(Also known as: vetiver essential oil; Indian essential oil; khas khas grass oil; khus oil)
Hazard alerts
The following Pesticide Hazard Tricolour (PHT) alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. The alerts for Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) are based on applying the FAO/WHO (Type 1) and the PAN (Type II) criteria to PPDB data. Further details on the HHP indicators are given in the tables below. Neither the PHT nor the HHP hazard alerts take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus they do not represent risk.
PHT: Environmental fate
PHT: Ecotoxicity
PHT: Human health
Highly Hazardous Pesticide
Human health Low alert
Warning: Significant data are missing
GENERAL INFORMATION
Description
An oil extracted from the perennial grass Chrysopogon zizanioides which may be used as an insect repellent
Example pests/issues controlled
Termites; Ticks; Mosquitos
Example applications
-
Efficacy & activity
Highly effective in phytoremediation, absorbing and degrading contaminants like heavy metals, pesticides & waste water pollutants, with removal efficiencies up to 97%.
No UK approval for use as a plant protection agent
EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)
EC Regulation 1107/2009 status
Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur
Not applicable
Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires
Not applicable
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)
Not applicable
Listed in EU database
No
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 in the following EU Member States
ATAustria
BEBelgium
BGBulgaria
CYCyprus
CZCzech Republic
DEGermany
DKDenmark
EEEstonia
ELGreece
ESSpain
FIFinland
FRFrance
HRCroatia
HUHungary
IEIreland
ITItaly
LTLithuania
LULuxembourg
LVLatvia
MTMalta
NLNetherlands
PLPoland
PTPortugal
RORomania
SESweden
SISlovenia
SKSlovakia
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 by Mutual Recognition of Authorisation and/or national regulations in the following EEA countries
ISIceland
NONorway
Additional information
Also used in
USA
Chemical structure
Isomerism
Vetiver oil is a complex mixture and contains a large number of different sesquiterpenes, many of which exist in isomeric forms. For example, the oil contains vetiverol, vetivone, and khusimol, all of which exhibit stereoisomerism due to multiple chiral centres. It also contains the positional isomers methyl zizanoate and methyl isozizanoate as well as valerenol, beta-vatirenene, and longiverbenone which are structural isomers.
Chemical formula
-
Canonical SMILES
-
Isomeric SMILES
-
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)
-
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)
-
2D structure diagram/image available?
No
General status
Biopesticide type
Insecticide; Repellent
Substance groups
Plant-derived substance; Plant oil
Minimum active substance purity
-
Known relevant impurities
-
Substance origin
Natural; Complex mixture
Mode of action
Non-toxic mode of action - repellency
Insecticide behavioural & physiological effects
-
Substance source
Derived from the aromatic roots of the evergreen perennial grass Chrysopogon zizanioides (formerly Vetiveria zizanioides) that is native to China, Africa and India
Mixture composition
Vetiver oil is a highly complex essential oil comprising over 150–200 identified sesquiterpenoid compounds, with significant variation depending on geographic origin, harvest age and extraction method. Key characteristic constituents include alcohols such as khusimol (typically 5-26%, often a major component), isovalencenol (around 5-12%), vetiselinenol, and zizanol; sesquiterpene hydrocarbons like beta-vetivenene (2-9%), alpha-amorphene, prezizaene, and khusimene. Ketones such as alpha-vetivone (2-8%) and beta-vetivone (1-4%) are lao present alongside minor aldehydes (e.g, zizanal) and acids (e.g. zizanoic acid).
Used for centuries informally; 1980s, scientific studies regarding its repellency; 2000s, used in Asian pest manageemnt systems
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically
-
Example products using this active
Formulation and application details
Often formulated as ready-to-use formulations and emulsifiable concentrates
Commercial production
Commercial production of vetiver oil centres on cultivating Chrysopogon zizanioides. The oil is extracted from the plant’s deep, fibrous roots, which are harvested after 12–18 months of growth to ensure high aromatic content. Once dug up, the roots are cleaned, dried, and subjected to steam distillation, with two main approaches: low-pressure distillation for premium-grade perfume oil and high-pressure distillation for larger-scale commercial use.
Impact on climate of production and use
Data for specific plant oils is scarce. However, from publicly available data the carbon footprint of plant oils has been estimated at between 1.0 and 4.0 kg CO₂e per kg of oil. This depends on the plant oil content, agricultural practices and processing methods used.
ENVIRONMENTAL FATE
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C at pH 7 (mg l⁻¹)
-
-
-
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)
-
-
-
Melting point (°C)
-
-
-
Boiling point (°C)
276
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
-
Degradation point (°C)
-
-
-
Flashpoint (°C)
119
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C
P
-
-
-
Log P
-
-
-
Fat solubility of residues
Solubility
-
-
-
Data type
-
-
-
Density (g ml⁻¹)
0.99
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C
-
-
-
-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)
-
-
-
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)
-
-
-
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost
From plant surface
-
-
-
From soil surface
-
-
-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹
-
-
-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)
-
-
-
Degradation
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
General biodegradability
-
Soil degradation (days)
DT₅₀ (typical)
-
-
-
DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)
-
-
-
DT₅₀ (field)
-
-
-
DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)
-
-
-
DT₉₀ (field)
-
-
-
DT₅₀ modelling endpoint
-
-
-
Note
-
Soil mineralisation
Aerobic (at 20 °C)
-
-
-
Anaerobic (at 20 °C)
-
-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7
Value
-
-
-
Note
-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)
-
-
-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)
-
-
-
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)
-
-
-
Air degradation
As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀
-
Soil adsorption and mobility
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
Linear
Kd (mL g⁻¹)
-
-
-
Koc (mL g⁻¹)
-
Notes and range
-
Freundlich
Kf (mL g⁻¹)
-
-
-
Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)
-
1/n
-
Notes and range
-
pH sensitivity
-
Known metabolites
None
ECOTOXICOLOGY
Terrestrial ecotoxicology
Property
Value
Source; quality score; and other information
Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)
> 2000
Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source
Rat
Low
Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)
-
-
-
Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)
Tzilivakis, J., Lewis, K.A., Green, A. and Warner, D.J. (2026) A decade of growth and impact of the Pesticide Properties Database (PPDB). Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 1–26. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2026.2702066
Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242
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Human health
Warning:
