Clove oil
Clove oil is a warming, spicy essential oil extracted from the flower buds of the clove tree. In UK beauty products it is used in tiny amounts for its naturally fresh scent and soothing properties, appearing in cleansers, balms, lip care and hair treatments.
How it works in skincare
In cosmetics and skincare, clove oil functions primarily as a fragrance component and natural soothing agent. Its high eugenol content gives it a characteristic spicy aroma while helping to calm the skin and scalp in leave-on and rinse-off formulas. Formulators use it at low concentrations to add warmth and depth to fragrance blends without overpowering the product.
Key benefits
- Provides a naturally spicy, warming aroma in perfumes and balms
- Helps soothe and comfort irritated skin and scalp
- Adds a fresh, clean scent to oral care and lip products
- Conditions and adds shine to hair when used in masks and oils
- Works as a natural preservative booster in some formulations
- Gives a subtle tingle in lip plumpers and balms
Best for
oily skin, combination skin, mature skin, sensitive scalp
Where it comes from
Clove oil is steam-distilled from the dried flower buds of the Syzygium aromaticum tree, an evergreen native to Indonesia. The small reddish-brown buds, commonly known as cloves, are harvested before the flowers open.
Products with Clove oil
Not every product on UK Lips lists a full ingredient breakdown — so there may be many more formulas that contain Clove oil than we can show here. These are the comparisons where we’ve confirmed it in the listed ingredients.