Our Carrot Seed essential oil has a dry, sweet-woody, root-like, and earthy aroma, with a tenacious wet earth, fatty/oily, slightly spicy dry down. Carrot Seed oil is a friend of the natural perfumer who will find that it blends well with chypres, fougères, woody/resinous oils such as Frankincense and Cedarwood as well as citrus and spice oils. It is also found in trace amounts in Ambers, fantasy and modern aldehydic perfume types.[1]

Carrot Seed essential oil is derived from Daucus carota whose common names include Wild Carrot and Bishop’s Lace. This tenacious 'weed' seen along country roads is known in North America by another familiar name – Queen Anne's Lace. The feathery umbels eventually close upon their precious seeds, protecting them from weather and wind, but they often attach to the fur of passing animals, successfully dispersing the seeds and making this plant nearly impossible to eradicate. France is one of the largest producers of carrot seeds for aromatherapy and perfumery, with major seed production sites located primarily in the southern and western parts of the country.

When it comes to perfumery, please note that Carrot Seed essential oil has an extremely intense aroma and can easily overpower a perfume, so dilute well if working with small-quantity perfume formulas. Rhind even mentions a little known blending trick: the combination of Carrot and Cedarwood essential oils mimics the scent of the very costly Orris Butter![2] As an alternative, perfumers may enjoy working with the smoother and less pungent Carrot Absolute - when added to floral, fruity or spicy accords, Carrot Absolute is often used to give the sweet and subtle effects of plum or apricot jam.[3]

Carrot Seed essential oil is popularly added to facial masks and to preparations for mature skin – a sensible choice since carotol, the dominant sesquiterpene alcohol, is a multi-purpose constituent that is well-suited to skincare applications. Carrot Seed is known to help brighten the complexion and improve the appearance of skin tone and imperfections.

PLEASE NOTE: this is steam distilled Carrot Seed essential oil and should not be confused with ‘carrot oil’ carrier oil or ‘carrot seed carrier oil,’ both of which are lipid oils that are produced by cold-pressing or maceration (infused oil). Carrot Seed essential oil must be diluted before applying to the skin.