What it smells like
Hot, sweet and immediately December. Cinnamon bark is darker and more peppery than the cassia most people know from supermarket cinnamon, and considerably stronger. It comes in a 5 ml bottle for a reason.
Three things to actually do with it
1. Winter baking, by toothpick
One dip stirred into the sugar or butter before the flour goes in. Food use is permitted on the European label at one drop per day, and a drop is enough for a large batch, not for a single portion.
2. A festive diffuser blend
One drop with three of wild orange and one of clove. Cinnamon dominates: it is always the smallest number in the blend.
3. Mulled anything
Toothpick into the honey or sugar first, then into the warm liquid. Straight into wine it sits on the surface.
What it blends with
Citrus, clove, ginger and cardamom — the whole warm-spice family. It overwhelms delicate florals.
Getting the amount right
Food use is permitted in the European range at one drop per day. On skin, cinnamon bark is a strong irritant: 0.25 % at most, if at all — that is one drop in about 40 ml of carrier — and never on the face, never on children, never neat. Not photosensitising.
It also affects some plastics and finishes, so wipe spills promptly. Full safety notes.
Questions people ask
Is this the same as cassia?
No. Cassia is a different species with a different profile, and most supermarket “cinnamon” is cassia. The botanical name on the label distinguishes them.
Why is the bottle so small?
Because you use it a toothpick at a time. A 5 ml bottle of cinnamon bark outlasts a 15 ml bottle of lemon several times over.
Can I put it in a bath?
No. It is one of the oils most likely to burn skin at bath-level concentration, even dispersed.