What is it?
An essential oil distilled from the roots of vetiver, Chrysopogon zizanioides (also known as Vetiveria zizanioides), a tall grass native to northern India and now grown in many warm regions. The oil is made up mostly of sesquiterpenes, including the alcohol khusimol and ketones called vetivones, which give it an earthy, woody scent. It is used in perfumes and to scent cosmetics and personal care products.
Key information
- The EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety found only limited human evidence that vetiver oil causes contact allergy and did not class it as an established allergen.
- Vetiver oil is not among the fragrance allergens the EU added to its labeling list in 2023.
- About 300 compounds have been detected in vetiver oil; khusimol, beta-vetispirene, vetiselinenol and alpha-vetivone are consistently among the main ones.
- Acetylated vetiver oil, also called vetiveryl acetate, is a chemically modified derivative and a different ingredient.
More information
Vetiver oil is produced by distilling fresh or dried roots, and its composition varies with where the grass is grown. The SCCS describes Bourbon oil from Réunion as rich in khusimol (24 to 36 percent), isovalencenol (12 to 24 percent) and the ketones alpha-vetivone (6 to 12 percent) and beta-vetivone (4 to 10 percent). In a 2022 study of Brazilian vetiver root oil, 70 percent of the oil was oxygenated sesquiterpenes, with khusimol the largest single compound at 30 percent, and no monoterpenes or phenylpropanoids were detected; the roots yielded about 0.5 percent oil.
In its 2012 opinion on fragrance allergens, the EU’s Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety (SCCS) placed vetiver oil among essential oils with limited human evidence of contact allergy, not among established allergens. The evidence came from two older studies by the same research group: 1 of 200 patients reacted to the oil, as did 9 of 86 patients who were already allergic to the standard fragrance mix. Vetiver oil was not among the fragrance allergens the EU added to its labeling list in 2023.
A chemically modified form, acetylated vetiver oil (also called vetiveryl acetate), has been reviewed separately. The SCCS noted that it is a moderate skin sensitizer in animal tests but, given human patch-test results and years of use without evidence of sensitization, considered it unlikely to cause contact allergy in people and safe, with 1 percent alpha-tocopherol added, at the concentrations proposed by IFRA.
On labels, vetiver oil appears as Vetiveria Zizanoides Root Oil; vetiveryl acetate and acetylated vetiver oil are a different ingredient.
Sources: SCCS: Opinion on fragrance allergens in cosmetic products (2012); SCCS: Opinion on fragrance ingredient Acetylated Vetiver Oil (2019); Pharmaceuticals (2022): Antibacterial, antiparasitic, and cytotoxic activities of chemically characterized essential oil of Chrysopogon zizanioides roots; EUR-Lex: Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 on labelling of fragrance allergens