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Essential oils & personal care

Indonesian cananga oil

Cananga oil is water-distilled from the flowers of Cananga odorata forma macrophylla in northern and western Java. Ylang-ylang comes from a different form of the same species and is standardised for oils from Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros. They are two products with two standards, and Indonesia makes the first.

How it leaves the country.

Java cananga
The Indonesian product. Heavier and more balsamic than ylang-ylang, with woody notes and strong fixative character.1
What Indonesia does not make
Ylang-ylang in the standardised sense. That standard covers oils from Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros, distilled in successive fractions.2
Distillation
Water distillation over direct fire, which is part of why the Javanese oil reads the way it does.

How it is graded.

There is a published standard for cananga and a separate one for ylang-ylang. Naming the right one is the first thing a contract has to get correct on this product, because the two are not substitutes.

Standard
ISO 3523, oil of cananga (Cananga odorata forma macrophylla)1
The other standard
ISO 3063, oil of ylang-ylang (forma genuina), written for Madagascar, Mayotte and the Comoros.2
Contracted on
Composition and the physical constants the standard sets out, with the analysis issued on the batch that shipped.

How it is packed.

Containers
Filled by net weight into lined drums, kept out of light and heat. The profile shifts with poor storage.
Sampling
Retain samples on both sides against the shipped batch. On an oil bought for its odour profile, a retained sample is the only reference that settles an argument.

Where it grows.

  • East Java

    Java

    Flower growing and village distillation, feeding the exporters who consolidate the crop.

  • Central Java

    Java

    The second producing belt, working alongside the clove and citronella distillers.

  • West Java

    Java

    Smaller volumes into the same collection network.

Who buys this.

Documentation, where applicable.

Certificate of analysis
Against ISO 3523 and the composition agreed in the contract, issued on the batch that shipped.1
Safety data sheet
Required by everyone handling the goods downstream, and the basis for how the drum is classified in transit.
REACH
For the EU, the registration obligation sits with the importer or an appointed only representative.3
Certificate of origin
Which form applies depends on the destination and on the preference scheme in force between it and Indonesia.

What a shipment needs depends on the product, the producer and the market it is going to. We map the documents against your destination before anyone quotes a price.

Questions buyers ask.

Can I buy ylang-ylang from Indonesia?

You can buy cananga, and some sellers will call it ylang-ylang. If your formulation was built on the standardised ylang-ylang from the Indian Ocean islands, Indonesia is the wrong origin for it and the substitution will be noticed.

What is the difference in the smell?

Cananga is heavier, more balsamic and woodier, with strong fixative character. Ylang-ylang is lighter and more distinctly floral, and it is collected in successive fractions rather than as one oil. Which suits depends entirely on the formulation.

How do I keep the two apart on a purchase order?

Name the ISO standard and the botanical form. ISO 3523 with forma macrophylla is cananga. ISO 3063 with forma genuina is ylang-ylang. Written that way, there is no room for a helpful substitution.

What does your service cost?

Five per cent of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory. A factory audit starts at $250 depending on location. We work with orders from $10,000 per shipment.

Read this too.

Worth reading.

Tell us what you need.

Give us the specification and the destination port. We come back with producer options and an indicative price. Our fee is 5 % of the order value, paid by you and never by the factory.

One line is enough to start. The more exact you are, the faster the answer comes back.

What you want back

Add a specification, packaging or a target price

Optional, and the fastest way for us to reply.

We answer within one working day, from Indonesia on UTC+7. Wholesale orders from $10,000 per shipment.

Sources

  1. 1ISO 3523:2002, oil of cananga (Cananga odorata forma macrophylla). International Organization for Standardization. Checked 3 August 2026.
  2. 2ISO 3063:2004, oil of ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata forma genuina). International Organization for Standardization. Checked 3 August 2026.
  3. 3Entering the European market for essential oils. CBI, Netherlands Enterprise Agency. Checked 3 August 2026.