GET TO KNOW YOUR OILS
Sunflower
Helianthus annuus
Chemotype: alpha-pinene / calarene type
- PLANT PART
- dried flowers
- EXTRACTION
- distilled flower essential oil (specific distillation method not publicly specified)
- 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
- 88 / 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
- 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 public source reviewed in this pass identified Helianthus annuus flower essential oil as a furocoumarin-driven phototoxic oil.
Contraindications & cautions
- moderateThe publicly readable supplier SDS classifies this sunflower flower essential oil as Skin Irrit. 2 (H315) and Skin Sens. 1 (H317), so leave-on use still requires conservative dilution even though no public numeric dermal maximum was located.
- majorThe publicly readable supplier SDS classifies this material as Asp. Tox. 1 (H304) and Acute Tox. 4 (H302), and reports an oral LD50 in rat of 3700 mg/kg, so internal-use safety should not be inferred from the absence of a public dermal cap.
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 draft is anchored first to the publicly readable Normandie Arômes sunflower technical sheet, catalog page, SDS, and allergen certificate, which identify the material as an essential oil obtained from the dried flowers of Helianthus annuus and show an alpha-pinene-dominant chromatographic profile distinct from sunflower seed carrier oil. Live source review on 2026-07-08 confirmed that the Normandie technical sheet and SDS remained directly accessible as public PDFs at their cited URLs with HTTP 200 responses, `content-type: application/pdf`, and last-modified timestamps of 2023-10-26; same-day text extraction from those PDFs confirmed the technical sheet publishes the chromatographic profile and physical properties while the SDS publishes CLP hazards, first-aid, storage, and an oral LD50, but neither document publishes a numeric leave-on maximum dermal percentage. The same-day readable allergen certificate confirmed limonene as the declared listed allergen at 0.25%. Live source review on 2026-07-08 also confirmed that Hermitage's current canonical public product page at `https://hermitageoils.com/product/sunflower-essential-oil-2/`, its public product API for product 34539, and its directly readable attached SDS `SUNFLOWER ESSENTIAL OIL (EN) (2023-04-14)` all describe a commercial sunflower essential oil from Helianthus annuus flowers, minus the seeds, sold with origin France. The readable Hermitage SDS materially improves the draft by confirming product CAS 666723-01-9, EC 457-800-1, the CLP classification, section 3 composition ranges headed by pin-2(3)-ene at 75-100%, and specific gravity 0.8700-0.8900 at 20C. That same Hermitage SDS still does not publish a numeric leave-on maximum dermal percentage, and Hermitage exposes no public IFRA certificate attachment for this product in its media API. A direct live review on 2026-07-08 also confirmed that the Good Scents entry often surfaced for this material is actually for sunflower seed oil / Helianthus annuus oil with CAS 8001-21-6, not this flower essential oil with CAS 666723-01-9. The official IFRA transparency list surfaced in search results only as a raw disclosure list that includes CAS 666723-01-9, not as a public product-specific conformity certificate or numeric use limit. The public CIR sunflower safety assessment reviewed on 2026-07-08 covers flower extracts and other Helianthus annuus derivatives, but not this distilled essential-oil raw material. A readable supplier raw-material dossier or safety statement remains the missing public source for a numeric leave-on dermal cap.
| Constituent | Typical amount | Reported range | Chemical family | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| alpha-pinene | 69.01% | 69.01–70% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT; NORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL MSDS https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Pinene alpha 69.01%) ; https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-MSDS.pdf section 3 (main compound PINENE ALPHA 70%) |
| verbenone | 0.52% | 0.52–0.52% | monoterpene ketone | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 2 chromatographic profile (Verbenone 0.52%) |
| calarene | 10.02% | 10.02–10.02% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Calarene 10.02%) |
| sabinene | 3.05% | 3.05–3.05% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 2 chromatographic profile (Sabinene 3.05%) |
| beta-bisabolene | 2.16% | 2.16–2.16% | sesquiterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Bisabolene beta 2.16%) |
| trans-verbenol | 0.89% | 0.89–0.89% | monoterpene alcohol | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 2 chromatographic profile (Verbenol trans 0.89%) |
| beta-pinene | 0.97% | 0.97–0.97% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Pinene beta 0.97%) |
| camphene | 0.62% | 0.62–0.62% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Camphene 0.62%) |
| trans-pinocarveol | 0.44% | 0.44–0.44% | monoterpene alcohol | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Pinocarveol trans 0.44%) |
| valerenal | 0.45% | 0.45–0.45% | sesquiterpene aldehyde | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 2 chromatographic profile (Valerenal 0.45%) |
| p-cymene | 0.29% | 0.29–0.29% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Cymene para 0.29%) |
| limonene | 0.25% | 0.25–0.25% | monoterpene hydrocarbon | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT; NORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL ALLERGENES https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Limonene 0.25%) ; https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-ALLERGENES.pdf (Limonene 0.25%) |
| alpha-pinene oxide | 0.54% | 0.54–0.54% | monoterpene oxide | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Pinene alpha oxide 0.54%); direct pdftotext extraction performed 2026-07-09 confirmed this row in the published chromatographic profile table |
| humulene oxide (humulene epoxide II) | 0.29% | 0.29–0.29% | sesquiterpene oxide | View sourceNORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf page 1 chromatographic profile (Humulene oxide 0.29%); direct pdftotext extraction performed 2026-07-09 confirmed this row; compound identity mapped to the widely-cited GC-MS reference name humulene epoxide II (CAS 19888-34-7) |
Profile source: NORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL FT; Huile essentielle de Tournesol - Normandie Arômes; NORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL MSDS; NORMANDIE AROMES - HE TOURNESOL ALLERGENES; Sunflower Essential Oil - Hermitage Essential Oils; Hermitage attachment metadata for SUNFLOWER ESSENTIAL OIL (EN) (2023-04-14); Safety Assessment of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower)-Derived Ingredients as Used in Cosmetics · https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf (public technical sheet identifies the material as essential oil obtained from the dried flowers of Helianthus annuus and lists the chromatographic profile headed by Pinene alpha 69.01%, Calarene 10.02%, Sabinene 3.05%, Bisabolene beta 2.16%, Verbenone 0.52%) ; https://www.normandiearomes.fr/index.php/tournesol/ (public supplier catalog page reviewed 2026-07-08 repeats the dominant profile alpha-pinene about 70%, sabinene about 3%, and calarene or beta-gurjunene about 10%) ; https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-MSDS.pdf (public SDS identifies CAS 666723-01-9, INCI `Terpene and terpenoids, sunflower (Helianthus annuus) oil`, and main compound PINENE ALPHA 70%) ; https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-ALLERGENES.pdf (public allergen certificate dated 2021-10-01 identifies limonene as the declared listed allergen at 0.25%) ; `curl -I -L https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-FT.pdf` (run 2026-07-08: returned HTTP 200, `content-type: application/pdf`, `last-modified: Thu, 26 Oct 2023 21:07:16 GMT`) ; `curl -I -L https://www.normandiearomes.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NORMANDIE-AROMES-HE-TOURNESOL-MSDS.pdf` (run 2026-07-08: returned HTTP 200, `content-type: application/pdf`, `last-modified: Thu, 26 Oct 2023 21:07:12 GMT`) ; https://hermitageoils.com/product/sunflower-essential-oil-2/ (reviewed 2026-07-08; public page exposes `article:modified_time` 2026-05-19T15:08:49+00:00, `Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus`, `Origin: France`, an SDS-only Data Sheets block, and JSON-LD/product-description text calling the oil a very high impact material with carrot seed, dry hay, rooty artichoke, orris, angelica root, ambrette seed, dry green, floral, and resinous facets) ; https://hermitageoils.com/wp-json/wp/v2/product/34539 (reviewed 2026-07-08: public product API exposes `modified_gmt` `2026-05-19T15:08:49` and repeats that the material is produced from `Helianthus annuus flowers, minus the seeds`) ; https://hermitageoils.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SUNFLOWER-ESSENTIAL-OIL-EN-2023-04-14.pdf (readable supplier SDS reviewed 2026-07-08: product CAS 666723-01-9, EC 457-800-1, section 3 composition headed by pin-2(3)-ene at 75.0% <= C <= 100.0%, and specific gravity 0.8700-0.8900 at 20C) ; https://hermitageoils.com/wp-json/wp/v2/media/52701 (public metadata exposes attachment 52701 titled SUNFLOWER ESSENTIAL OIL (EN) (2023-04-14) with canonical source_url https://hermitageoils.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SUNFLOWER-ESSENTIAL-OIL-EN-2023-04-14.pdf, mime_type application/pdf, filesize 295007 bytes, attached to product 34539) ; https://www.cir-safety.org/sites/default/files/Helianthus%20annuus.pdf (covers sunflower seed- and flower-derived cosmetic ingredients generally, but no numeric leave-on cap for the distilled essential oil)
A TRADITION OF BOTANICAL CURIOSITY
Traditional & reported uses
These uses reflect the profile's reported traditions and literature. They are not established treatment recommendations.
- used as a light carrier/base oil in massage and skin-care blends
- traditionally valued for its mild, easily absorbed emollient character
- used to dilute essential oils in topical aromatherapy applications
- reported to support skin softness in cosmetic formulations
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 · 4 data gaps
Good decisions start with knowing what is — and isn't — in the evidence.
- max_dermal_pct 100 is an archive unrestricted convention applied because the public sources reviewed on 2026-07-08 did not expose a product-specific numeric leave-on cap for Helianthus annuus flower essential oil. Same-day text extraction confirmed the public Normandie Arômes SDS contains CLP hazards, first-aid, storage, and oral LD50 language only, while the public Normandie technical sheet contains chromatographic profile, density, flash point, and lifespan notes only; neither readable PDF contains a leave-on cap. The same-day readable Hermitage SDS at `https://hermitageoils.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/SUNFLOWER-ESSENTIAL-OIL-EN-2023-04-14.pdf` likewise confirms product identity, CAS 666723-01-9, section 3 composition headed by alpha-pinene, and specific gravity 0.8700-0.8900 at 20C, but still gives no numeric leave-on limit. The Good Scents sunflower oil page reviewed the same day is mainly for sunflower seed oil CAS 8001-21-6 and only supports a broad no-listed-IFRA-restriction reading, not a product-specific numeric certificate for CAS 666723-01-9. Missing source type: a readable supplier raw-material conformity statement or technical safety sheet with a numeric leave-on limit, or a primary safety monograph publishing a numeric dermal cap for sunflower flower essential oil.
- The quantitative composition source is a supplier chromatographic profile rather than a batch-specific GC/MS sheet for the exact Hermitage lot.
- The odor intensity is an archive normalization from the public Hermitage qualitative odor description rather than a native published 0-100 metric; the public Normandie technical sheet reviewed on 2026-07-08 states only `Odour: Typical` and does not add a measurable intensity scale.
- No public source reviewed in this pass provided directly measured volatility-rate or tenacity-hour values for sunflower essential oil.