Materia Aromatica

The Thyme Library

One herb, many oils. Thyme read by chemotype.

See the oils ↓

Thyme on a label names a genus, not an oil. The genus is large, several of its species are distilled, and a single species can give oils of opposite character. In this library the leading constituent predicts the aroma far better than the botanical name. Two oils from one species can stand further apart on the blotter than two oils from different species.

01 · The Genus

Two classes of chemistry

Thymus belongs to the Lamiaceae, the mint family, alongside rosemary, lavender, marjoram and oregano. Its oils divide first by constituent class. Phenol-led oils carry thymol or carvacrol, which the plant builds from gamma-terpinene and para-cymene. Alcohol-led oils carry linalool, thujanol, geraniol or borneol, and hold little phenol.

A chemotype is a population of plants identical in leaf and flower and distinct only in the still. The class of the leading constituent sets the aroma, the working dilution and the role the oil can take in a formula. The eight oils here fall into four groups.

Phenol · Thymol

Thymol type

Spanish thyme and winter thyme. Dry, warm and sharp, with para-cymene and gamma-terpinene close behind.

Phenol · Carvacrol

Carvacrol type

Common thyme of the carvacrol type and field thyme from Turkey. Hotter and closer to oregano.

Alcohol · Linalool, thujanol

The mild thymes

Spanish linalool thyme and French thujanol thyme. Soft, sweet and herbaceous.

Alcohol and ester

Geraniol and borneol

Geraniol thyme leans rose-like. Moroccan borneol thyme is resinous and lightly camphoraceous.

Side by side

9 oils at a glance

Oil Botanical name Origin Cultivation Main constituents From Availability
Thyme, Mild (Thujanol) Thymus vulgaris France Conventional cis & trans-Thuyanol, Linalool, Terpinene-4-ol $25.50 In stock
Thyme mild (Linalool) organic Thymus zygis Spain Wild-crafted organic Linalool, Terpinene-4-ol, Myrcene, gamma-Terpinene $15.75 In stock
Thyme, Lemon (Limonene) Thymus citriodorus USA Conventional Geraniol, Citral, Nerol, Thymol $12.75 In stock
Thyme, Winter (organic) Thymus hyemalis Spain Wild-crafted organic Paracymene, Thymol, gamma-Terpinene $15.75 In stock
Thyme, Sweet / Geraniol Thymus vulgaris France Conventional Geranyl acetate, Geraniol, beta-Caryophyllene, Linalool $15.00 In stock
Thyme, Thymol (organic) Thymus zygis Spain Wild-crafted organic Thymol, Paracymene, gamma-Terpinene, alpha-Pinene, Carvac... $20.25 In stock
Thyme (Carvacrol) organic Thymus vulgaris carvacroliferum France Certified organic Carvacrol, Linalol, Para-cymene, Gamma-terpinene, Thymol $12.75 In stock
Thyme, Field (organic) Thymus serpyllum Turkey Wild-crafted organic Carvacrol, Linalool, Paracymene, gamma-Terpinene, Thymol $25.50 In stock
Thyme (Borneol) organic Thymus satureioides Morocco Wild-crafted organic Borneol, alpha-Terpineol, Camphene, beta-Caryophyllene, C... $10.50 Sold out

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02 · The Range

Eight oils, five species

No. 2830 · SpainThyme, Thymol (organic)Thymus zygis · Wild-crafted organicThymol leads; para-cymene and gamma-terpinene follow. No. 2888 · SpainThyme, Winter (organic)Thymus hyemalis · Wild-crafted organicPara-cymene, thymol and gamma-terpinene. A winter-flowering species. No. 2811 · FranceThyme (Carvacrol) organicThymus vulgaris carvacroliferum · Certified organicCarvacrol leads, with linalool and para-cymene. No. 2810 · TurkeyThyme, Field (organic)Thymus serpyllum · Wild-crafted organicCarvacrol leads; linalool rounds the phenolic edge. No. 2850 · SpainThyme mild (Linalool) organicThymus zygis · Wild-crafted organicLinalool, terpinen-4-ol and myrcene. Soft and lightly floral. No. 2881 · FranceThyme, Mild (Thujanol)Thymus vulgaris · ConventionalCis- and trans-thujanol, with linalool and terpinen-4-ol. No. 2861 · FranceThyme, Sweet / GeraniolThymus vulgaris · ConventionalGeranyl acetate and geraniol. Rose-like and citrus-herbaceous. No. 2885 · MoroccoThyme (Borneol) organicThymus satureioides · Wild-crafted organicBorneol, alpha-terpineol and camphene. Resinous and woody.

03 · Side by Side

Three readings

One species, three oils. Thyme (Carvacrol), Thyme, Mild (Thujanol) and Thyme, Sweet / Geraniol are all Thymus vulgaris from France. Set on three blotters, they move from hot and spicy to green and sweet to rosy, with no change in botanical name. It is the clearest demonstration of chemotype in the range.

Two species, one direction. Thyme, Thymol and Thyme, Winter reach a phenolic profile from different species, both wild-crafted in Spain. Thymol leads in the first and para-cymene in the second. The pair shows how far the balance between precursor and phenol can move within a similar composition.

Two poles of Thymus zygis. Thyme, Thymol and Thyme mild (Linalool) share species and country. One is phenolic, the other floral. Thyme, Field from Turkey, carvacrol-led with a useful linalool fraction, sits between them and completes the sequence.

04 · In Practice

Dilution sets the role

The phenol-led oils are strong on skin and are used at high dilution: in diffusion, and in small proportion within massage blends. In natural perfumery they serve as a warm, spicy accent in herbal and aromatic accords, seldom as a lead.

The alcohol-led thymes carry further. Massage blends, bath preparations, skincare formulation and diffusion all suit the linalool and thujanol types, which sit in the middle of a blend beside lavender, marjoram and citrus. The geraniol type bridges into rose and geranium accords. Borneol thyme gives conifer and rosemary blends a resinous base. Across the library, the chemotype on the label is the first point to check before formulation.

Essential oils are for aromatic and topical use. Dilute before applying to skin. Keep out of reach of children.