Nerolidol

Q: Is Nerolidol natural or synthetic?

Extraction: Isolated from neroli oil, cabreuva oil, or other essential oils by fractional distillation. Also produced synthetically from linalool or farnesol. Both natural and synthetic routes are used commercially. The molecule's growing interest in pharmaceutical applications has driven increased production..

Semi-syntheticFLOWERSfloral · woody · green

HeartPyramid

—Strength

100hTenacity

4Origins

Specimen

Heart

N/A — sesquiterpene alcohol (found in Neroli, Jasmine, Tea tree)

Definition

Subtle, woody-floral with a fresh, green, slightly waxy quality. Nerolidol smells like a forest glade where flowers grow near wet bark — quiet, complex, faintly sweet.

FLORAL WOODY GREEN

(±)-NEROLIDOL NEROLIDOL (CIS/TRANS MIXTURE) 3,7,11-TRIMETHYL-1,6,10-DODECATRIEN-3-OL

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

—Strength

—

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

100hours · 4 days

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

at 100 %

Producing countries

Brazil Egypt Morocco Tunisia

Scent

Subtle, woody-floral-green. Quiet and non-assertive — you sense it more than smell it. A fresh, slightly waxy quality with bark-like undertones. Less impactful than linalool, more woody than nerol, subtler than farnesol. The scent provides background complexity rather than foreground character.

Terroir & Origins

Indicative 2025 wholesale prices.

The Full Story

CAS 7212-44-4 (mixture of isomers). A sesquiterpene alcohol found in neroli, ginger, jasmine, lemongrass, tea tree, and cannabis. Nerolidol exists as cis (Z) and trans (E) isomers, both with subtle, woody-floral-green character.

The scent is quiet and layered — woody, slightly floral, with green and waxy qualities. It is far less immediately impactful than most terpene alcohols. Trans-nerolidol is slightly sweeter and more floral; cis-nerolidol has more woody-bark character. Both isomers contribute to the complex background of many natural essential oils without being individually recognizable.

Nerolidol is increasingly interesting for its biological properties — it has documented skin-penetration enhancing effects, antimicrobial activity, and insect-repellent properties. In perfumery, it functions as a subtle modifier and fixative rather than a character note.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Sources

Nerolidol, 3,7,11-trimethyldodeca-1,6,10-trien-3-ol (CID 8888), CAS 7212-44-4. PubChem, NCBI. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/8888
1,6,10-Dodecatrien-3-ol, 3,7,11-trimethyl-, CAS 7212-44-4. NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69. https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=7212-44-4
trans-Nerolidol, (E)-isomer, CAS 40716-66-3. NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69. https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=40716-66-3
Peruviol, (3S,6Z)-nerolidol, CAS 142-50-7. NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69. https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=142-50-7

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Isolated from neroli oil, cabreuva oil, or other essential oils by fractional distillation. Also produced synthetically from linalool or farnesol. Both natural and synthetic routes are used commercially. The molecule's growing interest in pharmaceutical applications has driven increased production.

Formula: C15H26O
CAS: 7212-44-4
Botanical: N/A — sesquiterpene alcohol (found in Neroli, Jasmine, Tea tree)
Appearance: Colorless to pale yellow oily liquid
Lasting power: 100 hour(s) at 100.00 %
Synonyms: (±)-NEROLIDOL NEROLIDOL (CIS/TRANS MIXTURE) 3,7,11-TRIMETHYL-1,6,10-DODECATRIEN-3-OL

IFRA status

See note

Not subject to an IFRA Standard (51st Amendment)

Physical properties

Boiling point: 114.00 °C. @ 1.00 mm Hg
Flash point: 205.00 °F. TCC ( 96.11 °C. )
Specific gravity: 0.87000 to 0.88000 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive index: 1.47800 to 1.48300 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Background modifier and fixative. Nerolidol provides subtle woody-floral complexity that enriches compositions without asserting itself. It functions as a mild fixative (its sesquiterpene structure gives it lower volatility than monoterpenes) and as a skin-penetration enhancer — which can affect how fragrances develop on skin. Used at low dosages in complex woody-floral compositions, tea accords, and naturalistic blends.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02blender

Available as

natural isolate synthetic

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