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Para-Anisyl Alcohol

Q: Is Para-Anisyl Alcohol natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Produced synthetically by reduction of anisaldehyde. Found naturally in anise and vanilla. Simple, inexpensive synthesis..

FLOWERS / sweet · anisic · floral

Para-Anisyl Alcohol

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	sweet · anisic · floral
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A — synthetic molecule (occurs naturally in anise, vanilla)
Appearance	white to pale yellow liquid to solid
Producing Countries	China, India, Germany, United States
Pyramid	Heart

Sweet, floral-anisic with a warm, hawthorn-like quality. Para-anisyl alcohol smells like hawthorn flowers in warm sun — powdery, sweet, with a subtle anise undertone.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Sweet, warm, floral-anisic. Powdery hawthorn-like quality. Milder than anisaldehyde, less purely anisic than anethole. A gentle, warm sweetness — pleasant and uncontroversial. Moderate tenacity.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Sweet, warm, floral-anisic opening. Hawthorn-like.

After a few hours

Powdery-sweet heart. Gentle and rounded.

After a few days

Warm, soft fade. Moderate tenacity.

The Full Story

CAS 105-13-5. 4-Methoxybenzyl alcohol. A simple aromatic alcohol with a sweet, floral, anisic character. The scent is warm, powdery-sweet, with a hawthorn-like floralcy and a subtle anise-vanilla undertone.

Para-anisyl alcohol is gentler than anisaldehyde (to which it is structurally related — the alcohol vs. the aldehyde) and softer than anethole. It provides a warm, sweet-floral quality that is unassertive and pleasant. The molecule appears naturally in anise, vanilla, and various flowers.

In perfumery, it is used as a sweet-floral modifier in powdery, mimosa, and hawthorn accords. Its mild character makes it a blending tool rather than a dominant note.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Para-anisyl alcohol is one of the 'vanillin satellite' molecules — compounds found alongside vanillin in vanilla beans that collectively create the full vanilla scent experience. Pure vanillin smells flat compared to real vanilla, partly because it lacks supporting molecules like para-anisyl alcohol, anisaldehyde, and guaiacol.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Produced synthetically by reduction of anisaldehyde. Found naturally in anise and vanilla. Simple, inexpensive synthesis.

Molecular Formula	C8H10O2
CAS Number	105-13-5
Botanical Name	N/A — synthetic molecule (occurs naturally in anise, vanilla)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	ANISE ALCOHOL · 4-METHOXYBENZYL ALCOHOL
Physical Properties
Appearance	white to pale yellow liquid to solid
Boiling Point	259.00 to 260.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point	230.00 °F. TCC ( 110.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity	1.10800 to 1.11600 @ 25.00 °C.
Refractive Index	1.54200 to 1.54600 @ 20.00 °C.
Melting Point	23.00 to 25.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg

In Perfumery

Modifier in powdery, mimosa, and hawthorn compositions. Para-anisyl alcohol adds gentle, sweet-floral warmth. It works in powdery-floral accords, mimosa reconstructions, and as a sweet modifier in various floral compositions. Less impactful than anisaldehyde but smoother and more adaptable as a blending agent.