Cananga odorata (ylang-ylang) is a plant with numerous uses, including ornamental use, traditional medicinal ingredient, as fragrance, and cosmetics. The high market demand for ylang-ylang essential oil needs to be supported by information on the in vitro process of callus formation to supports the secondary metabolites production without having to cut or harvest the trees so that biodiversity is maintained. The aims of this study were to analyze the explants sterilization method using sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution that was most suitable for the ylang-ylang initiation, and to analyze the effect of BAP and NAA treatment on the formation of ylang-ylang callus. The design used is a completely randomized design. The methods used included the preparation, sterilization, and callus induction using a combination of BAP and NAA hormones with twenty four treatment combinations. The results are: the sterilization of explants with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solution at a concentration of 20% (v/v) 10 minutes followed by a concentration of 15% (v/v) 20 minutes was able to produce sterile explants in as much as 67.5% of cases. At the callus induction stage, the highest score of callus formation in leaf explants was in media-23 (BAP 4 ppm plus NAA 5 ppm).