83.8% pulegone value, with percentages corroborated via Teixeira et al. 2012 (Industrial Crops and Products) comparative literature Table 2.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulegone | 83.8% | — | monoterpene ketone | View sourceMadar Corporation Pennyroyal Batch 4560408 dossier https://www.madarcorporation.com/spec-sheets/essential-oil/pennyroyal/Pennyroyal%20-%204560408%20All%20docs.pdf (pulegone content min 80%; results 83.80%) |
| Isopulegone | 1.85% | 1–5% | monoterpene ketone | View sourceMadar Corporation Pennyroyal Batch 4560408 dossier https://www.madarcorporation.com/spec-sheets/essential-oil/pennyroyal/Pennyroyal%20-%204560408%20All%20docs.pdf (isopulegone 1-5%; results 1.85%) |
| Limonene | 0.95% | 0.01–5% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceMadar Corporation Pennyroyal Batch 4560408 dossier https://www.madarcorporation.com/spec-sheets/essential-oil/pennyroyal/Pennyroyal%20-%204560408%20All%20docs.pdf (S-p-mentha-1,8-diene/limonene 1-5%; results 0.95%; spec also lists limonene 0.01-5%) |
| Menthone | 8.5% | 8.3–8.7% | monoterpene ketone | View sourceEssential oil composition of Mentha pulegium L. growing wild in the north-western Himalayas, India (Agnihotri et al. 2005), as tabulated in Teixeira et al. 2012 comparative literature table Agnihotri, V.K. et al., Flavour and Fragrance Journal 20:607-610, 2005, DOI 10.1002/ffj.1497; values corroborated in Teixeira et al., Industrial Crops and Products 36:81-87, 2012, DOI 10.1016/j.indcrop.2011.08.011, Table 2 (http://ihmtweb.ihmt.unl.pt/download/Palmeida/Teixeira_et_al_2012_Artigo-Mentha_pulegium.pdf) (menthone reported for high-pulegone 65.9-83.1% chemotype, wild Himalayan M. pulegium) |
| Isomenthone | 3.9% | 3.8–4% | monoterpene ketone | View sourceEssential oil composition of Mentha pulegium L. growing wild in the north-western Himalayas, India (Agnihotri et al. 2005), as tabulated in Teixeira et al. 2012 comparative literature table Agnihotri, V.K. et al., Flavour and Fragrance Journal 20:607-610, 2005, DOI 10.1002/ffj.1497; values corroborated in Teixeira et al., Industrial Crops and Products 36:81-87, 2012, DOI 10.1016/j.indcrop.2011.08.011, Table 2 (http://ihmtweb.ihmt.unl.pt/download/Palmeida/Teixeira_et_al_2012_Artigo-Mentha_pulegium.pdf) (isomenthone reported for high-pulegone 65.9-83.1% chemotype, wild Himalayan M. pulegium) |
| Piperitone | 2.3% | 1.3–3.2% | monoterpene ketone | View sourceEssential oil composition of Mentha pulegium L. growing wild in the north-western Himalayas, India (Agnihotri et al. 2005), as tabulated in Teixeira et al. 2012 comparative literature table Agnihotri, V.K. et al., Flavour and Fragrance Journal 20:607-610, 2005, DOI 10.1002/ffj.1497; values corroborated in Teixeira et al., Industrial Crops and Products 36:81-87, 2012, DOI 10.1016/j.indcrop.2011.08.011, Table 2 (http://ihmtweb.ihmt.unl.pt/download/Palmeida/Teixeira_et_al_2012_Artigo-Mentha_pulegium.pdf) (piperitone reported for high-pulegone 65.9-83.1% chemotype, wild Himalayan M. pulegium) |
Profile source: Madar Corporation Pennyroyal Batch 4560408 dossier; Liberty Natural Pennyroyal Morocco; Mom Prepares Pennyroyal Essential Oil guide · https://www.madarcorporation.com/spec-sheets/essential-oil/pennyroyal/Pennyroyal%20-%204560408%20All%20docs.pdf; https://www.libertynatural.com/bulk/464.htm; https://momprepares.com/essential-oils/pennyroyal/
A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY
Traditional & reported uses
These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.
- historically used in folk herbal traditions for its intense minty-camphoraceous aroma
- traditionally associated with insect-repellent use in folk practice
- used sparingly in the past in flavoring and herbal preparations, now largely avoided due to safety concerns
- reported in older aromatherapy literature for a sharp, penetrating mint-like scent
- regarded in modern aromatherapy as a high-risk oil, with traditional uses noted mainly for historical context
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 exact 1.3% max_dermal_pct available from public web sources is a secondary safety summary derived from Tisserand's pulegone-based calculation rather than a directly readable page from Essential Oil Safety itself.
- The 0-100 odor_intensity value is a normalization of public qualitative descriptions such as 'more powerful than other mints' and supplier descriptors like 'grass, minty' rather than a source-native numeric measurement.