Cananga

NaturalFLOWERSfloral · fruity · creamy

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

116hTenacity

2Origins

Specimen

Cananga odorata

Definition

Ylang-ylang's rougher, louder sibling. Same tree, same flowers, but steam-distilled without fractional separation. Cruder, greener, more insistent.

FLORAL SWEET FRUITY WARM FRESH CREAMY TROPICAL

YLANG-YLANG

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Florals
Subfamily: Fresh florals
Cluster: Classic florals
Source: flowers
Chemical class: complex natural (essential oil)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

116hours · 5 days

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

at 100 %

Producing countries

Indonesia Philippines

Scent

Full-spectrum ylang without refinement. Creamy-floral-tropical core, but with more green, more terpenic, more 'whole plant' character. Louder, less restrained than ylang Extra. All the beauty and roughness together.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

Terroir & Origins

The Full Story

Cananga oil comes from the same species as ylang-ylang — Cananga odorata — but produced by single continuous distillation rather than fractional extraction. The result is louder, greener, less clean.

Where ylang Extra isolates delicate narcotic top fractions, cananga includes everything — green, medicinal terpenes alongside sweet, creamy florals. Recognizably ylang but more vegetal, forceful, unpolished.

Some perfumers prefer its rougher character for compositions that benefit from unrefined tropical intensity. Major production is in Java, Indonesia.

The trees are identical; only the processing determines whether the product is 'cananga' or 'ylang-ylang.'

—

Did You Know?

In Indonesia, cananga flowers are scattered on newlyweds' beds (ranjang bunga) as an aphrodisiac. The same flowers are placed on graves as offerings — making cananga simultaneously a symbol of love and mourning.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Single continuous steam distillation of fresh Cananga odorata flowers. All fractions collected together over 15-20 hours. Major production: Java, Indonesia. Yield 1.5-2.5%.

Formula: N/A - complex essential oil (key: linalool, benzyl acetate)
CAS: 68606-83-7
Botanical: Cananga odorata
Appearance: pale yellow clear liquid
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: 116 hours at 100.00%
Synonyms: YLANG-YLANG

IFRA status

Restricted

Restricted (IFRA 51st: limits due to potential sensitizers)

Physical properties

Flash point: 185.00 °F. TCC ( 85.00 °C. )
Specific gravity: 0.90600 to 0.92300 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive index: 1.49500 to 1.50500 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Heart-note tropical floral providing full-spectrum ylang character. Less clean but more complete and cost-effective. Functions in Amber and tropical compositions where raw intensity is preferred. The green-terpenic qualities add naturalistic complexity absent from ylang Extra.

Role in the formula

01fixative

02diffusion enhancer

03backbone

04signature note

05blender

06volume builder

Available as

essential oil