Dill seed essential oil: a caraway-tinged scent and a 1.2% skin limit

In brief: Dill seed essential oil smells fresh, herbal and slightly of caraway, because it contains carvone. On the skin, adults should dilute it to 1.2% at most (Tisserand & Young, IFRA), that is 2 drops per 10 ml. For an aroma lamp 2–3 drops are enough. Do not use old oxidised oil on the skin.

Dill has a clear place in Czech cooking: dill sauce, pickled cucumbers in jars, potatoes with butter. The essential oil, however, smells different from what you might expect. The seed oil does not have the green "cucumber" scent of the fronds, but is sweeter, spicier and slightly reminiscent of caraway.

In aromatherapy dill is more of a supporting oil. On its own it appeals only to die-hard fans, but in blends with citrus and herbs it can make a fresh, slightly unexpected scent.

Carvone: why dill oil smells of caraway

The main scent compound of dill seed oil is carvone, together with limonene, which you know from citrus fruits. Carvone has two "mirror" forms: one smells of caraway, the other of spearmint. In dill oil the caraway one predominates, which is why many people guess caraway on first sniffing it.

Oil from dill fronds (dill weed in English) is also made, but it is less common and smells greener. Our BIO dill oil is, according to the product page, from seeds, that is with a caraway undertone.

How many drops: aroma lamp and skin

For an aroma lamp put 2–3 drops in a bowl of water, for an ultrasonic diffuser 2–3 drops per 100 ml. On the skin the ceiling for dill is lower than for most oils. Tisserand & Young agree with the IFRA limit of 1.2%, because carvone can sensitise the skin of sensitive people. The international association IFRA has its own standard for carvone in cosmetics with limits by product type.

One drop is roughly 0.05 ml. If you mix dill with other oils, count the limit for dill alone and keep the total dilution of the blend for adults within 2%. General advice on dilution and on choosing a carrier oil can be found in the article essential oils for the skin.

Recipes: dill as an unexpected partner

Aroma lamp

• Summer garden: 1 drop of dill, 2 drops of lime, 1 drop of lavender.
• Herb kitchen: 1 drop of dill, 1 drop of coriander, 2 drops of lemon.
• Soft evening: 1 drop of dill, 2 drops of mandarin, 1 drop of rose geranium.

Body oil for adults

1. Drip 5 drops of dill into 30 ml of jojoba oil.
2. Add 4 drops of bergamot and 3 drops of lavender (12 drops in total, about 2%).
3. Shake and use in the evening. Bergamot is phototoxic, so do not expose the treated areas to the sun for 12 hours.

Further principles of composing scents can be found in the article how to combine essential oils, and the numbers of drops for different rooms in the article how many drops to put in a diffuser and aroma lamp.

What to watch out for with dill

Medicines

Tisserand & Young point out a possible drug interaction for dill oil. Anyone who takes medicines regularly should use dill on the skin only after consulting a doctor or pharmacist. An aroma lamp with a small amount is a considerably smaller burden.

Oxidation

Limonene and carvone change over time in air, and oxidised oil more readily causes a skin allergy. Always close the bottle, store it in a cool, dark place and use it up within 1–2 years of opening. An oil that starts to smell sharp or "stale" should be used only in an aroma lamp, or thrown away.

Pregnancy, children and animals

• Pregnancy and breastfeeding: we recommend leaving dill off the skin, and in an aroma lamp only occasionally and briefly.
• Children: not under 6; for older children 1 drop in a blend in an aroma lamp, on the skin 1% at most and not on the face. See the article essential oils and children.
• Cats: dill contains limonene like citrus fruits, which are risky for cats. Do not run it in a room with a cat; details in the article essential oils and pets.

Dill that smells in the garden bed

If you like fresh dill, anyone can manage growing it: it is sown directly in the bed from April and can be sown successively all summer. How to do it is described in the articles dill and dill and parsley, the most used Czech herbs, and tips on varieties can also be found in the article dill in the garden. The seed oil is a different product with a different use: fronds and seeds belong in the kitchen, the essential oil in the aroma lamp and in diluted blends.

Traditional use

In European folk tradition dill was used mainly in the kitchen and in herbal teas from the seeds. In aromatherapy its oil is traditionally added to blends for a feeling of freshness and to massage oils for the abdomen. Scientific work on dill oil is mostly laboratory-based and says little about effects in people. Do not therefore take the oil as a medicine, and never use it internally.

Frequently asked questions

What does dill essential oil smell like?

The seed oil smells fresh, herbal and sweetish, with a pronounced caraway note. It reminds you only distantly of the green scent of the fronds that you know from cucumbers.

How many drops of dill can I put in a massage oil?

At most 2 drops per 10 ml or 7 drops per 30 ml of carrier oil. The 1.2% limit is recommended by Tisserand & Young in agreement with IFRA.

Can I add dill oil to food?

No. Our oil is a cosmetic raw material and is not intended for internal use. Fresh or dried dill and the seeds belong in the kitchen.

Is dill suitable for children?

We do not recommend it under 6 years of age. For older children only as 1 drop in a blend in an aroma lamp in a ventilated room.

What does dill oil combine best with?

With citrus (lime, lemon, mandarin), with lavender and with other herbal oils, for example coriander. Keep dill in the minority in a blend; 1 drop is enough.

Recommended products

• BIO Dill, essential oil 10 ml – oil from dill seeds from Hungary with a fresh herbal scent and a caraway note.
• BIO Lime, essential oil 10 ml – brightens dill in summer blends.
• BIO Lavender, essential oil 10 ml – softens it in an aroma lamp and in a body oil.
• BIO Coriander, essential oil 10 ml – a herbal partner for kitchen blends.
• BIO Jojoba, carrier oil 10 ml – a carrier for body and massage oils.
• Ceramic aroma lamp 9 × 7.5 cm – for 2–3 drops of a dill blend.

Sources

• Tisserand R., Young R.: Essential Oil Safety, 2nd edition, Churchill Livingstone 2014 (Dill seed profile, p. 269).
• AromaWeb: Dill Essential Oil (composition and safety according to Tisserand & Young) – aromaweb.com
• IFRA Standard: Carvone, 49th Amendment, 2020 – PDF

Updated: 27 September 2026