Essential Oils Notes and Substitutes

Below we have included the essential oil notes which are a great reference to use when diffusing essential oils or creating your own blend. The substitute list is very useful if you run out of oil and would like to replace it or to experiment with different scents. We hope you will find the information below useful.

When we talk about an essential oil note, we mean how long it will take the oil to evaporate and has nothing to do with the scent.  Some top notes have a very strong scent while some base notes have a very soft scent. It is very useful to know the essential oil notes if you want to create your own blend, or if you want to know the diffusing time of a single oil. When creating your own blend, if you are using oils from each note category, you can refer to the notes as layers, as the top note diffuses away, you may notice scents from other notes. When creating a mix of oils, call a synergy blend, to have the best result let the blend rest for 24h, the oils will do their magic, and the aroma can become different and stronger.

Essential Oils and their Notes

Essential Oils and their Substitutes

If you are out of an oil, or would like to replace it for another to experiment with different scent, here is a list Canyon Zen put together. Some of the substitute oils are not based on their scents, more towards their therapeutic benefits. If you are looking for a scent replacement, look which one will work for your recipe. (If you are using a cell phone, switch it to landscape to make it easier to read the chart below. Otherwise, match the number of the oil to replace with the number of the substitute oil).

• Substitute with

1. Sandalwood

2. Fennel, Basil

3. Blue or Black Spruce

4. Rosemary, Black Pepper, Fennel

5. Jasmine, Amyris, Sandalwood, Cedarwood, Myrrh, Vetiver

6. Lemon, Lime, Melissa

7. Benzoin, amyris, sandalwood, cedarwood, galbanum, labdanum, patchouli

8. Sage, Rosemary, Turmeric, Peppermint

9. Roman Chamomile, Lavender, Frankincense, Rosemary

10. Tea Tree, Manuka, Kanuka, Ravensara, Niaouli, Cypress

11. Eucalyptus, Frankincense, Tea Tree, Cajeput, Spruce fir

12. Patchouli, Petitgrain, Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Mandarin

13. Cinnamon, Cedarwood, Black Pepper, Clove Buds, Nutmeg

14. Sandlawood, Patchouli, Nutmeg

15. Chamomile Roman, Clary Sage, Dill, Hyssop, Melissa

16. Lavender, Fennel, Melissa, Lemon, Lemongrass

17. Cassia, Cloves, Nutmeg

18. Myrtle, Marjoram, Hyssop, Lavender, Chamomile, Tea Tree

19. Lemon, Melissa, Bergamot

20. Lavender, Chamomile, Juniper, Pine

21. Cinnamon, Ginger, Nutmeg

22. Pine, Cypress

23. Cardamom, Patchouli, Cedarwood

24. Coriander, Dill, Cardamom, Turmeric, Fennel

25. Pine, Fir, Juniper

26. Orange, Neroli, Petitgrain, Cedarwood, Amyris, Patchouli

27. Lavender, Hyssop, Chamomile, Coriander

28. Frankincense, Myrrh, Pine, Cinnamon

29. Pine, Frankincense, Tea Tree, Manuka

30. Juniper Berry, Basil, Lemon, Cardamom

31. Frankincense, Pine

32. Pine, Fir, Eucalyptus

33. Myrrh, Labdanum, Spikenard

34. Rose, Lavender, Chamomile, Petitgrain, Palmarosa

35. Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Orange

36. Lemon, Melissa, Petitgrain, Bergamot

37. Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Patchouli

38. Eucalyptus, Rosewood

39. Clary Sage, Camphor, Rosemary, Roman chamomile

40. Patchouli, Ylang Ylang, Vetiver, Sandalwood

41. Pine, Fir, Cypress, Spruce

42. Benzoin, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lemon, Sweet Orange

43. Lavender, although not as strong

44. Rosemary, Clary Sage

45. Lemongrass, Citronella, Melissa

46. Lemongrass

47. Lemon, Citronella, Melissa

48. Lemongrass, Bergamot

49. Lemongrass, Lemon

50. Lemongrass, Bergamot

51. Tea Tree, Myrtle

52. Thyme, Lavender, Clary Sage, Fennel

53. Lemongrass, Lemon, Citronella

54. Lemon, Lemongrass, Citronella

55. Vetiver, Patchouli, Frankincense, Sandalwood

56. Nerolina, Cajeput, Hyssop, Tea Tree

57. Petitgrain, Orange

58. Tea Tree, Cajeput, Manuka, Ravensara

59. Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger

60. Mix of Patchouli and Vetiver

61. Orange, Neroli, Petitgrain, Mandarin, Tangerine

62. Marjoram, Tea Tree

63. Rose, Geranium, Neroli

64. Vetiver, Peru Balsam, Sandalwood

65. Spearmint, Eucalyptus, Tea Tree

66. Vanilla, Benzoin

67. Wild Orange, Neroli, Sweet Orange, Mandarin, Tangerine

68. Silver Fir, Black Spruce

69. Rosemary, Eucalyptus, Thyme, Tea Tree

70. Ravensara, Eucalyptus, Thyme, Cajeput

71. Geranium, Palmarosa

72. Fennel, Eucalyptus

73. Rose, Geranium, Ho Wood

74. Clary Sage, Rosemary, Lavender, Ravensara, Juniper

75. Cedarwood, Patchouli, Vetiver, Amyris

76. Peppermint

77. Frankincense

78. Cypress, Fir, Pine

79. Orange, Wild Orange, Mandarine

80. Fennel, Anise, Hyssop, Sage, Clary Sage

81. Eucalyptus, Cajeput, Manuka, Kanuka, Myrtle, Niaouli

82. Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary

83. Sandalwood, Coriander, Cumin, Ginger, Helichrysum

84. Vetiver, Sandalwood

85. Vetiver, Patchouli, Sandalwood, Myrrh, Amyris

86. Myrrh, Patchouli, Vanilla, Sandalwood, Cedarwood

87. Tangerine, Petitgrain

88. Eucalyptus, Basil, Oregano

89. Blue Chamomile, Lavender, Hyssop

90. Rose, Jasmine, Neroli, Geranium

91. Mandarin, Grapefruit, Lime, Tangerine, Orange, Lemon