Ingredient Library
Ylang Ylang
Cananga odorata
Ylang ylang is a lush flower oil that balances and comforts while lending an exotic floral scent. Soothing, it suits combination and stressed skin.
A natural history
Ylang ylang is the intensely fragrant flower of a tropical tree native to the Philippines and Indonesia, its drooping, star shaped yellow blooms releasing one of the headiest, sweetest scents in all of nature. Its name comes from the Tagalog ilang-ilang, often translated as the flower of flowers, and in Indonesia its blossoms are traditionally strewn across the beds of newlyweds.
From the islands of Southeast Asia ylang ylang became a treasure of fine perfumery, a luxurious floral note prized by the world's great houses. It sits, famously, at the heart of Chanel No. 5, perhaps the most celebrated perfume ever made, a small tropical flower with an outsized place in the history of beauty.
What it does for your skin
Ylang ylang is a fragrant floral with antioxidant character. In laboratory study aimed at skin care, ylang ylang oil showed antioxidant, free radical scavenging activity alongside its prized aromatic compounds.[1] A broad analysis confirmed its antioxidant activity and its long standing role in perfume and cosmetics.[2] In a formula it lends a balancing, soothing, sensually fragrant character to stressed or combination looking skin. Its antioxidant, aromatic character is documented in laboratory studies aimed at skin care.
References
[1] Mrani SA, et al. Chemical composition, antioxidant, antibacterial, and hemolytic properties of ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata) essential oil: potential therapeutic applications in dermatology. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2024;17(10):1376. doi:10.3390/ph17101376
[2] Lebanov L, et al. Radical scavenging activity and metabolomic profiling study of ylang-ylang essential oils. J Chromatogr B. 2021;1179:122861. doi:10.1016/j.jchromb.2021.122861
Found in these formulas
Questions, answered
It is a fragrant, antioxidant floral oil used to lend stressed or combination-looking skin a balancing, soothing, beautifully scented character.
Its name means flower of flowers, and it is a celebrated heart note in some of the world's most famous perfumes, including Chanel No. 5.