Mountain Cinnamon Knowledge Base

What is mountain cinnamon?

Mountain cinnamon is a common name used in Guangdong, Guangxi and parts of South China for Yinxiang (Cinnamomum burmanni (Nees & T. Nees) Blume), a plant in the Lauraceae family and Cinnamomum genus. Other common names include mountain rougui, wild yugui and Guangdong cassia bark.

Yinxiang is an evergreen tree, reaching about 14-20 meters in height with a trunk diameter of up to 30 centimeters. The whole plant contains aromatic volatile substances. Its bark is smooth, gray-brown to dark brown, with reddish inner bark and a cinnamon-like aroma. The leathery leaves release a distinctive fragrance when crushed. Its fruit is an ovoid drupe that turns purplish black when mature.

The name “mountain cinnamon” was recorded as early as Xiao Budan's Lingnan Caiyao Lu in the Qing dynasty. In modern plant taxonomy, iPlant officially records “shan yu gui” as one of the common names of Yinxiang.

Sources: Flora of China, Vol. 31; iPlant; Hong Kong Herbarium.

What kind of plant is mountain cinnamon?

The taxonomic position of mountain cinnamon (Yinxiang) is as follows:

About the spelling of the scientific name: both C. burmannii (double i) and C. burmanni (single i) appear in literature. burmannii is the original spelling, named after the Dutch botanist Burmann; under botanical nomenclature conventions, personal names ending in -mann take a double i. Some later authors used the shortened spelling burmanni. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew's POWO currently accepts C. burmanni as the accepted name. Both spellings refer to the same species.

The genus Cinnamomum includes more than 250 species worldwide, mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical Asia and Australia. About 46 species occur in China, and Yinxiang is one of the more widely distributed species in the genus.

Sources: Plants of the World Online (POWO); Flora of China, Vol. 31.

Where does mountain cinnamon grow?

The natural distribution of mountain cinnamon (Yinxiang) covers tropical and subtropical regions of Asia:

Distribution in China: Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan, Fujian and Hainan, with records also in Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Guizhou and southern Hunan.

Global distribution: India, Myanmar, Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Habitat and elevation: It is commonly found in open forests, dense forests, shrublands, and along streams or roadsides at elevations of 100-1,400 meters. In Yunnan, it can grow at elevations up to 2,100 meters.

Yinxiang is a sun-loving tree species that prefers warm, humid climates and has strong adaptability. In southern China, it often grows mixed with other broadleaf tree species, has strong natural self-seeding ability, and natural seedlings are often found near parent trees. It grows well in regions south of the mid-subtropical zone.

The mountain cinnamon raw material used by ZIMEILANG comes from the brand's own botanical garden in Heyun Town, Qingyuan, Guangdong. Qingyuan lies north of the Tropic of Cancer and has a subtropical monsoon climate, with an average annual temperature of about 18-22°C and annual precipitation of about 1,800-2,200 mm, making it a naturally suitable region for Yinxiang.

Sources: Flora of China, Vol. 31; iPlant; Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

What are its characteristics?

Many people first hear “mountain cinnamon” and ask: is it the same thing as the cinnamon used in everyday cooking? No. Although both belong to the Lauraceae family and Cinnamomum genus, they are different species, with clear differences in plant parts used and chemical composition. ZIMEILANG uses mountain cinnamon leaves rather than ordinary cinnamon bark as a botanical raw material because of these differences.

1. Three Fundamental Differences

Sources: Flora of China, Vol. 31; iPlant; Liu X et al. (2023).

Simply put: ordinary cinnamon is known for its bark and marked by cinnamaldehyde; mountain cinnamon is valued for its leaves, with a richer and more varied chemical profile depending on chemotype. They are two different plants and should not be confused.

2. Why ZIMEILANG Chooses Mountain Cinnamon Leaves

ZIMEILANG's mountain cinnamon forest is located in Heyun Town, Qingyuan, Guangdong, and has been growing for 25 years. We use mountain cinnamon leaves as the botanical raw material source rather than ordinary cinnamon bark for three reasons:

1. Leaves, not bark
Ordinary cinnamon requires bark stripping, which can damage trees. Mountain cinnamon leaves can be harvested more sustainably while the trees remain evergreen year after year. Leaves and bark also differ chemically and should not be treated as substitutes for each other.

2. A gentler aroma
Ordinary cinnamon is dominated by cinnamaldehyde, with a strong, spicy and warming aroma. Mountain cinnamon leaf oil has a milder and clearer aroma, making it more suitable for daily skincare scenarios.

3. Controlled origin
A 25-year self-owned botanical garden provides a fixed and traceable raw material source rather than fragmented market procurement.

3. Product Ingredients and Usage Logic

ZIMEILANG uses mountain cinnamon leaf botanical resources as the core to build a “lotion and oil” care combination for oily and acne-prone skin. The two products are as follows:

Acne Care Nourishing Lotion
Ingredients: Water, camphor tree leaf extract.

Mountain cinnamon (Yinxiang) belongs to the Lauraceae family, and “camphor tree leaf extract” refers to mountain cinnamon leaf extract in this brand context. Mountain cinnamon leaves contain multiple volatile components such as borneol, eucalyptol, linalool and caryophyllene, which show antibacterial and anti-inflammatory biological activities in in-vitro studies. Qing dynasty text Lingnan Caiyao Lu recorded Yinxiang leaf decoction for washing the body to help disperse skin wind-heat, echoing the modern care direction for oily and acne-prone skin.

The lotion has a refreshing watery texture that feels lightweight and non-sticky. It is suitable for daily use on skin with obvious oiliness, closed comedones and recurring blemishes. Use the lotion first to lay a gentle care foundation for the following essence oil.

Cinnamon Essence Oil
Ingredients: Jojoba Seed Oil, Cinnamon Leaf Oil, Tea Tree Oil, Grape Seed Oil.

The four botanical ingredients work together: jojoba seed oil and grape seed oil provide a lightweight botanical oil base; cinnamon leaf oil contributes the botanical activity and penetration-supporting value of mountain cinnamon leaves; tea tree oil adds an antibacterial care direction. The essence oil has a lightweight, non-heavy texture suitable for local spot application. Used together with the Acne Care Nourishing Lotion in a “lotion first, oil after” routine, it helps oily and acne-prone skin stay refreshed, soft and stable.

4. One-Sentence Summary

Mountain cinnamon and ordinary cinnamon are different species within the same genus. They use different plant parts (leaf vs bark) and have different core chemical compositions. ZIMEILANG chooses mountain cinnamon leaves - leaves rather than bark, a gentler aroma and a traceable origin - paired with jojoba seed oil, tea tree oil, grape seed oil and other botanical ingredients to build an Eastern botanical “lotion and oil” care routine for oily and acne-prone skin.

Boundary note: Research cited for antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and penetration-enhancing effects is based on in-vitro or animal experimental models and should not be directly equated with human product efficacy. Actual product efficacy is subject to human efficacy testing results.

References: Flora of China, Vol. 31; iPlant; Lingnan Caiyao Lu; Liu X et al. (2023), J. Essential Oil Bearing Plants; Zhang X et al. (2024), Molecules 29(9):2080; Yang C et al. (2020), Int. J. Pharm. 580:119225.

How is it different from ordinary cinnamon?

Mountain cinnamon (Yinxiang, C. burmanni) and what is commonly called “ordinary cinnamon” (cassia cinnamon, C. cassia, also known as Cinnamon or Cassia) both belong to the Lauraceae family and Cinnamomum genus, but they are different species. They differ in morphology, chemical composition and uses.

Key difference: The marker component of ordinary cinnamon (C. cassia) is cinnamaldehyde, which can account for more than 70%-90% of bark essential oil. In contrast, the volatile oil composition of mountain cinnamon (Yinxiang) leaves varies greatly by chemotype; some provenances have borneol as the primary component, which is fundamentally different from ordinary cinnamon. Morphologically, Yinxiang also has thinner leaves and thinner bark, helping distinguish it from C. cassia.

Sources: Flora of China, Vol. 31; Taiwan Forestry Research Institute research materials; Wang R, et al. (2009), Innovative Food Science & Emerging Technologies.