Home » 3 Essential Oil Recipes with Ylang Ylang

Mar 20

3 Essential Oil Recipes with Ylang Ylang

Close up of blooming ylang-ylang flowers | Andi WG

Ylang ylang essential oil has one of the most distinctive fragrances in aromatherapy. Sweet, floral, creamy, exotic, and almost perfume-like, it can transform a simple blend with just one or two drops.

That intensity is part of its appeal.

It is also why ylang ylang is an essential oil that deserves a light hand.

Too much can make a blend overwhelmingly floral, and topical use requires particular care because ylang ylang has a history of causing allergic contact reactions in susceptible people. A commonly cited maximum dermal concentration is 0.8%.

The three recipes below use ylang ylang in different ways: a relaxing floral diffuser blend, an alcohol-based room fragrance, and a carefully diluted lavender-and-ylang-ylang body oil for adults.

You don’t need very much ylang ylang to make any of them smell luxurious.

🌼 What Is Ylang Ylang Essential Oil?

Ylang ylang essential oil comes from the fragrant yellow flowers of Cananga odorata, a tropical tree native to parts of Southeast Asia and now cultivated in other tropical regions.

The flowers have an intensely sweet fragrance and are steam distilled to produce the essential oil used in aromatherapy and perfumery.

Ylang ylang has a much richer aroma than delicate floral oils might suggest.

Depending on the oil and distillation fraction, you may notice notes that seem:

  • Sweet
  • Floral
  • Creamy
  • Fruity
  • Balsamic
  • Slightly spicy
  • Jasmine-like

It is powerful enough that a single drop can noticeably change an entire diffuser blend.

🌺 Ylang Ylang Extra, I, II, III & Complete

Ylang ylang is unusual because the distillation can be separated into several fractions.

You may see bottles labeled:

  • Ylang Ylang Extra
  • Ylang Ylang I
  • Ylang Ylang II
  • Ylang Ylang III
  • Ylang Ylang Complete

The earliest fractions generally emphasize lighter, more volatile floral notes, while later fractions contain proportionally more of the heavier aromatic components.

Ylang Ylang Complete represents a broader portion of the distillation and is a convenient choice for general aromatherapy blending.

You don’t need every grade to enjoy the recipes in this article.

If you already own a quality ylang ylang essential oil, start there.

🌸 What Blends Well With Ylang Ylang?

Ylang ylang pairs beautifully with many familiar essential oils.

Some of my favorites include:

  • Lavender
  • Sweet orange
  • Bergamot
  • Lemon
  • Geranium
  • Frankincense
  • Cedarwood
  • Sandalwood
  • Patchouli
  • Vetiver
  • Jasmine
  • Neroli

Citrus oils make ylang ylang brighter.

Lavender softens it.

Cedarwood and sandalwood give it depth.

Patchouli creates a richer perfume-like blend.

For beginners, ylang ylang + lavender + sweet orange is difficult to beat.

🍊 Recipe #1: Ylang Ylang, Orange & Lavender Diffuser Blend

This is an easy introduction to ylang ylang because the citrus prevents the floral note from becoming too heavy.

Ingredients

  • 3 drops sweet orange essential oil
  • 2 drops lavender essential oil
  • 1 drop ylang ylang essential oil

Instructions

Fill your diffuser with water according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Add the essential oils.

Diffuse for a limited period in a comfortably ventilated room.

If your diffuser is small, start with:

  • 2 drops sweet orange
  • 1 drop lavender
  • 1 drop ylang ylang

You can always adjust the blend during a future session.

🌼 What Does This Blend Smell Like?

Sweet orange provides the bright opening.

Lavender adds a soft herbal-floral middle.

Ylang ylang supplies the rich, creamy floral note that makes the blend feel more like a perfume than a simple citrus diffuser recipe.

It works particularly well during:

  • Quiet evenings
  • Reading
  • Journaling
  • Bath time
  • Gentle stretching
  • Creative hobbies
  • Relaxed weekends

The fragrance feels sophisticated without requiring a complicated blend.

🌙 Is Ylang Ylang Relaxing?

Ylang ylang has a longstanding reputation as a relaxing aromatherapy oil.

There is some human research investigating ylang ylang-containing aromatherapy blends and ylang ylang itself. Small studies have reported changes in subjective relaxation and certain physiological measurements.

However, the evidence is limited, and ylang ylang should not be presented as a treatment for anxiety, high blood pressure, insomnia, depression, or another medical condition.

A better way to describe it is simple:

Its rich floral aroma may help create an atmosphere that feels calm and relaxing to people who enjoy the scent.

That is enough reason to use it.

🍋 Bright Citrus Variation

If you want less lavender and more brightness, try:

  • 3 drops sweet orange
  • 2 drops lemon
  • 1 drop ylang ylang

This makes ylang ylang feel lighter and almost tropical.

It is an excellent daytime blend for spring and summer.

🌲 Woody Ylang Ylang Variation

For something deeper:

  • 2 drops sweet orange
  • 2 drops cedarwood
  • 1 drop ylang ylang
  • 1 drop frankincense

This works especially well in the evening.

Cedarwood and frankincense temper ylang ylang’s sweetness and create a warmer, more grounded fragrance.

🌿 Less Is More With Ylang Ylang

If a recipe calls for one drop of ylang ylang, resist the temptation to add five.

Ylang ylang can quickly dominate quieter oils.

Overly strong fragrance may also contribute to headache or nausea in sensitive people.

If the blend isn’t floral enough, add another drop during your next diffuser session rather than immediately turning the room into a perfume counter.

🌬️ Diffuse Intermittently

Continuous diffusion is usually unnecessary.

Once the fragrance is clearly noticeable throughout the room, give yourself a break from it.

Fresh-air exchange is useful too.

Aromatherapy should make a room more pleasant, not become something everyone has to endure.

This is especially relevant with ylang ylang because of its extraordinary fragrance intensity.

🏡 Recipe #2: Ylang Ylang & Citrus Room Spray

Ylang ylang also works beautifully in home fragrance.

This recipe combines it with sweet orange and lavender to make a soft floral-citrus spray.

Because essential oils do not dissolve properly in plain water, the recipe uses a predominantly high-alcohol base.

Ingredients

  • 3 ounces high-proof neutral grain alcohol, ideally 190 proof where legally available, or perfumer’s alcohol suitable for fragrance making
  • 1 ounce distilled water
  • 15 drops sweet orange essential oil
  • 8 drops lavender essential oil
  • 4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
  • 3 drops cedarwood essential oil
  • 4-ounce alcohol-compatible spray bottle

Instructions

Pour the alcohol into a clean, completely dry spray bottle.

Add the essential oils.

Close the bottle and shake thoroughly.

Add the distilled water.

Replace the spray top and shake again.

Label the bottle with the recipe name, ingredients, intended use, and date.

🌸 What Does the Room Spray Smell Like?

This has a much softer character than straight ylang ylang.

Sweet orange is bright and cheerful.

Lavender provides a familiar floral-herbal middle note.

Ylang ylang gives the spray a creamy perfume-like quality.

Cedarwood anchors the blend so it doesn’t become excessively sweet.

Try it after cleaning a bedroom, living room, or entryway.

🌬️ How to Use It

Mist one or two sprays into open air away from your face.

Allow the fragrance to disperse naturally.

Avoid spraying directly onto:

  • Furniture
  • Hardwood
  • Artwork
  • Painted surfaces
  • Electronics
  • Bedding
  • Clothing
  • Food
  • People
  • Pets

Essential oils and alcohol can affect certain finishes, coatings, fabrics, dyes, and plastics.

Treat this as an air fragrance, not an all-purpose surface spray.

🧴 Why Isn’t This Just Essential Oil and Water?

Essential oils are hydrophobic.

They do not truly dissolve in plain water.

Shaking a water-and-essential-oil bottle temporarily breaks the oil into droplets, but the mixture soon separates again.

That means the amount of essential oil delivered by each spray may be inconsistent.

A water-containing product also introduces formulation and preservation questions if it is stored.

For a simple home-fragrance recipe, an appropriate high-alcohol base makes more sense.

🍸 Don’t Automatically Substitute Ordinary Vodka

Standard 80-proof vodka is approximately 40% alcohol.

That is very different from a formula using very high-proof alcohol or perfumer’s alcohol.

Changing the solvent changes the formulation.

If appropriate alcohol isn’t available, use the diffuser recipe instead.

You do not need a room spray badly enough to improvise an unstable one.

🔥 Alcohol-Based Room Spray Is Flammable

Keep the finished spray and its ingredients away from:

  • Candles
  • Fireplaces
  • Gas burners
  • Cigarettes
  • Incense
  • Space heaters
  • Sparks
  • Other ignition sources

Never mist the spray toward a flame.

Allow sprayed alcohol to disperse completely before introducing an ignition source into the area.

🧼 This Isn’t a Disinfectant

A room spray containing essential oils may make the house smell clean.

That is not the same thing as disinfecting it.

Use soap or an appropriate household cleaner for routine cleaning.

When actual disinfection is necessary, use an EPA-registered disinfectant according to its label, including its specified contact time.

Ylang ylang’s job in this recipe is fragrance.

🌬️ Room Fragrance Doesn’t Purify the Air

Similarly, an essential-oil spray does not remove:

  • Dust
  • Pollen
  • Smoke
  • Pet dander
  • Mold spores
  • Fine particles

Ventilation and appropriate air filtration address those problems more directly.

Aromatic sprays add volatile fragrance compounds to the air rather than physically filtering contaminants from it.

Use them because you enjoy the scent.

💜 Recipe #3: Lavender & Ylang Ylang Body Oil

Ylang ylang is popular in massage and perfume-style body blends, but topical concentration matters.

A commonly cited maximum dermal level for ylang ylang essential oil is approximately 0.8% because of its potential to cause skin sensitization.

For this recipe, we’ll stay comfortably below that limit.

Ingredients

  • 1 ounce (30 mL) jojoba oil or fractionated coconut oil
  • 2 drops ylang ylang essential oil
  • 4 drops lavender essential oil
  • 1-ounce bottle

Using the common approximation of 20 drops per milliliter, the total essential-oil concentration is around 1%, while ylang ylang itself is approximately 0.3%.

Drop sizes vary, so drop-based percentages are always approximate.

🧴 How to Make the Body Oil

Pour the carrier oil into a clean, dry bottle.

Add the lavender and ylang ylang.

Close securely.

Gently roll the bottle between your palms.

Label it:

Lavender Ylang Ylang Body Oil
Jojoba • Lavender • Ylang Ylang
For external adult use
Date: _______

Store away from direct sunlight and excessive heat.

💆 How to Use It

Patch test the finished blend before wider application.

If your skin tolerates it, massage a small amount onto healthy adult skin.

Try it on:

  • Shoulders
  • Arms
  • Hands
  • Lower legs
  • Feet

Avoid broken, inflamed, freshly shaved, sunburned, or irritated skin.

This is a cosmetic aromatherapy body oil, not a treatment for pain, anxiety, insomnia, hypertension, hormonal problems, or another health condition.

🌺 Why Use Only Two Drops of Ylang Ylang?

Because two drops are plenty.

Ylang ylang is so powerful aromatically that the finished oil will still have a noticeable floral fragrance.

Using a lower concentration also helps reduce unnecessary skin exposure.

This is one of those essential oils where adding more may make the recipe worse rather than better.

⚠️ Ylang Ylang Can Cause Skin Allergy

This deserves more attention than it receives in many aromatherapy recipes.

Research involving dermatology patch-test patients has repeatedly identified ylang ylang as one of the essential oils associated with allergic contact reactions.

In one large analysis covering 2010–2019, ylang ylang produced positive patch-test reactions in 3.9% of the specifically tested dermatology patients.

That does not mean 3.9% of everyone who uses ylang ylang will become allergic. The people in these studies were dermatology patients selected for testing.

It does demonstrate that ylang ylang is a meaningful fragrance allergen and should not be treated as automatically gentle simply because it comes from flowers.

🚫 Don’t Apply Ylang Ylang Undiluted

Avoid putting neat ylang ylang essential oil directly onto your wrists, neck, face, scalp, or other skin.

Dilute it appropriately first.

Undiluted application increases exposure and may increase irritation or sensitization risk without providing a meaningful advantage.

A carrier oil also makes the fragrance easier to distribute.

✋ Patch Test First

Apply a tiny amount of the finished diluted body oil to healthy skin.

Stop using it if you develop:

  • Itching
  • Burning
  • Redness
  • Rash
  • Swelling
  • Scaling
  • Persistent irritation

A fragrance you’ve enjoyed for years can still eventually become a problem if sensitization develops.

Repeated high-concentration exposure isn’t something to encourage.

🌻 Jojoba or Fractionated Coconut Oil?

Either makes a good carrier.

Jojoba has very little fragrance and consists largely of liquid wax esters. It spreads nicely and has good oxidative stability.

Fractionated coconut oil is lightweight, stays liquid at room temperature, and also has very little aroma.

Choose whichever texture you prefer.

Learn more in our Carrier Oils Guide.

🌺 Can Ylang Ylang Be Used as Perfume?

Absolutely—as fragrance.

Ylang ylang has been used extensively in perfumery and pairs particularly well with citrus, jasmine-like florals, woods, and resins.

For a simple aromatic body oil, try the lavender recipe above rather than making an extremely concentrated homemade perfume.

If you begin formulating stronger leave-on fragrances, individual ingredient limits become increasingly important.

🍊 Try a Citrus-Floral Body Variation

For an adult evening body oil, you could use:

  • 1 ounce jojoba oil
  • 2 drops ylang ylang
  • 3 drops lavender
  • 1 drop sweet orange

This has a brighter fragrance than the lavender-only version.

Sweet orange works beautifully with ylang ylang.

As always, patch test first.

☀️ What About Bergamot?

Bergamot and ylang ylang smell wonderful together.

However, expressed bergamot essential oil can be phototoxic when used above appropriate concentrations on skin that will subsequently receive ultraviolet exposure.

For beginner daytime body oils, sticking with lavender and ylang ylang keeps things simpler.

Bergamot FCF, which has had the problematic furanocoumarins reduced, presents a different phototoxicity profile.

Always know which version you own.

🌿 Does Ylang Ylang Lower Blood Pressure?

This is an area where aromatherapy claims often become exaggerated.

Small human studies have investigated ylang ylang alone or as part of essential-oil blends and reported changes in blood pressure, pulse, stress measurements, or perceived relaxation.

Those results are interesting.

They are not strong enough to recommend ylang ylang as a treatment for hypertension.

High blood pressure is a medical condition that often requires lifestyle management, monitoring, and medication.

Do not reduce or stop prescribed blood-pressure medication because an aromatherapy blend makes you feel relaxed.

🧠 What About Anxiety and Stress?

A pleasant fragrance can certainly become part of a calming routine.

That might include:

  • Quiet music
  • Journaling
  • Reading
  • Meditation
  • Stretching
  • A warm bath
  • Massage
  • Slower breathing
  • Dimming the lights

Ylang ylang fits beautifully into those activities if you enjoy its aroma.

But aromatherapy shouldn’t be presented as a substitute for appropriate mental-health care when anxiety is persistent, severe, or interfering with daily life.

😴 Does Ylang Ylang Help You Sleep?

A floral diffuser blend can help create a bedroom atmosphere you associate with winding down.

That is different from treating insomnia.

Research into aromatherapy and sleep has produced some positive findings, but NCCIH notes that larger and more rigorous studies are still needed.

If you like ylang ylang in the evening, use it as part of your bedtime routine.

If you have persistent sleep problems, investigate the actual cause rather than continually increasing your diffuser blend.

🌹 Ylang Ylang Isn’t an Aphrodisiac Drug

Ylang ylang is often described as an “aphrodisiac.”

That description comes largely from traditional use, fragrance associations, and the sensual character of the aroma.

It is perfectly reasonable to use ylang ylang in a romantic perfume, massage oil, or bedroom diffuser because you like how it smells.

There is no need to promise that inhaling it will directly alter libido, hormones, or sexual function.

Fragrance can create atmosphere without functioning like medication.

🌼 Ylang Ylang for Spring

For a floral spring diffuser blend, try:

  • 2 drops sweet orange
  • 2 drops lavender
  • 1 drop ylang ylang
  • 1 drop lemon

The citrus keeps the rich ylang ylang from feeling too heavy.

This works particularly well during late spring when floral fragrances feel especially appropriate.

Explore more ideas in our Spring Aromatherapy Recipes.

☀️ Ylang Ylang for Summer

Try:

  • 3 drops sweet orange
  • 1 drop ylang ylang
  • 1 drop cedarwood

This has a tropical quality without needing coconut fragrance.

For something fresher:

  • 2 drops lemon
  • 2 drops sweet orange
  • 1 drop ylang ylang

Simple citrus-floral combinations are some of the best ways to use this oil.

🍂 Ylang Ylang for Fall

Ylang ylang can move into cooler weather when paired with woods and resins.

Try:

  • 2 drops cedarwood
  • 2 drops sweet orange
  • 1 drop ylang ylang
  • 1 drop frankincense

The result is warm, floral, and slightly woody without becoming a traditional cinnamon-and-clove fall blend.

🌙 Ylang Ylang for Evening

A very simple evening combination is:

  • 2 drops lavender
  • 1 drop ylang ylang
  • 1 drop cedarwood

You really don’t need more.

If you prefer lighter fragrance, halve the recipe.

🌸 Try Passive Aromatherapy

Ylang ylang’s strength makes it particularly suitable for passive aromatherapy.

Place:

  • 1 drop ylang ylang
  • 1 drop sweet orange

onto an aromatherapy scent stone.

Set it somewhere protected near you.

This creates a small fragrance zone without diffusing throughout an entire room.

Keep oily materials away from finished surfaces, children, and pets.

👃 Make a Personal Floral Inhaler

For portable aromatherapy, try:

  • 6 drops sweet orange
  • 4 drops lavender
  • 2 drops ylang ylang

Add the oils to the wick of a blank personal aromatherapy inhaler.

Insert the wick and close securely.

Use briefly when you want to enjoy the scent.

There is no need to take prolonged or forceful inhalations.

🌬️ Too Much Ylang Ylang Can Be Unpleasant

One of ylang ylang’s traditional safety cautions is simply that excessive fragrance can become overwhelming.

Some people report headache, nausea, or discomfort around very strong concentrations.

If you start feeling unwell:

Stop diffusion.

Move into fresh air.

Ventilate the room.

Use fewer drops next time—or skip the oil entirely.

Aromatherapy should never require enduring a fragrance you dislike.

🫁 Asthma, Migraine & Fragrance Sensitivity

Natural fragrances can still cause problems for sensitive people.

Strong aromatic exposure may trigger symptoms in some people with asthma, migraine, fragrance allergy, or other sensitivities.

If ylang ylang causes coughing, wheezing, headache, nausea, throat irritation, or breathing discomfort, discontinue it.

Personal inhalers are sometimes preferable when one household member enjoys fragrance and another does not because they minimize scent throughout shared air.

👶 Ylang Ylang Around Children

Keep concentrated essential oils securely out of children’s reach.

Because ylang ylang has sensitization potential, there is little reason to use strong topical concentrations on children.

The recipes in this article are written primarily for adult use.

For family spaces, keep diffusion light and consider whether everyone sharing the room actually enjoys the fragrance.

🤰 Pregnancy and Breastfeeding

Reliable safety information about frequent concentrated essential-oil exposure during pregnancy and breastfeeding remains incomplete.

If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and want to use ylang ylang frequently or topically, discuss your situation with an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.

You can also simply use fragrance less often or choose an unscented carrier oil.

Essential oils are optional.

🐶 Ylang Ylang and Pets

Do not use these human aromatherapy recipes on pets.

Never apply ylang ylang essential oil to a pet’s fur, paws, collar, or bedding without veterinary guidance.

Do not put essential oils into pet food or drinking water.

If you diffuse around animals, keep fragrance light, ventilate the space, and allow the animal to leave the room.

🐦 Be Especially Careful Around Birds

Birds have highly sensitive respiratory systems.

Strong essential-oil diffusion is not appropriate in an enclosed bird room.

Personal inhalers or scent stones used away from the bird may be a better choice if you want to enjoy ylang ylang without fragrancing shared air.

🚫 Don’t Swallow Ylang Ylang Essential Oil

Do not add ylang ylang essential oil to:

  • Drinking water
  • Tea
  • Smoothies
  • Capsules
  • Food

This article’s recipes are intended for aromatic use or appropriately diluted external adult use.

Keep bottles securely stored and clearly labeled.

🏷️ Label Your Homemade Blends

A good label should include:

  • Recipe name
  • Essential oils used
  • Carrier or base
  • Intended use
  • Date made

For example:

Lavender Ylang Ylang Body Oil
Jojoba • Lavender • Ylang Ylang
External adult use only
Made: _______

Good labeling prevents a concentrated diffuser blend from being mistaken for a diluted skin product.

🌡️ Store Ylang Ylang Properly

Keep essential oils and homemade blends tightly closed in a cool location away from direct sunlight and excessive heat.

Oxidation can change fragrance compounds over time and may increase the likelihood of skin reactions with some essential oils.

Avoid making enormous batches simply because you have the ingredients.

Fresh, small recipes are easier to use and monitor.

🌺 Three Ylang Ylang Recipes at a Glance

1. Ylang Ylang Orange Diffuser Blend

  • 3 drops sweet orange
  • 2 drops lavender
  • 1 drop ylang ylang

A bright floral-citrus blend for relaxing spaces.

2. Ylang Ylang Citrus Room Spray

  • 3 ounces high-proof neutral alcohol
  • 1 ounce distilled water
  • 15 drops sweet orange
  • 8 drops lavender
  • 4 drops ylang ylang
  • 3 drops cedarwood

A soft perfume-like home fragrance.

3. Lavender Ylang Ylang Body Oil

  • 1 ounce jojoba or fractionated coconut oil
  • 2 drops ylang ylang
  • 4 drops lavender

A gently diluted aromatic body or massage oil for adults.

Together, these recipes give you three very different ways to enjoy one of aromatherapy’s strongest floral oils.

❤️ The Bottom Line

Ylang ylang essential oil does not need a complicated recipe to shine.

One drop can transform sweet orange and lavender into a richer floral diffuser blend.

A few drops can give an alcohol-based room spray the character of a botanical perfume.

And carefully diluted ylang ylang can add a luxurious floral note to a simple lavender-and-jojoba body oil.

The key is restraint.

Ylang ylang is a recognized potential skin sensitizer, so topical preparations should remain appropriately diluted. Patch-test new leave-on products and stop using them if irritation develops.

Human aromatherapy studies involving ylang ylang have produced interesting findings related to relaxation, stress, and physiological measurements, but the evidence does not justify presenting the oil as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, high blood pressure, depression, or other health conditions.

Use ylang ylang for what it does beautifully and reliably:

It smells extraordinary.

Sometimes one drop is all a recipe needs.

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📚 Sources & Further Reading