Hop essential oil: the scent of hop cones, evening blends and a warning about dogs

In brief: Hop oil is distilled from hop cones (Humulus lupulus). It smells green, resinous and spicy, like a freshly opened sack of hops. The main components are myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene. For an oil burner 2–3 drops, on the skin 1%; store in the cool.

In the Czech Republic everyone knows hops, even if mostly only from beer. The essential oil from the cones, however, is an excellent and somewhat overlooked ingredient for evening blends: it smells green and resinous, with a spicy note that holds lavender and woody oils together well.

Our hop oil comes, according to the product page, from the northwestern USA, a traditional hop-growing region. Below you will find what is really in the oil, how to use it and why to be careful with it if you have a dog.

What is in hop oil and what is not

Hop oil consists mainly of hydrocarbon terpenes. Myrcene, α-humulene and β-caryophyllene together make up 80–90% of the oil. Myrcene gives the green, resinous scent of fresh hops, humulene the spicy and woody one.

What you will not find in the oil, on the other hand: the bitter acids that make beer bitter, and flavonoids, including those because of which hops are written about as a "phytoestrogen". These substances are not volatile and do not pass into the distillate. Hop essential oil therefore serves not as a hormonal herb but as an aromatic raw material.

The ratio of components varies by variety, vintage and drying of the cones, which is why each batch may have a slightly different character.

Scent and what it goes with

Hop behaves like a herbal-woody middle note. It works best with oils that complement its green sharpness:

• Lavender – a soft floral counterweight, the classic evening pair.
• Himalayan cedar – a woody base with which hop smells like a hop kiln.
• Orange and bergamot – they brighten the blend and take away its bitterness.
• Valerian – a drop in darker, earthy evening blends.

Use and doses

Numbers of drops for rooms of different sizes can be found in the article how many drops of essential oil for a diffuser and oil burner.

Three blends for an oil burner

• Evening after work: 1 drop of hop, 3 drops of lavender, 1 drop of orange.
• Woody: 2 drops of hop, 2 drops of cedar, 1 drop of bergamot.
• Dark herbal: 1 drop of hop, 1 drop of valerian, 3 drops of lavender.

Back massage oil: method

1. Pour 30 ml of jojoba oil into a dark bottle.
2. Add 4 drops of hop, 5 drops of lavender and 3 drops of cedar. That is 12 drops in total, or 2%.
3. Close and turn over; leave the blend to rest for a day.
4. Test on the forearm, 24 hours.
5. Massage into the back and shoulders. Use within 2 months, as myrcene ages quickly.

More about massage oils can be found in the article relaxing massages with essential oils.

Traditional use

Hop cones have traditionally been used in Europe for calming. Pillows were stuffed with them to put under the head, and they were drunk in tea. The European Medicines Agency lists hop cones as a traditional herbal medicinal product for relief of mild symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. This concerns tea and preparations from the cones taken by mouth, not the essential oil.

People add the oil to evening blends for the scent and for a feeling of calm. A therapeutic effect of an aromatic oil has not been proven. A comparison with other oils for the evening can be found in the article essential oils for relaxation and sleep.

Safety

• Oxidation: myrcene oxidises quickly in air. Old oil smells musty and irritates the skin more. Store in the fridge, in dark glass, tightly closed, and use up within a year of opening.
• Skin: always dilute, at most 1% of hop alone. A test on the forearm before first use.
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: do not use; safety has not been established.
• Children: under 6, rather lavender or chamomile, according to the article essential oils and children. From 6 years, 1 drop in a blend in an oil burner.
• Dogs: hop cones are dangerous for dogs. The ASPCA describes a rapid rise in temperature in dogs after eating hops (malignant hyperthermia), which can end in death; symptoms appear within an hour, sometimes only after 12 hours. This concerns mainly cones and leftovers from home beer brewing, but do not leave the oil within a dog's reach either, and do not put it on the coat.
• Cats: do not run an oil burner in a room the cat cannot leave. In detail in the article essential oils and pets.

How to recognise a good hop oil

The label should state Humulus lupulus, the country of origin, ideally the variety and the date of distillation. The colour is yellowish to golden. Fresh oil smells green and resinous. If it smells musty or like turpentine, it is oxidised and no longer belongs on the skin. General signs of quality are summarised in the article how to recognise a quality essential oil.

Frequently asked questions

Does hop oil smell like beer?

More like fresh hops than like beer: green, resinous and spicy. The beer scent also comes from yeast and malt. Anyone who knows a hop field in August will recognise it at once.

Is hop oil a phytoestrogen?

No. The substances because of which hops are spoken of as a phytoestrogen are non-volatile flavonoids and do not pass into the distilled oil. The oil consists mainly of the terpenes myrcene, humulene and caryophyllene.

What is hop oil used for?

Most often in evening blends in an oil burner, in massage oils and in natural perfumery. Hops are traditionally used for calming; with the oil it is about the scent, not treatment.

Are hops dangerous for dogs?

Yes. Hop cones that have been eaten can cause life-threatening overheating of the body in dogs. Keep cones, leftovers from beer brewing and the oil out of a dog's reach, and if in doubt call a vet immediately.

How long does hop oil last?

A shorter time than most oils, because myrcene oxidises quickly. After opening, store it in the fridge and use it up within a year.

Recommended products

• BIO Hop, essential oil 10 ml – a distillate from hop cones, a green resinous scent.
• BIO Lavender, essential oil 10 ml – softens hop in evening blends.
• BIO Himalayan cedar, essential oil 10 ml – a woody base for massages.
• BIO Orange, essential oil 10 ml – brightens the blend.
• BIO Jojoba 10 ml – a stable carrier oil that does not go rancid by itself.
• Ceramic oil burner, white – for evening blends.

Sources

• EMA: Lupuli flos – herbal medicinal product
• Jaworska K. et al.: Biological Activity of Humulus lupulus (L.) Essential Oil and Its Main Components, Molecules 2020
• ASPCA: Dogs + Beer: Getting to the Bottom of Hops Toxicity
• Pfaff A. et al.: Retrospective analysis of hops toxicosis in dogs (2002–2014): 71 cases

Updated: 27 September 2026