Sweet, deep, and floral with fruity, tropical edges. Compared to Extra grade ylang ylang, the #3 fraction is less bright and noticeably deeper, with more of a creamy, honey-like quality and a touch of woodiness on the fade. The scent settles in over the first 30 to 45 minutes of wear or diffusion, with the lighter top notes giving way to the heavier floral middle and a soft base that lingers for hours. Most people who know ylang ylang as a perfumery scent find the #3 grade rounds out beautifully once it has dilution and a bit of time to settle.
Store it in its dark glass bottle, tightly capped, somewhere cool and out of direct sunlight. A pantry shelf or a cabinet away from the stove works well. Sealed and properly stored, shelf life is about 3 to 4 years from the distillation date. Once opened, it stays good for around 2 to 3 years. If the scent goes flat, develops a sharp or metallic edge, or the color darkens significantly, it's past its useful life. The 16 oz and 32 oz sizes are popular with high-volume soapers and candle makers, but the 1 oz starter size is enough for someone testing a recipe before scaling up.
No. Even ylang ylang, which is generally well tolerated compared to hot oils like cinnamon or oregano, should always be diluted before skin contact. For most adult skin uses, dilute at 0.5 to 1 percent in a carrier oil, which works out to roughly 3 to 6 drops per 1 oz of jojoba, argan, or sweet almond carrier. The IFRA leave-on dermal limit for ylang ylang sits at 0.8 percent, so staying under that is the safest path for facial or full-body application. Avoid contact with eyes, ears, and mucous membranes even when diluted.
Mix 1 drop of HBNO® Ylang Ylang #3 Essential Oil into 1 teaspoon of jojoba or sweet almond carrier oil. Apply a small amount to the inside of your forearm, about the size of a dime. Cover with a bandage and leave it on for 24 hours without washing the area. If you notice any redness, itching, burning, or swelling, stop use immediately, wipe the area with more carrier oil (not water, which spreads the oil), and rinse afterward with a mild soap. Pregnant or nursing users should consult their healthcare provider before adding any new essential oils to a routine.
Ylang ylang oil is fractionally distilled, which means the oil is collected in stages during a long steam distillation, and each stage produces a different grade with a different scent character and price point. Extra is the first fraction, the lightest and sweetest, and it's the perfumery-grade oil with the highest price tag. Ylang Ylang I is the second fraction, II is the third, and III (or #3) is the fourth fraction, which is deeper, woodier, less floral-bright, and considerably more economical. Complete combines all the fractions back into one oil and falls between Extra and III in character and price. HBNO® offers the #3 grade specifically because it's the working-grade oil for soap making, candle making, and DIY blends where you want strong floral character at a price that fits the use case.
HBNO® sources its ylang ylang #3 essential oil from Madagascar and Comoros, which are the historical and benchmark origins for fine ylang ylang. Cananga odorata flowers are harvested at first light when the floral compounds are at their peak, then steam distilled in stages to produce the different grade fractions. The #3 grade is the fourth fraction off the still. Quality is verified through GC/MS testing to confirm botanical identity and constituent percentages (germacrene D, alpha-farnesene, and the lower linalool and benzyl acetate levels that characterize the deeper fractions), batch by batch.
