Cinnamon leaf oil is obtained by steam distillation of cinnamon leaves and the oil yield ranges between 0.5% and 1.8%. More than 47 compounds have been identified from the leaf oil, the most significant being eugenol, which constitutes 65–92%. Cinnamon leaf oil is cheaper than bark oil and is used in the flavour industry, to a lesser extent, to flavour confectionary. It is also used as a source of eugenol for the preparation of synthetic vanillin. Cinnamon oleoresin obtained by solvent extraction is a dark brown extremely concentrated and viscous liquid, closely approximating the total spice flavour and containing 50% or more volatile oil.
