Cinnamyl Alcohol

Semi-syntheticSPICESspicy · balsamic · sweet

HeartPyramid

3/5Strength

371hTenacity

1Origins

Specimen

Cinnamyl Alcohol perfume ingredient — Heart

N/A - synthetic molecule (also found naturally in cinnamon)

Definition

Warm, balsamic powder over clean white petals. Cinnamyl alcohol is cinnamon with the heat surgically removed — what remains is the sweet, waxy hush of hyacinth pollen on a warm afternoon.

SPICY SWEET BALSAMIC WARM

CINNAMYL ALCOHOL 3-PHENYL-2-PROPEN-1-OL

Type: Ingredient
Olfactive family: Spicy
Subfamily: Warm spices
Cluster: Classic spices
Source: synthetic molecule (also found naturally in cinnamon bark and storax)
Chemical class: phenylpropanoid (alcohol)

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

3/5Strength

Medium

odour strength

Tenacity on blotter

371hours · 15 days

1 h6 h24 h3 d7 d400 h

at 100 %

Producing countries

Manufactured globally

Scent

Balsamic-sweet and powdery, with a floral signature closer to hyacinth pollen than to cinnamon bark. Drier and more resinous than benzyl alcohol, warmer and less sharp than cinnamaldehyde. A faint green-waxy undertone recalls lily stems. On skin, it softens into a quiet, almost imperceptible warmth — powdery, clean, vaguely almond-like at the edges. None of the clove-like punch of eugenol, none of the camphoraceous lift of linalool.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

Terroir & Chemotypes

The Full Story

CAS 104-54-1. 3-Phenyl-2-propen-1-ol. A phenylpropanoid alcohol (MW 134.18) found naturally in styrax resin from Liquidambar orientalis (up to 45% as free alcohol after hydrolysis of cinnamyl cinnamate esters), hyacinth absolute (approximately 11%), cinnamon bark oil (0.4-6%), and Balsam of Peru. The trans isomer dominates in nature. Despite the name, cinnamyl alcohol shares little olfactory territory with kitchen cinnamon: where cinnamaldehyde bites, cinnamyl alcohol whispers.

The scent opens balsamic-sweet with a distinct floral-powdery quality — closer to hyacinth and lily-of-the-valley than to any spice rack. A clean, slightly green undertone sits beneath the sweetness. On blotter, the material dries to a soft, waxy, almost skin-like warmth over 6-8 hours. Substantivity is notable: 371 hours at 100% concentration (TGSC data), placing it firmly in the heart-to-base register.

A critical stability note: cinnamyl alcohol autoxidizes rapidly upon air exposure, forming cinnamaldehyde and the potent sensitizer epoxy cinnamyl alcohol. Even commercial samples typically contain 1.5% cinnamaldehyde as a contaminant (Bezard et al., Contact Dermatitis, 2013). Storage under nitrogen in sealed containers is mandatory. This autoxidation also makes cinnamyl alcohol a prohapten — skin alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) and CYP2E1 convert it to cinnamaldehyde in vivo, which then acts as the actual hapten triggering sensitization.

One of the 26 EU-regulated fragrance allergens under Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009: mandatory label declaration above 0.001% in leave-on products, 0.01% in rinse-off. IFRA restricts use to 1.2% maximum in fine fragrance (Category 4), 0.32% in body lotion (Category 5A), and as low as 0.067% in axillary products (Category 2).

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Related: Allspice · Anethole · Anise · Asafoetida · Baking Spices · Bay Leaf · Biryani · Caraway

History

Cinnamyl alcohol was first isolated in the mid-19th century during systematic investigations of cinnamon bark chemistry and storax resin. Robiquet and Dumas identified cinnamaldehyde in 1834; cinnamyl alcohol followed as chemists reduced the aldehyde and identified the corresponding alcohol in natural sources.

The molecule gained industrial importance in the early 20th century when perfumers discovered its value in hyacinth and lily-of-the-valley reconstructions — flowers whose natural absolutes were prohibitively expensive or difficult to obtain. The Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction (developed 1925-1926) made large-scale production from cinnamaldehyde practical. Its regulatory significance increased sharply in 1999 when the SCCNFP identified it as one of 26 fragrance allergens requiring mandatory label declaration, codified into EU law via Directive 2003/15/EC and later Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009.

Did You Know?

Cinnamyl alcohol autoxidizes so readily that even freshly opened commercial samples already contain 1.5% cinnamaldehyde as a contaminant. This means a bottle of "cinnamyl alcohol" left unsealed for a few weeks gradually becomes a different molecule — and a significantly more potent skin sensitizer. The 2013 study by Bezard et al. in Contact Dermatitis demonstrated this, establishing that the allergenicity attributed to cinnamyl alcohol is partly an artifact of its own instability.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Commercial cinnamyl alcohol is produced almost exclusively by synthetic reduction of cinnamaldehyde (itself derived from cassia oil or synthesized via aldol condensation of benzaldehyde with acetaldehyde). Two principal industrial routes: (1) Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley reduction using aluminum isopropoxide in isopropanol — selective carbonyl reduction preserving the C=C double bond, approximately 85% yield. (2) Catalytic hydrogenation with osmium-on-carbon catalyst, achieving approximately 95% yield with high chemoselectivity for the aldehyde over the alkene. Natural cinnamyl alcohol can be isolated from styrax resin (Liquidambar orientalis) — Fraterworks offers a "Cinnamic Alcohol ex Styrax" natural isolate (approximately 55% cinnamyl alcohol). This route is artisanal, not industrial. Natural occurrence in cinnamon bark oil is too low (0.4-6%) for economical extraction. The molecule also occurs in hyacinth absolute (approximately 11%) but extraction from this source is impractical given hyacinth absolute's own rarity and cost.

Formula: C9H10O
CAS: 104-54-1
Botanical: N/A - synthetic molecule (also found naturally in cinnamon)
Appearance: White crystalline solid or colorless needles
Odour strength: Medium
Lasting power: 371 hours at 100%
Synonyms: CINNAMYL ALCOHOL 3-PHENYL-2-PROPEN-1-OL

IFRA status

Restricted

Restricted. EU-regulated fragrance allergen (Annex III, Regulation (EC) No. 1223/2009). Mandatory label declaration above 0.001% in leave-on products, 0.01% in rinse-off. IFRA category limits: 1.2% in fine fragrance (Cat. 4), 0.32% in body lotion (Cat. 5A), 0.25% in face products (Cat. 3/5B/5C), 0.067% in axillary products (Cat. 2), 0.085% in baby products (Cat. 5D). Additionally classified as a prohapten — metabolized to cinnamaldehyde in skin by ADH and CYP2E1. Cross-reacts with cinnamal on patch testing.

Physical properties

Boiling point: 250.00 to 258.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Melting point: 30.00 to 34.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash point: > 200.00 °F. TCC ( > 93.33 °C. )

In Perfumery

Heart-to-base modifier in floral-spicy, amber, balsamic, and hyacinth compositions. Cinnamyl alcohol provides cinnamon warmth without pungency — a critical distinction when cinnamaldehyde would destabilize a formula or exceed sensitization thresholds. It is foundational in hyacinth reconstructions, where it works alongside phenylacetaldehyde (the green-waxy quality) and florhydral (the dewy freshness) to approximate the natural flower's complexity. Equally at home in soft amber bases, where it adds balsamic depth without competing with vanillin or coumarin. The natural isolate from styrax resin (approximately 55% cinnamyl alcohol with residual phenylpropyl alcohol and cinnamaldehyde) has a richer, more heady floral character than the synthetic grade. The synthetic is cleaner, more linear, and significantly cheaper. Dosage must account for IFRA limits: maximum 1.2% in fine fragrance (Category 4). The autoxidation issue demands fresh material and nitrogen-blanketed storage — aged stock generates cinnamaldehyde and epoxy cinnamyl alcohol, both stronger sensitizers.

Role in the formula

01fixative

02modifier

03blender

04warmth

Available as

natural isolate (ex styrax) synthetic