Peppermint Essential Oil: Uses, Blends and Safety

Peppermint is the mint that wakes a room up: cool, bright and unmistakable. Here is what our English white peppermint is, whether it’s phototoxic, how to use it, and how to use it safely, especially around little ones.

November 2, 2026 · 8 min read

Open a bottle of peppermint and you feel it before you smell it: a clean, cold rush that seems to clear the air. No other everyday oil announces itself quite like that.

Ours is English white peppermint, the sweeter, softer side of a famously strong plant. It is still a powerful oil. A drop or two goes a long way in a diffuser, it needs real dilution on skin, and it should never go on or near the face of a baby or young child.

The short version

Peppermint essential oil is steam-distilled from the leaves and flowering tops of the peppermint plant. Our label names it Mentha piperita, and ours is English white peppermint.
Its cool feel comes mostly from menthol, which triggers the skin’s cold-sensing nerves.
It is not phototoxic: it won’t make your skin burn more easily in the sun.
It is strong. Dilute it to about 1% for skin, and keep it away from your eyes.
Never put it on or near the face of a baby or young child. For children under 3, the Tisserand Institute advises skipping peppermint altogether, diffuser included.

What Peppermint Essential Oil Is

Peppermint is a natural hybrid of two other mints, spearmint and water mint. It comes in two classic forms. Black peppermint has purplish stems and darker leaves and gives a bold oil. White peppermint is greener, and its oil is sweeter, milder and more floral.

Ours is white peppermint grown in England, where it is traditionally considered the finest and purest available. The oil is made by steam distillation: steam passes through the freshly cut leaves and flowering tops, carries the aromatic oil with it, and the oil separates from the water as it cools. As full bloom approaches, the farmers test the plants every day, so the harvest lands on the day the oil is at its most concentrated.

Choosing between the two everyday mints? Our spearmint guide compares them side by side.

Why the label says Mentha piperita

You will often see peppermint written as Mentha × piperita. The “×” marks it as a hybrid, and both spellings mean the same plant. Our label says Mentha piperita. White and black peppermint are both forms of it, not separate species. Watch for bottles that just say “mint oil”: cornmint (Mentha arvensis) is a different, cheaper plant.

Is Peppermint Oil Phototoxic?

No. Peppermint oil isn’t phototoxic. Tisserand and Young’s Essential Oil Safety, the standard safety reference, doesn’t list it among the phototoxic oils, and the Cosmetic Ingredient Review’s safety assessment of peppermint oil found that it did not appear to be phototoxic.

Phototoxic oils contain furocoumarins, compounds that react with sunlight on the skin and can cause redness, blistering or dark patches that last for months. They show up mainly in cold-pressed citrus oils such as bergamot, lime and bitter orange, which is why those carry real sun limits. Peppermint doesn’t contain them.

The sun note on our product pages is a general caution we give for every oil. Peppermint itself isn’t known to cause sun reactions.

What It Smells Like, and What It Blends With

Peppermint is a bright top note of cool, sweet mint that opens fast and clean. White peppermint keeps the menthol chill but rounds it off with an almost floral sweetness.

It is also the loudest oil in most blends, so start with a drop or two: it is easy to add more mint and impossible to take it out. A few diffuser blends to try, in drops for a standard water diffuser:

Wide-awake morning: 2 drops peppermint, 3 drops Lemon
Cool and calm: 1 drop peppermint, 3 drops Lavender
Double mint: 1 drop peppermint, 2 drops Spearmint
Clean and green: 1 drop peppermint, 2 drops Tea Tree, 2 drops lemon (more in our tea tree guide)

How to Use Peppermint Essential Oil

In a diffuser

Start with 2 to 3 drops in the water reservoir, since peppermint fills a room fast. It suits early mornings and the mid-afternoon slump. Diffuse for 30 to 60 minutes at a time, in a room with some airflow, and not where a child under 3 sleeps or plays.

In a cooling massage oil or scalp rub

About 1% is plenty: 6 drops in 30 ml (1 oz) of a carrier oil such as jojoba or sweet almond. For a scalp rub, add 2 drops to 10 ml of jojoba, also about 1%. Keep it back from the hairline so it can’t run toward your eyes, and wash your hands afterward.

In a homemade room spray

For a bright, clean mint in a kitchen or bathroom, mix in a 100 ml (about 3.4 oz) glass spray bottle:

About 90 ml distilled water
About 10 ml witch hazel or high-proof vodka (it helps the oil disperse)
6 drops peppermint and 12 drops lemon

Shake well before every spray, since oil and water separate. Mist into the air rather than onto people or pets, and test on a hidden spot before spraying fabric.

Chaé Peppermint Essential Oil in a blue 15 ml bottle with a green label on a slate board beside fresh peppermint sprigs and a steaming cup of mint tea

Can You Put Peppermint Oil Directly on Skin?

Not undiluted. At full strength, peppermint can irritate skin, and its menthol can irritate the eyes, nose and mouth. Tisserand and Young set a maximum of 5.4% for adult skin, but you will rarely want anywhere near that: 1% already feels distinctly cool.

For the body, stay around 1%. We don’t recommend peppermint on the face, because its vapor rises straight to the eyes and can make them sting even when it is diluted. Patch test on your inner arm first, and stop if your skin reacts.

Peppermint Around Babies and Young Children

Menthol, the molecule that makes peppermint feel cool, can slow a small child’s breathing. In infants, menthol on or near the face can trigger a reflex that tightens the airway or makes breathing pause. Here is how to handle it, based on Tisserand and Young and the Tisserand Institute:

Never on or near the face of a baby or young child: not under the nose, not on the cheeks or forehead, and not on a pillow or blanket near their head.
Under 3: best avoided altogether, including in the diffuser.
Ages 3 to 6: peppermint can be diffused, or used on skin at no more than 0.5%: 3 drops in 30 ml (1 oz) of carrier oil, or 1 drop in 10 ml, well away from the face.
The bottle: keep it capped and out of reach.

Spearmint, which has very little menthol, is sometimes suggested as a gentler family mint. It is still a concentrated oil, so check with your pediatrician first.

What about the health claims you see online?

Search “peppermint oil benefits” and you will find headaches, digestion, focus and more. Much of that research is on peppermint oil capsules made and dosed as medicines, or on small, specific studies, not on a diffuser at home. In the U.S., an oil sold to treat a health problem is regulated as a drug; ours is sold for its scent, and we don’t make health claims for it. If you are managing a health condition, talk with your doctor.

Using It Safely

Dilute for skin, every time, and keep it off the face.
Children: see the section above.
Eyes: wash your hands after using it. Peppermint on your fingertips will sting if you then touch your eyes or contact lenses.
Pets: the ASPCA lists mint plants as toxic to dogs, cats and horses, and names their essential oils as the reason. Cats are especially sensitive. Keep diffusing brief, in a ventilated room they can leave, and never put oils on a pet’s skin or fur.
Medical conditions: Tisserand and Young advise avoiding peppermint oil if you have cardiac fibrillation or G6PD deficiency, an inherited enzyme condition. Check with your doctor if you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication or under a doctor’s care.
Don’t swallow it. Peppermint candy uses tiny, regulated amounts of flavor. A bottle of essential oil is for the diffuser, the room spray and well-diluted skin use.
Storage: tight cap, cool and dark, and use it within about two to three years.

How to Choose a Good Peppermint Oil

The plant: Mentha piperita (or Mentha × piperita), by name. Not just “mint oil”.
The part of the plant and the method: leaves and flowering tops, steam-distilled.
Dark glass: light and air break oils down. A clear plastic bottle is a red flag.
Independent standards: our oils are Grade A, Certified ToxicFree® and Leaping Bunny certified. Here is what ToxicFree® certification means.

The Bottom Line

Peppermint is the wake-up oil, and English white peppermint gives it a sweeter, softer edge. It isn’t phototoxic, but it is strong. Dilute it to about 1%, keep it away from eyes, pets and the faces of little ones, skip it entirely around children under 3, and a couple of drops will make any room feel wide awake.

FAQ: Peppermint Essential Oil

Is peppermint essential oil phototoxic?

No. Peppermint doesn’t contain furocoumarins, the compounds that make some citrus oils phototoxic, and Tisserand and Young don’t list it as phototoxic. It won’t make skin burn more easily in the sun.

Is peppermint oil safe around babies and young children?

Never put it on or near the face of a baby or young child. Under 3, it is best avoided altogether, including in the diffuser. From 3 to 6, it can be diffused or used on skin at no more than 0.5% (1 drop per 10 ml of carrier oil), away from the face.

Can I put peppermint oil directly on my skin?

Not undiluted. About 1% (6 drops per 30 ml of carrier oil) is plenty for the body. Keep it off the face and patch test first.

What’s the difference between white and black peppermint?

Both are Mentha piperita. Black peppermint has purplish stems and a bolder oil; white peppermint is greener, with a sweeter, milder, more floral oil. Ours is English white peppermint.

Is peppermint oil safe to diffuse around pets?

Be careful, especially with cats. The ASPCA lists mint as toxic to dogs, cats and horses because of its essential oils. Diffuse only briefly, in a ventilated room your pet can leave, and never apply oils to a pet.

Sources

Tisserand R, Young R. Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals, 2nd edition. Churchill Livingstone / Elsevier, 2014.
Tisserand Institute — Peppermint and Eucalyptus for children.
Nair B. “Final report on the safety assessment of Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Oil, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Extract, Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf, and Mentha Piperita (Peppermint) Leaf Water.” International Journal of Toxicology 20 (Suppl 3), 61–73 (2001).
European Medicines Agency — Community herbal monograph on Mentha x piperita L., aetheroleum (peppermint oil).
ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center — Mint (toxic and non-toxic plants list).
U.S. Food & Drug Administration — Aromatherapy.
National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy — Safety Guidelines.

Product spotlight

Every Chaé essential oil is 100% pure, Grade A, Certified ToxicFree® and Leaping Bunny certified, with the plant named on the label. Start with peppermint, then add a bright partner.