What is it?
An essential oil distilled from the dried tops and leaves of spearmint, Mentha spicata (also called Mentha viridis). Its mint scent comes mainly from carvone, while peppermint oil is rich in menthol. It flavors toothpaste and foods and scents personal care products.
Key information
- Spearmint oil is typically 60 to 70 percent carvone, with 9 to 16.5 percent limonene.
- The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety classifies spearmint oil as an established contact allergen; reactions on the lips and in the mouth from toothpaste have been reported.
- New products placed on the EU market since August 2026 must list Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil above 0.001 percent in leave-on or 0.01 percent in rinse-off products.
- IFRA restricts carvone in finished products because of skin sensitization and systemic toxicity.
More information
According to reference data cited by the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS), spearmint oil contains 60 to 70 percent (-)-carvone and 9 to 16.5 percent limonene, with only traces of menthone. Several types, including native, Chinese and Indian spearmint oils, have their own ISO standards.
In its 2012 opinion on fragrance allergens, the SCCS classified spearmint oil as an established contact allergen. In one study of 1,606 consecutive patients patch tested for skin allergy, 0.8 percent reacted to American spearmint oil; another found 1.4 percent of 422 patients reacting. Toothpaste is a recognized source: allergic reactions of the lips and inside of the mouth have been reported, and l-carvone gave positive patch tests in “toothpaste cases” at concentrations as low as 0.067 percent.
Following that opinion, the EU added spearmint oil, listed as Mentha Viridis Leaf Oil, to the fragrance allergens that must be named on labels of products placed on the market from August 2026, and carvone must now be labeled individually too. The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) restricts carvone because of skin sensitization and systemic toxicity, for example to 0.20 percent in body lotion and 0.66 percent in toothpaste and similar oral products. Spearmint oil is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as a food flavoring in the U.S.
People who react to mint-flavored toothpaste or lip products can check labels for spearmint, carvone, peppermint and menthol. See also our Peppermint Oil profile.
Sources: SCCS: Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (2012); Official Journal of the EU: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on labelling of fragrance allergens; IFRA: Standard for carvone (Amendment 49); Cornell LII: 21 CFR 182.20, Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives
