Cinnamomum aromaticum

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Common products:
The primary products are bark-derived spices (quills, chips, ground powder) and essential oils. Cinnamomum aromaticum (cassia) bark yields cinnamon bark essential oil, high in (E)-cinnamaldehyde; the leaves yield cinnamon leaf oil, high in eugenol. Minor products include extracts for flavors and cleaning products.

Industrial and craft applications:
Bark oil is used as a fragrance and flavor raw material and as a natural fragrance/odorant in detergents and cleaning formulations. Leaf oil is used in fragrance compounding and as a flavor component. The oil’s cinnamaldehyde and eugenol content provides characteristic odor and chemical reactivity enabling formulation in aroma chemicals and cleaning actives.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Bark (cassia) is used as a spice in baked goods, confectionery, desserts, curries, sauces, and meat rubs. It is an ingredient in spice blends and mulling spice mixes. Bark oil is used as a flavoring in confectionery, beverages, and baking. Leaf oil is used as a flavoring agent in food and beverage applications.

Colorants and tanning:
Historically used to provide brown hues to protein fibers in traditional dyeing; empirical details (e.g., mordants, fiber classes) are not standardized in modern industrial practice. Tannin content supports leather tanning; specific cassia leather tanning protocols are not standardized in current industry documentation.

Fragrance and cosmetics:
Cinnamon bark and leaf oils are used in perfumery for spicy, woody notes. Bark oil is used in cosmetics and toiletries (e.g., soaps, body care) as a fragrance component; leaf oil is used in fragrance and selected personal care applications.

Properties relevant to use:
Bark oil typically contains 80–90% (E)-cinnamaldehyde by GC, conferring strong spicy odor and antimicrobial properties in formulations. Leaf oil typically contains 70–95% eugenol by GC, conferring clove-like spicy character. Leaf oil typically yields more oil by distillation than bark.

Standards and regulation:
Cinnamon bark and leaf essential oils are covered by ISO standards for Chinese cassia (Cinnamomum aromaticum) (e.g., ISO 3216 for leaf oil). In many jurisdictions, use of cassia bark in food is subject to limits on coumarin content; national/regional rules specify maximum permitted levels. Essential oil use in cosmetics is subject to general safety and labeling requirements for fragrance materials (e.g., IFRA/ISO standards, local cosmetics regulations).

Sustainability and sourcing:
Cassia is cultivated in major producing regions (e.g., China, Vietnam). The species is propagated by cuttings or seedlings; bark harvests follow established rotation practices. Supply is largely agricultural rather than wild-harvest, reducing pressure on wild populations. Cassia oil trade follows internationally recognized spice and essential oil quality specifications.

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