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Carrot Seed Oil

Q: Is Carrot Seed Oil natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Steam distillation of dried seeds. Yield is approximately 0.5-1.5%. The seeds are harvested from wild or cultivated Daucus carota plants after they dry on the umbels. Major production in France, Hungary, and India. The quality varies considerably — French oil from wild carrot is generally considered superior for perfumery use..

ROOTS AND MOSSES / earthy · woody · iris-like

Carrot Seed Oil

Category	ROOTS AND MOSSES
Subcategory	earthy · woody · iris-like
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Daucus carota
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid with an earthy, sweet, slightly woody-carrot odour
Producing Countries	France, India
Pyramid	Heart

Dry, earthy-woody with a subtle sweet-violet quality. Carrot seed oil smells like freshly turned garden soil after autumn rain — warm, rooty, with a quiet, iris-like whisper.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Dry, earthy-woody opening — like freshly dug roots. A subtle violet-iris sweetness emerges in the heart, unexpected and delicate. The earthiness is clean rather than dirty. Drier than vetiver, less animalic than costus, with an iris-like quality that patchouli lacks. On blotter, the violet quality becomes more prominent as the earthy top fades.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Dry, earthy-rooty opening. Fresh soil quality.

After a few hours

Violet-iris sweetness emerges. Earthy backbone persists. Quietly beautiful.

After a few days

Warm earthy base with iris undertone. Moderate tenacity.

Regulation & Reformulation

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

Essential oil steam-distilled from the dried seeds of Daucus carota (wild carrot, Queen Anne's lace). The oil is pale yellow to amber with a complex, earthy-dry character quite different from what one might expect from 'carrot.'

The scent has nothing to do with orange carrot roots. It is earthy, dry, woody, with an unexpected violet-like, slightly iris-like sweetness in the heart. Key constituent carotol (a sesquiterpene alcohol, 30-65% of the oil) provides the earthy-woody backbone; daucol adds a subtle sweet-herbaceous quality. The iris-violet quality comes from trace ionone compounds.

Carrot seed oil is a niche but valued material in perfumery. It provides an earthy-dry quality with iris-like nuances at a fraction of orris butter's cost. It is used in earthy, chypre, and woody-iris compositions where naturalistic rootiness is desired.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Ambramone · Amburana Bark · Antillone · Apple Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Daucus carota — the source of carrot seed oil — is not the orange carrot you eat. The cultivated orange carrot (Daucus carota subsp. sativus) was developed by Dutch growers in the 17th century. Wild carrot has a pale, tough, inedible root. The essential oil comes from the seeds, not the root, of the wild species.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Steam distillation of dried seeds. Yield is approximately 0.5-1.5%. The seeds are harvested from wild or cultivated Daucus carota plants after they dry on the umbels. Major production in France, Hungary, and India. The quality varies considerably — French oil from wild carrot is generally considered superior for perfumery use.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	C₁₅H₂₆O (carotol, major component ~40-65%)
CAS Number	8015-88-1
Botanical Name	Daucus carota
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	DAUCUS CAROTA OIL · WILD CARROT OIL
Physical Properties
Appearance	Pale yellow to amber liquid with an earthy, sweet, slightly woody-carrot odour
Flash Point	119.00 °F. TCC ( 48.33 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.90000 to 0.94300 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.48900 to 1.49200 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Heart-to-base modifier in earthy, woody-iris, and chypre compositions. Carrot seed oil provides an affordable earthy-violet character that can approximate some qualities of orr is. It works in iris accords (adding earthy rootiness), in vetiver-based compositions (extending the earthy spectrum), and in chypre structures where naturalistic soil notes are desired. The carotol content gives it mild fixative properties. Used at moderate dosages — typically 1-5% — where its earthiness adds depth without dominating.