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Hexyl Cinnamal

Q: Is Hexyl Cinnamal natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Produced synthetically by aldol condensation of octanal with cinnamaldehyde, or similar routes. Entirely synthetic with no significant natural source. Production is large-scale and the molecule is one of the least expensive fragrance ingredients. Annual consumption is estimated in the thousands of tonnes globally..

FLOWERS / floral · jasmine · fresh

Hexyl Cinnamal

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · jasmine · fresh
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A — synthetic molecule (also found naturally in Chamomile oil)
Appearance	Pale yellow clear oily liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	China, Germany, United States
Pyramid	Heart

Warm, sweet-floral with a clean, slightly jasmine-like quality. Hexyl cinnamal smells like chamomile tea with honey — gentle, balsamic, comforting, almost drowsy.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Soft, warm, floral-balsamic. Jasmine-chamomile quality with a clean, slightly waxy undertone. Less sharp than cinnamaldehyde, warmer than linalool, less defined than jasmine absolute. The scent is pleasant, uncontroversial, and broadly appealing — which is precisely its value. On blotter, it is persistent and slowly evolving, maintaining a warm, sweet-floral character throughout.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Soft, warm floral-balsamic opening. Gentle and rounded.

After a few hours

Stable warm-floral heart. Jasmine-chamomile character persists. Clean and sweet.

After a few days

Persistent warm base. Balsamic sweetness lingers. Slow, gradual fade.

The Full Story

CAS 101-86-0. Also known as alpha-hexylcinnamaldehyde. A synthetic aldehyde common in perfumery for its soft, warm, floral-balsamic character. It is one of the 26 EU-listed fragrance allergens, making it a tracked molecule in the cosmetics industry.

The scent is gentle, warm, and pleasantly floral — often described as jasmine-like or chamomile-like. It has a clean, slightly fatty-waxy quality typical of higher cinnamaldehyde homologues, and a balsamic sweetness that reads as comforting rather than exotic. The molecule lacks the spicy bite of cinnamaldehyde and instead provides a smooth, rounded warmth.

Hexyl cinnamal is a perfumery workhorse — used in enormous quantities across fine fragrance, personal care, and household products. Its warm, inoffensive, broadly appealing character makes it a consumed fragrance molecules globally. It functions as a base-note extender and warm-floral blender.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Despite being a common fragrance molecules on Earth — present in an estimated 60-80% of scented consumer products — hexyl cinnamal is virtually unknown outside the industry. Its name appears on millions of product labels due to EU allergen disclosure rules, making it perhaps the most frequently read-but-never-understood chemical name in daily life.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Produced synthetically by aldol condensation of octanal with cinnamaldehyde, or similar routes. Entirely synthetic with no significant natural source. Production is large-scale and the molecule is one of the least expensive fragrance ingredients. Annual consumption is estimated in the thousands of tonnes globally.

Molecular Formula	C15H20O
CAS Number	101-86-0
Botanical Name	N/A — synthetic molecule (also found naturally in Chamomile oil)
IFRA Status	Restricted — Hexyl cinnamal is a declared allergen under EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex III. Mandatory labeling above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
Synonyms	HEXYL CINNAMAL · 2-HEXYLCINNAMALDEHYDE
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Lasting Power	400 hours at 100%
Appearance	Pale yellow clear oily liquid
Boiling Point	174.00 to 176.00 °C. @ 15.00 mm Hg
Flash Point	235.00 °F. TCC ( 113.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity	0.95100 to 0.95900 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.54700 to 1.55200 @ 20.00 °C.

In Perfumery

Base-note extender and warm-floral blender in virtually all fragrance families. Hexyl cinnamal provides background warmth and floral sweetness. It is used at high concentrations (often 5-15% of a formula) as a cost-effective base that extends longevity and smooths compositions. In floral blends, it adds warm depth; in amber compositions, it contributes gentle balsamic sweetness; in clean-fresh formulas, it softens the base. An EU-listed allergen requiring label declaration above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products.