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Alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde

Q: Is Alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Fully synthetic. Aldol condensation of cinnamaldehyde with heptaldehyde..

FLOWERS / floral · jasmine · powdery

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · jasmine · powdery
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A (synthetic aldehyde)
Appearance	Pale yellow to yellow clear liquid
Producing Countries	Manufactured globally (China, India, Europe)
Pyramid	Heart

Warm, sweet, floral-spicy with jasmine-like character. Amyl cinnamic aldehyde (CAS 122-40-7) provides warm, powdery, balsamic florality despite its spicy name.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Warm, sweet, powdery-balsamic floral. Not recognizably cinnamon despite the name. Jasmine-adjacent, with fatty warmth and slight powder. A background warmth molecule.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Warm sweet-floral, powdery

After a few hours

Balsamic warmth, jasmine-adjacent

After a few days

Persistent warm-powdery base

The Full Story

Alpha-amylcinnamaldehyde (CAS 122-40-7) is a cinnamaldehyde derivative whose five-carbon chain transforms sharp cinnamon into warm, sweet, powdery, jasmine-adjacent floral.

Warm, fatty, slightly balsamic with good tenacity. Less volatile and less sharp than cinnamaldehyde. Provides body and warmth to florals.

Functions as a heart-to-base modifier. IFRA restricted due to sensitization concerns.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Accord Eudora · African Marigold · Alyssum · Angels Trumpet · Aquaflora · Ashoka Flower · Aurantiol · Azalea

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Alpha-amylcinnamaldehyde is IFRA restricted due to skin sensitization. Usage limits have been progressively tightened since the 1990s, forcing perfumers to find alternatives for a molecule that had been a workhorse since the 1930s.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Fully synthetic. Aldol condensation of cinnamaldehyde with heptaldehyde.

Molecular Formula	C14H18O
CAS Number	122-40-7
Botanical Name	N/A (synthetic aldehyde)
IFRA Status	Restricted. Alpha-amylcinnamaldehyde (Amyl Cinnamal) is an IFRA-listed allergen requiring declaration above 0.001% in leave-on products.
Synonyms	AMYLCINNAMALDEHYDE · 4-AMINO-3-PHENYLBUTANOIC ACID
Physical Properties
Appearance	Pale yellow to yellow clear liquid
Boiling Point	287.00 to 290.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point	> 212.00 °F. TCC ( > 100.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.96300 to 0.97100 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.55500 to 1.55900 @ 20.00 °C.
Melting Point	80.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg

In Perfumery

Heart-to-base modifier providing warm powdery-balsamic florality. CAS 122-40-7. Despite the cinnamaldehyde name, it smells floral. IFRA restricted. Adds body and warmth.