4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol

What 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol smells like

Fraterworks sells 4-tert-butylcyclohexanol as Patchone, also listed as patchouli hexanol, and describes a dry, woody-camphoraceous scent with musty, earthy-patchouli undertones, a cooling minty lift and a subtle leathery character in the drydown. Parchem gives its odour as woody and patchouli-like, and a patent on its use (US6027668) calls it a known perfumery ingredient of the woody-patchouli, camphoraceous type.

Leading note

Dry woody patchouli

Clear facets

Camphoraceous

Supporting facets

Earthy

Faint facets

Minty, leathery

Character

Dry, cool

• woody
• patchouli
• camphoraceous
• earthy
• minty
• leathery

What makes 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol distinctive

A patchouli impression from a simple cyclohexanol, drier and more camphoraceous than the oil.

How 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol is used

Used for a dry patchouli-woody effect, and to add a camphoraceous, leathery edge to woody and leather accords.

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

How 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol differs from similar materials

Apo Patchone

Apo Patchone, the other cyclohexanol sold under a Patchone name, is a soft suede leather with lilac, rose and geranium rather than dry and camphoraceous.

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

The trade name Patchone is used by more than one supplier and not always for this molecule; this record is the cyclohexanol sold under CAS 98-52-2. It is not derived from patchouli.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Woody / Leather

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Patchouli hexanol, PTBCH

CAS number

98-52-2

Molecular formula

C10H20O

Molecular weight

156.26 g/mol

IUPAC name

4-tert-butylcyclohexan-1-ol

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7391, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 25 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,779 reports): H319 causes serious eye irritation (86.5% of reports). 240 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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

• Patchouli Oil

  Essential oil · Woody / Chypre — earthy, woody, camphoraceous, dark

• Vertenex

  Aroma chemical · Woody / Floral — woody, floral, orris, soft

• Cashmeran

  Aroma chemical · Woody / Musky — musky, woody, spicy, velvety

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 2 published formulas

4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Leather Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Patchouli Hexanol”

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Ivy Wall

  RUŌOD House Original

Further reading

• Patchouli in Perfumery: Grades, Uses and Aging

  Patchouli oil and its refined grades, what patchouli does in chypres, ambers and gourmands, dosage, aging, supply and pairings.

• Woody Notes in Perfumery: Naturals and Aroma Chemicals

  A map of woody materials — cedarwoods, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, smoky woods and woody aroma chemicals — and how to build a woody base.

Questions about 4-tert-Butylcyclohexanol

Sources

• PubChem — compound 7391, checked 25 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• Fraterworks — Patchone — distributor's description.
• Parchem — 4-tert-butylcyclohexanol specification — distributor's description.
• US6027668 — Use of 4-tert-butyl-1-cyclohexanol as an antioxidant — published literature.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 25 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.