3,4-Xylenol

What 3,4-Xylenol smells like

The Good Scents Company describes 3,4-dimethylphenol as smoky, earthy and slightly dry, and lists it mainly as a flavour material for roasted notes. PubChem records an odour threshold of 1.2 mg/L. Sigma-Aldrich's fragrance-grade listing gives its organoleptic profile simply as burnt.

Leading note

Smoky

Supporting facets

Earthy, dry

Character

Dry

• smoky
• earthy
• dry
• phenolic

What makes 3,4-Xylenol distinctive

A smoky, earthy, dry phenol used for roasted notes rather than for a medicinal one.

How 3,4-Xylenol is used

Used in minute amounts in smoky, leather and roasted accords.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How 3,4-Xylenol differs from similar materials

Guaiacol

Guaiacol is the sweet-phenolic core of wood smoke, with clove and vanilla; 3,4-xylenol is drier and earthier, a burnt roast.

Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

A crystalline solid that has to be dissolved before use. No natural occurrence is recorded in PubChem's natural-product databases, so it is listed as synthetic.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Leather

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Solid

Also known as

3,4-Dimethylphenol

CAS number

95-65-8

Molecular formula

C8H10O

Molecular weight

122.16 g/mol

IUPAC name

3,4-dimethylphenol

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7249, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 24 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. It has a harmonised EU classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex VI): H301 toxic if swallowed; H311 toxic in contact with skin; H314 causes severe skin burns and eye damage; H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,623 reports): H311 toxic in contact with skin (100% of reports); H314 causes severe skin burns and eye damage (100% of reports); H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (100% of reports); H301 toxic if swallowed (99.7% of reports); H318 causes serious eye damage (81.6% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (79.9% of reports). A skin sensitiser classification concerns handling the neat material and the dose in a finished product; the IFRA Standards, where they apply, set the limits. Unless it is harmonised, this is the notifiers' own classification, not a binding one.

This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.

Materials it works with

• Guaiacol

  Aroma chemical · Leather / Woody — smoky, phenolic, medicinal, woody

• Birch Tar Oil (Rectified)

  Essential oil · Leather / Woody — smoky, leathery, tarry, phenolic

• Cade Oil (Rectified)

  Essential oil · Leather / Woody — smoky, tarry, leathery, woody

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 4 published formulas

3,4-Xylenol is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas and 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Gun Powder Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “3,4 Xylenol (95-65-8)”

• Leather Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “3,4 Xylenol”

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Asphalt Peony

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “3,4-Xylenol 1% DPG”, at 1% in DPG

• Typewriter Ribbon

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “3,4-Xylenol 1% DPG”, at 1% in DPG

Further reading

• Building a Leather Accord

  Leather styles — smoky, green-bitter, suede, animalic — their building blocks including treated tar oils and isobutyl quinoline, and how to build one.

Questions about 3,4-Xylenol

Sources

• PubChem — compound 7249, checked 24 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• The Good Scents Company — 3,4-dimethylphenol — odour database.
• PubChem — 3,4-dimethylphenol (CID 7249) — odour database.
• Sigma-Aldrich — 3,4-dimethylphenol (W359602) — manufacturer's description.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.