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Ylang Ylang Extra

Q: Is Ylang Ylang Extra natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Fractional steam distillation of fresh Cananga odorata flowers. The Extra grade is collected during the first 1-2 hours of a 15-20 hour distillation. Yield for Extra grade is approximately 0.5-1% from flowers. Principal production in Madagascar, Comoros Islands, and Réunion. The Comoros (Anjouan, Mohéli) produce the majority of the world's ylang oil. Flowers are harvested by hand at dawn when volatile content peaks..

FLOWERS / floral · exotic · sweet

Ylang Ylang Extra

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · exotic · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson
Appearance	Pale yellow to yellow clear liquid with intense sweet floral creamy odor
Producing Countries	Comoros Islands, Madagascar, Philippines, Indonesia
Pyramid	Heart

Rich, narcotic, jasmine-custard sweetness with a creamy, banana-like quality. Ylang extra is the finest fraction of ylang distillation — the most floral, the most intense, the most concentrated.

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

Scent

Rich, narcotic, jasmine-custard sweetness. Creamy-banana quality with a spicy (clove-like) undertone from eugenol. More floral and transparent than lower ylang grades. Less heavy than ylang II or III. A luminous, almost edible sweetness — custard, jasmine, tropical fruit. On blotter, the floral-sweet character persists with gradual warming.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Rich narcotic-floral burst. Jasmine-custard, creamy, intense.

After a few hours

Spicy-clove warmth develops. Banana-sweet quality persists. Deeply floral.

After a few days

Warm, sweet-floral base. Persistent, enveloping, slowly fading.

Terroir & Origins

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

The highest-quality fraction obtained from the fractional distillation of Cananga odorata flowers. Ylang-ylang distillation produces four grades (Extra, I, II, III); the 'Extra' is the first fraction collected, containing the lightest, most floral components.

The scent is intensely floral, sweet, and narcotic, with a particular jasmine-custard-banana quality. Key aroma compounds include linalool, geranyl acetate, benzyl acetate, methyl benzoate, and par a-cresyl methyl ether. The Extra grade is richest in linalool and lightest in the heavier sesquiterpene fraction that characterizes the lower grades.

Ylang-ylang Extra is used in high-quality floral compositions where the finest, most transparent ylang character is desired. The lower grades (I, II, III) are progressively heavier, less floral, and less expensive — used in functional fragrance and soap perfumery.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Ylang-ylang means 'flower of flowers' in Tagalog. In the Philippines and Indonesia, ylang-ylang flowers are strewn on the beds of newlyweds on their wedding night — a tradition rooted in the belief that the scent enhances romantic desire. Modern research has confirmed that ylang oil does reduce blood pressure and heart rate, which may explain its traditional associations with relaxation and intimacy.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Fractional steam distillation of fresh Cananga odorata flowers. The Extra grade is collected during the first 1-2 hours of a 15-20 hour distillation. Yield for Extra grade is approximately 0.5-1% from flowers. Principal production in Madagascar, Comoros Islands, and Réunion. The Comoros (Anjouan, Mohéli) produce the majority of the world's ylang oil. Flowers are harvested by hand at dawn when volatile content peaks.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	Complex mixture; major components: linalool (C₁₀H₁₈O), benzyl acetate (C₉H₁₀O₂), methyl benzoate
CAS Number	8006-81-3
Botanical Name	Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook.f. & Thomson
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Cananga odorata, Ylang Ylang Oil, Ylang Ylang Complete
Physical Properties
Appearance	Pale yellow to yellow clear liquid with intense sweet floral creamy odor
Flash Point	170.00 °F. TCC ( 76.67 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.94800 to 0.96800 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.49700 to 1.51100 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Heart note in floral, amber, and narcotic compositions. Ylang-ylang Extra provides the finest ylang character — intensely floral without the heaviness of lower grades. It is central to jasmine-ylang-tuberose white-flower bouquets and to certain foundational amber structures. The material works in both masculine and feminine compositions; its spicy quality connects to fougère traditions.