N/A — synthetic aroma chemical. Occurs naturally in Rosa damascena absolute (60%+), also in hyacinth, narcissus, ylang-ylang, neroli, geranium, champaca, tea
Appearance
Colorless clear oily liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
China, France, Germany, India
Pyramid
Heart
The smell of a rose petal crushed between warm fingers. Phenylethyl alcohol is the molecule most responsible for the word "rose" — soft, round, honeyed, without thorns.
Mild, warm, rosy-floral with a honeyed sweetness. Softer and rounder than citronellol's green-citrus rose, less spicy than geraniol's geranium-rose, and entirely lacking the dark-fruit pyrotechnics of damascone. The scent sits precisely where the word 'rose' lives in most people's memory. At high concentration on blotter, a faint bread-yeast undertone surfaces — a reminder that baker's yeast also produces this molecule. Substantivity is moderate (roughly 32 hours at 100%). The dry-down is clean and stable with minimal evolution: PEA does not transform, it slowly fades.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Soft, warm rosy-floral. Immediately recognizable as textbook rose — clean, round, honeyed.
After a few hours
After a few hours
Stable rose heart. Honey-sweet warmth persists without evolution. Faint bread-yeast facet may surface at high concentration.
After a few days
After a few days
Gentle, clean fade. Moderate tenacity (~32 hours at 100%). No transformation — PEA does not evolve, it simply attenuates.
The Full Story
CAS 60-12-8. FEMA 2858. 2-Phenylethanol (PEA) is a primary aromatic alcohol with a molecular weight of 122.17 g/mol. It is the single most important molecule in rose perfumery. Rose absolute (solvent-extracted) contains 60% or more PEA by weight. Rose otto (steam-distilled), by contrast, contains only 1–3%, because PEA's significant water solubility (22 g/L at 25 °C) causes most of it to partition into the distillation water during hydrodistillation. This difference largely explains why absolute smells warmer and rounder than otto.
The odor is mild, warm, and unmistakably rosy. Compared to citronellol, PEA lacks green freshness. Compared to geraniol, it lacks spiciness. Compared to damascone, it lacks the dark-fruit intensity. PEA provides the central warmth — the 'body' of rose without any angular edges. At very high concentration, a faint yeasty-bread quality emerges, consistent with PEA's status as a byproduct of Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation via the Ehrlich pathway from L-phenylalanine.
Industrial production runs to thousands of tonnes per year. The dominant synthetic route is Friedel-Crafts alkylation of benzene with ethylene oxide over AlCl₃. Catalytic hydrogenation of styrene oxide is the second major route. A biotechnological route via yeast fermentation of L-phenylalanine now produces natural-grade PEA for clean-label applications. U.S. production alone was 1–10 million pounds annually between 2016 and 2019 (EPA CDR data). Approximately 85% of global output goes to fragrance use.
Beyond perfumery, PEA functions as an antimicrobial preservative — used at 0.5% concentration in ophthalmic solutions, and as an FDA-recognized flavoring agent. It occurs naturally in rose, hyacinth, narcissus, ylang-ylang, neroli, carnation, geranium, champaca, tea leaves, and kiwi fruit flowers.
PEA is one of the rare molecules that bridges perfumery and microbiology. At 0.5% concentration it is used as an antimicrobial preservative in ophthalmic (eye drop) solutions — the same compound that defines the smell of roses is simultaneously a clinical-grade bactericide. It was first isolated in 1876 by the Polish chemist Bronisław Radziszewski.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Overwhelmingly synthetic. Three industrial routes: (1) Friedel-Crafts — benzene reacted with ethylene oxide over AlCl₃ catalyst; (2) Catalytic hydrogenation of styrene oxide; (3) Grignard — chlorobenzene converted to phenylmagnesium chloride, reacted with ethylene oxide at 100 °C. Natural PEA can be obtained from rose absolute by fractional distillation, but volumes are negligible compared to demand. Biotechnological production via Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation of L-phenylalanine (Ehrlich pathway) is an emerging route producing natural-grade PEA for clean-label markets. Global production estimated at 7,000 tonnes/year (PEA and its esters combined); approximately 85% destined for fragrance applications.
Molecular Formula
C8H10O
CAS Number
60-12-8
Botanical Name
N/A — synthetic aroma chemical. Occurs naturally in Rosa damascena absolute (60%+), also in hyacinth, narcissus, ylang-ylang, neroli, geranium, champaca, tea
IFRA Status
IFRA Transparency List — no quantitative restriction. No known IFRA limits on usage levels.
Synonyms
2-PHENYLETHANOL · PEA · PHENETHYL ALCOHOL · BENZENEETHANOL
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
32 hours at 100%
Appearance
Colorless clear oily liquid
Boiling Point
218–220 °C @ 760 mm Hg
Flash Point
102 °C (216 °F) TCC
Specific Gravity
1.017–1.023 @ 25 °C
Refractive Index
1.529–1.535 @ 20 °C
Melting Point
-27 to -25.8 °C
In Perfumery
Heart note. The structural backbone of virtually every rose reconstruction and a key building block in muguet (lily-of-the-valley), hyacinth, and general floral accords. PEA is used at unusually high concentrations for an aroma chemical — often 5–20% of a finished formula — because its odor is mild relative to its mass. This makes it simultaneously a scent contributor and a cost-effective volume builder. Its antimicrobial properties provide incidental preservative function. PEA also is a solvent for dissolving poorly soluble resinoids and absolutes into formulations. The molecule anchors the floral families: chypre, soliflore, and romantic florals all depend on it. Rose accords without PEA are technically possible (using phenylethyl acetate, citronellol, and geraniol) but lack the characteristic warmth.
