Ylangylang is the one essential oil that is always distilled in “fractions”…i.e. the distillation is stopped at various stages, the essential oil thus far produced is taken off, then the distillation continues. Various “grades” of Ylangylang are thus produced. Each distiller makes his own determination of where the “dividing line” should be, so there is a wide range of quality from one distiller to another. The normal production will include either Ylangylang super, Ylangylang extra, and Ylangylang 1, 2 and 3 or Ylangylang Extra, Ylangylang 1, Ylangylang 2, and Ylangylang 3. There is, obviously, going to be some overlap between what is one producers’ Ylangylang extra and another producer’s Ylangylang 1. Ylangylang Complete may be either the full, uninterrupted distillation (a complete oil) or a blend of different fractions.
The first fraction, the “extra” is composed primarily of esters and ethers, while the last fraction will be mostly sesquiterpenes.
A distiller of Ylangylang from the Phillipines once explained that his ylangylang distillation categorizations were based on the length of the distillation. ie: Pure Ylangylang Essential Oil is categorized according to the length of fractional distillation being carried out:
| Length of Distillation | Oil Grade |
| 1st hour | Extra |
| 3rd hour | I |
| 5th hour | II |
| 8th hour up to 20th hour | III |
This is one case where longer distillation does not equate with a higher quality oil.
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