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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..

FLOWERS / floral · woody · green

Nerolidol

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · woody · green
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A — sesquiterpene alcohol (found in Neroli, Jasmine, Tea tree)
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow oily liquid
Producing Countries	Brazil, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia
Pyramid	Heart

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.

Scent
Terroir & Origins
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

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.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Subtle woody-floral-green opening. Quiet and complex.

After a few hours

Waxy-bark quality develops. Barely perceptible floral undertone.

After a few days

Gentle woody base. Persistent but very subtle. Fixative presence.

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.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Nerolidol has a dual career — in perfumery, it is a subtle woody-floral modifier; in pharmacology, it is studied as a transdermal penetration enhancer. Research has shown that nerolidol can increase the skin absorption of certain drugs by up to 20-fold, making it a candidate for improving drug-delivery patches.

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.

↑ See Terroir & Origins for origin-specific methods.

Molecular Formula	C15H26O
CAS Number	7212-44-4
Botanical Name	N/A — sesquiterpene alcohol (found in Neroli, Jasmine, Tea tree)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	TRANS-NEROLIDOL · PERUVIOL · 3 · 7 · 11-TRIMETHYL-1 · 6 · 10-DODECATRIEN-3-OL
Physical Properties
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow oily liquid
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.