Clove and its derivatives

Clove and its extracts are flavourings. The characteristic compound is eugenol, which is also mildly antimicrobial and numbing — the reason clove oil was a folk toothache remedy.

Where it is and isn’t permitted

Status of Clove and its derivatives by jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction this site covers is listed, including those where the substance does not appear.
JurisdictionStatusScope and limitsCitation
United StatesFood and Drug AdministrationPermitted21 CFR 184.1257retrieved 2026-09-07
Codex AlimentariusCodex Alimentarius Commission / JECFANot listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited.

What it is made from

The dried flower buds of Syzygium aromaticum, used whole, ground, or distilled to oil and oleoresin.

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian

Every name it appears under

1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.

As it appears in regulation

  • Clove and its derivatives

Hazard reference values

No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.

Evidence and how bodies read it

Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated by hand rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.

Sources for this page

  • ecfr retrieved 2026-09-07

Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.

Machine-readable:/api/v1/additives/clove-and-its-derivatives.json