(Also known as: red thyme oil; white thyme oil; Thymus vulgaris extract; thyme extract)
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.
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
Yes
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; Canada
Chemical structure
Isomerism
Thyme oil is a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds, primarily monoterpenes and phenols and some of its key constituents are isomeric. For example, a monoterpenoid phenol commonly found in thyme oil that has the formula C₁₀H₁₄O exhibits positional isomerism and exists as thymol (2-isopropyl-5-methylphenol) and carvacrol (5-isopropyl-2-methylphenol).
Chemical formula
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Canonical SMILES
-
Isomeric SMILES
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International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)
-
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)
-
2D structure diagram/image available?
No
General status
Biopesticide type
Insecticide; Fungicide
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. Suffocates insects and contact damage due to corrosive properties
Insecticide behavioural & physiological effects
-
Substance source
Oil is extracted from the Mediterraean herb Thymus vulgaris and other Thymus species
Mixture composition
Thymol is usually the most dominant constituent of thyme in terms of both percentage composition (up to 55%) and bioactivity. P-cymene accounts for around 8-25% and gamma-terpinene around 5-30%. Carvacrol may also be present but tends to be in low quantities especially thymol content is high. Other notable compounds include linalool (3–7%), beta-caryophyllene (1–5%), alpha-pinene, myrcene, borneol and terpinen-4-ol.
R04 Rule 4: Pesticide active ingredients that meet the criteria of reproductive toxicity Categories 1A and 1B of the Globally Harmonized System on Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) (those with a CLP classification of H360)
Colourless to red-brown oily liquid with characteristic smell. Oil consists of thymol, linalool, cymene, 1,8-cineole and various other aromatic substances
Used informally for centuries; 1990s, informal use in agriculture recorded
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically
Kemin Industries
Rovensa Next North America
Ultra International B.V.
Vdh Organics Pvt. Ltd.
Example products using this active
Formulation and application details
Often formulated as formulated as emulsifiable concentrates or ready-to-use products
Commercial production
Commercial production of thyme oil begins with the cultivation of Thymus vulgaris. The plants are harvested during peak flowering, when essential oil content is highest. The fresh or dried aerial parts, mainly leaves and flowering tops, are then subjected to steam distillation, which extracts volatile compounds like thymol, carvacrol, and linalool that give thyme oil its strong, herbaceous aroma and medicinal properties. After distillation, the oil is filtered, tested for purity, and packaged for 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)
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C
P
5.01 X 1001
Calculated
-
Log P
1.7
F2 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 2 = Unverified data of unknown source
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
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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)
F4 Mouse 1250
-
Moderate
Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)
-
-
-
Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)
-
-
-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)
> 10000
F3 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 3 = Unverified data of known source
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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Ecotoxicity
Warning:
