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Gamma-Terpinene

Q: Is Gamma-Terpinene natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Isolated from thyme, oregano, or tea tree essential oils by fractional distillation. Also produced synthetically from alpha-pinene. The natural isolation is straightforward given its abundance in several common essential oils..

GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES / citrus · herbal · fresh

Gamma-Terpinene

Category	GREENS, HERBS AND FOUGERES
Subcategory	citrus · herbal · fresh
Origin
Volatility	Top Note
Botanical	N/A — naturally occurring monoterpene found in many essential oils (tea tree, cumin, citrus)
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear oily liquid
Producing Countries	Australia, India, Mediterranean, United States
Pyramid	Top

Fresh, herbaceous-citrus with a warm, slightly sweet quality. Gamma-terpinene smells like thyme growing in a citrus orchard — herbal, lemony, and sun-warmed.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Fresh herbal-citrus, warmer than limonene, less piney than alpha-pinene. A thyme-like herbaceous quality gives it character. Slightly sweet, with a faint lemon-orange brightness. Volatile — a top-note material. On blotter, it fades quickly into a faint, clean herbal trace.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Fresh herbal-citrus burst. Warm, slightly sweet.

After a few hours

Brief herbal heart. Thyme-like warmth. Volatile.

After a few days

Quick fade. Minimal tenacity. Faint herbal trace.

The Full Story

CAS 99-85-4. A monocyclic monoterpene found in thyme, oregano, tea tree, citrus oils, and many other essential oils. Gamma-terpinene is one of the three terpinene isomers (alpha, beta/terpinolene, and gamma), each with a slightly different scent profile.

The scent is fresh, herbal-citrusy, with a warm, slightly sweet quality. It is less piney than alpha-pinene, more herbal than limonene, and has a thyme-like warmth that distinguishes it from other monoterpenes. The molecule is a significant contributor to the aroma of thyme and oregano essential oils.

In perfumery, gamma-terpinene is typically present as a component of essential oils rather than used as an isolate. It contributes to the herbal-citrus backbone of aromatic compositions.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alpha Pinene · Angelica · Angelica Root · Angelica Root Oil · Artemisia · Barrenwort · Beachheather · Behini Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Gamm a-terpinene is the metabolic precurs or to both thymol and carvacrol — the two molecules responsible for the particular tastes of thyme and oregano respectively. A single enzymatic step (aromatizati on followed by hydroxylati on) converts this unremarkable terpene into two of the .

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Isolated from thyme, oregano, or tea tree essential oils by fractional distillation. Also produced synthetically from alpha-pinene. The natural isolation is straightforward given its abundance in several common essential oils.

Molecular Formula	C10H16
CAS Number	99-85-4
Botanical Name	N/A — naturally occurring monoterpene found in many essential oils (tea tree, cumin, citrus)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Γ-TERPINENE · P-MENTHA-1,4-DIENE
Physical Properties
Lasting Power	4 hour(s) at 100.00 %
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear oily liquid
Boiling Point	181.00 to 183.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point	125.00 °F. TCC ( 51.67 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.84600 to 0.84900 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.47300 to 1.47700 @ 20.00 °C.
Melting Point	-10.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg

In Perfumery

Top-note component in herbal, citrus, and aromatic compositions. Gamma-terpinene contributes to the herbal-citrus character of thyme, oregano, and tea tree oils. Rarely used as an isolate in fine perfumery. Its primary importance is as a natural component of essential oils and as a precursor to other molecules — notably, it can be converted to para-cymene and then to thymol and carvacrol.