When I first made this comparison of chamomile essential oils in 2017, we offered 4 different varieties of chamomile essential oils. As of the time of this update (April 2023), we offer five different chamomile oils, and I often get questions from folks who are trying to decide which one to choose.
Jump Ahead to:
While all chamomile essential oils have related aromas and healing properties, there is also quite a bit of difference between them. That’s why I decided to write up this little guide so you can easily decide which one or one(s) is right for you. Perhaps it’s all five!
To start with, all of our chamomile essential oils come from plants in the Asteraceae, or daisy, family. These plants grow in different regions all around the world, and they are characterized by small, white flowers. All of the chamomile essential oils are gentle and they are safe for frequent use on the skin and through inhalation.
Now, let’s get on with this comparison of chamomile essential oils by looking at the unique aspects of each of our wonderful chamomile oils.
German Chamomile Essential Oil
In aromatherapy, the best-known chamomile is German chamomile (Matricaria recutita), also known as "blue" chamomile. German chamomile essential oil gets its striking blue color due to chamazulene, a unique compound that’s produced during the steam-distillation of this oil.
German chamomile has a sweet, fruity, smoky, and herbaceous aroma. Along with its high chamazulene content, it contains high amounts of a-Bisabolol, and these two compounds account for much of the anti-inflammatory and pain-relief benefits of Blue chamomile essential oil.
Along with being great for alleviating aches, pains, and inflammatory skin problems, Blue chamomile essential oil is frequently the oil of choice in alleviating insomnia or sleeping disturbances.
German Chamomile can be found in our Pain Relief Formula, and Advanced Pain and Nerve Formula, which have received rave reviews from customers who have used them for pain relief.
It’s also included in Voice, which is part of our chakra series. The Voice blend is wonderful for alleviating physical and emotional pain related to the throat or 5th chakra, which can be very helpful for speaking with calm confidence and for singing.
Most recently, I added a blend called Gentle. That one has 3 of our chamomiles in it. Gentle was formulated with babies, children, and other people who are more sensitive. It still needs to be diluted because it's made of pure essential oil, but the oils in the blend are considered some of the most gentle.
Chamomile (German) Essential Oil - Blue Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla)
$43.00
Botanical Name: Matricaria Chamomilla Plant Part: Flowering Tops Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled Country of Origin: Egypt Color/Consistency: Dark Blue Color with Medium Consistency Aroma: Sweet, Fruity, Smoky, and Herbaceous Perfumery Note: Middle Main Chemical Components: Bisabolol-alpha ( 45.28 %), Chamazulene… read more
Blue Chamomile Essential Oil
We offer a second German Chamomile which we call Blue Chamomile in order to make it easy to differentiate between the two. This new chamomile is obtained by Co2 Extraction. We added this one in early 2023. We couldn't help it!
The aroma of this Co2 extracted oil has more body and sweetness than steam-distilled Chamomile essential oils because it retains certain aromatic and chemical components from the original plant material that do not make it through in the steam distillation process.
If you are looking for a German Chamomile essential oil that has an exceptionally clean and sweet aroma, look no further!
Chamomile (Blue) Essential Oil - CO2 Extracted German Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla)
$32.00
Botanical Name: Matricaria Chamomilla Plant Part: Flowering Tops Method of Extraction: CO2 Extracted Country of Origin: Serbia Color/Consistency: Dark Green/Brown Color with Medium Consistency Aroma: Sweet, Floral, Fruity Perfumery Note: Middle Main Chemical Components: Alpha-Bisabolol (52.7%), Beta-Farnesene (21.2%), Chamazulene (8.9%) … read more
Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
The second most popular variety of chamomile oil is Roman chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis), also known as English chamomile. The aroma of this chamomile is what most people associate with chamomile tea.
It has a more floral and tenacious aroma, and while it contains the blue compound chamazulene in small amounts, it has a yellow to light blue or green color...which varies with the crop.
Roman chamomile essential oil is high in esters of angelic and tiglic acid, which are known for their pain-relieving and spasmolytic action.
As a result, Roman chamomile essential oil is frequently used as a calming agent and to relieve sore muscles. Like Blue chamomile, Roman chamomile is effective in alleviating inflammatory skin conditions such as rashes, eczema, and psoriasis.
I have blended our Roman Chamomile into our Peace Potion, Gentle, Voice, Malu (my new as of 2022 Serenity blend), Bouquet (a lovely blend of florals), and Sweet Dreams (my majorly sedative sleep formula). Roman Chamomile is mildly sedative, and it lends peaceful, relaxing notes to all of my blends.
Chamomile (Roman) Essential Oil - Organic (Anthemis Nobilis)
$39.00
Botanical Name: Anthemis Nobilis Plant Part: Flowering Tops Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled Country of Origin: USA - Oregon Color/Consistency: Clear Pale Yellow with Thin Consistency Aroma: Sweet, Fresh, Rich, and Apple-like Perfumery Note: Middle Main Chemical Components: Isoamyl angelate… read more
Cape Chamomile Essential Oil
Cape chamomile essential oil is extracted from the cape snow flower (Eriocephalus punctulatus), which grows in South Africa. Its color is crystal blue. It’s very rare and we are one of the few essential oil companies that offer this variety.
Cape chamomile essential oil has a powerful aroma that is berry-like, sweet, floral, and very clean-smelling. It is prized in perfumery and is frequently used in aromatherapy for dealing with anxiety, stress, and headaches.
Cape Chamomile has one of my favorite aromas in all of aromatherapy. It’s powerfully sweet with its apple-berry notes, yet it’s calming and not overpowering. It’s very high in esters which are known for their anti-anxiety and stress-relieving properties.
I've blended Cape Chamomile into Sleepy (a sleep formula that's a bit gentler than sweet dreams, with a sweeter aroma), Forgiving (one of my Wisdom blends to help with forgiveness of perceived wrongdoing), Eternal Beauty Skin Serum (my very first skincare formula....still loved by many), Swirly Twirly Gumdrops (It actually smells like gumdrops. It's a great diffuser oil and it can be used for cleaning), Gentle (made with babies and children in mind), Integrity (another Wisdom blend for integrity of spirit), and Unity (my crown chakra blend. Yes! You can say I really, really like this one!
Cape Chamomile essential oil is exceptionally gentle and it can be applied neat to the nape of the neck for anxiety and stress relief. I and many of my friends and customers have found this method to be very effective.
Chamomile (Cape) Essential Oil - Organic (Eriocephalus Punctulatus)
$36.00
Botanical Name: Eriocephalus Punctulatus Plant Part: Flowering Tops Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled Country of Origin: South Africa Color/Consistency: Clear Cobalt Blue Color with Thin Consistency Aroma: Berries, Apples, Sweet, Floral and Very Clean Perfumery Note: Base / Middle Bridge… read more
Wild Chamomile Essential Oil
Wild, or Moroccan, chamomile comes from a variety of daisy (Ormenis mixta) which grows around the Mediterranean. Its main constituents include santolina alcohol (also found in yarrow essential oil) and alpha-pinene (a compound found in frankincense).
Wild chamomile essential oil has a sweet, fresh, and herbaceous aroma that is redolent of apples. It is used in aromatherapy to soothe the mind and body, help alleviate depression and anxiety, and support skin, hair, and scalp health.
The aroma of this oil is very unique. It’s not as sweet as the other varieties and the herbaceous aspect makes it very interesting.
Chamomile (Wild) Essential Oil - Organic (Ormenis Mixta)
$36.00
Botanical Name: Ormenis Mixta Plant Part: Flowers Method of Extraction: Steam Distillation Country of Origin: Morocco Color/Consistency: Green-Brown with Thin Consistency Aroma: Sweet, Fresh, Herbaceous, Apple-Like Perfumery Note: Middle Main Chemical Components: alpha-Pinene (12.82%), Germacrene D (10.93%) … read more
Which one is right for you?
If you’re looking for your first chamomile oil, you’ll probably either want to get the Blue Chamomile, or Roman chamomile, because they have the widest range of uses in aromatherapy.
Both will be good for alleviating aches and pains, and the decision will likely come down to which aroma you prefer: Sweeter and subtler for Blue chamomile, more floral and tenacious for Roman.
If you’re looking for the most pleasing aroma and/or stress and anxiety relief, that would be our Cape Chamomile. It has the highest concentration of esthers, and it's regarded by some aromatherapists as the most anti-anxiety oil in aromatherapy.
Wild Chamomile has the most herbaceous aroma. It has a combination of the properties of the other chamomiles with an emphasis on wound healing, both physical and mental.
If you’d like to try all of our chamomiles (except the new blue one as of the time of this update on April 2, 2023), we offer our chamomile sampler set at a discounted price.
Chamomile Essential Oil Sampler Set - 100% Pure Essential Oils of 4 Fine Species of Chamomile
$123.00
Premium Chamomile Essential Oil Sampler Set containing Roman Chamomile (Anthemis Nobilis), German Chamomile (Matricaria Chamomilla), Cape Chamomile (Eriocephalus Punctulatus), and Wild Chamomile (Ormenis Mixta) Method of Extraction: Steam Distilled (4) 5ml Amber Glass European Dropper Bottles … read more
