Steam-distilled from Mentha × piperita. Bright, sharp and cooling — one of the most instantly recognisable smells there is, and one of the most useful oils in a blending kit.
The cold feeling is a trick, and knowing why matters
Peppermint feels cold on skin. It is not cold. Menthol binds to TRPM8, the receptor your nerves use to detect cold, and switches it on directly — so your brain receives a cold signal from skin that has not changed temperature at all. It is one of the most elegant pieces of chemistry in any bottle.
The practical consequence is important: never use peppermint on a burn or on overheated skin. It will feel as though it is helping while doing nothing to lower the temperature, which is exactly the wrong feedback in a situation where cool running water is what is needed.
Please read this before using it around a child
Never apply peppermint — or anything menthol- or cineole-rich — to the face, nose or chest of a baby or a young child, and do not diffuse it where one is sleeping. Menthol can trigger laryngospasm, a sudden closing of the airway, in infants and small children. Cases of serious breathing difficulty are documented, and they have happened with ordinary chest rubs and with drops placed on a pillow.
Other cautions:
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G6PD deficiency: menthol is on the standard avoid list. If you or your child has G6PD deficiency, do not use this oil.
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Asthma: strong aromatic vapour provokes bronchospasm in some people.
- Avoid in pregnancy and breastfeeding unless a health professional advises otherwise.
- Not around pets — cats and dogs both react badly to menthol.
What an essential oil may and may not claim
Peppermint is commonly sold on the promise of "a midday lift in alertness and stamina", as "a soothing massage for a tense head or neck", and as "a welcome support when you feel queasy or want to keep your airways feeling clear". None of that appears here. Claims about alertness, tension, nausea and airways are health claims, and none is authorised in the EU for any essential oil.
How to use it
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Diffusion: one or two drops is plenty — it is a dominant oil. Ventilated room, short sessions.
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On skin: one to two per cent in a carrier oil (6–12 drops in 30 ml), for adults, on small areas. Never neat, never near eyes, never on the face. Patch test and wait 24 hours.
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Never in a bath — undispersed oil floats and arrives on skin neat, and peppermint on sensitive skin is genuinely painful.
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Household: a few drops in a surface spray. Keep it off unsealed wood and painted surfaces.
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Blending: superb with rosemary, lemon, grapefruit, eucalyptus, lavender and pine. Use half as much as you think.
Safety — the essentials
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Never swallow essential oils without the direct supervision of a qualified health professional. Peppermint oil capsules are a licensed medicinal product with a controlled dose and an enteric coating; a bottle of neat oil is not the same thing and should never be used as one.
- Keep out of reach of children, in the original bottle with the child-resistant cap.
- In eyes: flush with plain vegetable oil rather than water. Peppermint in an eye is extremely painful.
- Accident or swallowing: in Portugal call CIAV on 800 250 250 — free, 24 hours. In an emergency, 112.
Storage: cool, dark, tightly closed, upright.
Propos'Nature
Propos'Nature
Propos'Nature
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