Cinnamon bark CO2 extract

Sweet cinnamon, hot spice, brown sugar, warm wood, a hint of clove. Rounder and sweeter than bark oil, with less harshness.

Cinnamaldehyde (cinnamal), the main constituent, is IFRA-restricted (2020) as a strong skin sensitiser; cinnamal and eugenol are EU-labelled allergens above threshold.

Tisserand and Young recommend very low dermal levels for cinnamon bark oil. The CO2 extract has a similar profile. Store dark, sealed and cool.

Ceylon cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) is native to Sri Lanka. Growers cut young shoots, peel the thin inner bark and roll it into multi-layered quills as it dries. Sri Lanka is the main source; Madagascar and the Seychelles produce smaller amounts.

The cinnamon grown in Vietnam, such as Yên Bái and Trà My cinnamon, is Cinnamomum cassia or close relatives. Cassia has thicker bark, a stronger and harsher odour and more coumarin than Ceylon cinnamon. The library has a separate cassia page.

CO2 extraction uses compressed carbon dioxide as the solvent. Under subcritical conditions CO2 takes mainly the volatile fraction, giving a product called a select extract. Under supercritical conditions it also takes lipids and non-volatiles, giving a total extract. On depressurisation the CO2 evaporates completely and leaves no solvent residue.

Cinnamaldehyde gives the characteristic cinnamon note. The CO2 extract keeps heavier compounds and resins, so it smells rounder and closer to dried bark. Eugenol in Ceylon bark is much lower than in cinnamon leaf oil.

In perfumery cinnamon CO2 is used in small amounts in oriental, gourmand and spicy accords. Dosage is tightly limited by the IFRA standard for cinnamaldehyde. It pairs with orange, vanilla, clove and resins.

In soap and candles cinnamaldehyde can discolour and accelerate soap trace; dosage is also tightly limited. The material is best evaluated diluted.