The genus Cinnamomum (Lauraceae) consists of approximately 350 species, many of which are essential oil producers, with the most frequently used parts of the plants being dehydrated bark. Therefore, Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume, known popularly as cinnamon, has the following biological properties: analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, astringent, insecticidal, antifungal and antimicrobial. Thus, this work evaluates the physicochemical properties and larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti of the essential oil of Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume leaves that are found in the Municipality of São Luís, Maranhão. The essential oil was quantitatively extracted by hydrodistillation. The physicochemical properties of the essential oil (density, refractive index, solubility, color, and appearance) were determined. The oil was characterized analytically by gas chromatography coupled to mass spectrometer (GC-MS) and the CL50 of the oil was calculated from the Reed-Muench Pizzi methods, respectively. The yield of the oil was 4.33% of mass per volume, which allowed the identification of 4 components, being the major presence of eugenol that soon was confirmed by the spectroscopic techniques. The essential oil obtained CL50 of 56.49 mg∙L-1. In the identification of the major component and the other components, as well as their quantifications, the techniques were precise and the methods efficient, providing a good analytical performance in the determinations.