Amyl Cinnamal

What Amyl Cinnamal smells like

Amyl cinnamal (alpha-amyl cinnamic aldehyde) has a very mild, oily-herbaceous odour with a floral note reminiscent mostly of jasmine, gardenia and tuberose; another supplier describes a flowery, slightly fatty odour that becomes jasmine-like on dilution. Next to its close relative hexyl cinnamal it is fresher and oilier, and feels more natural, but does not last quite as long. It is one of the 26 fragrance allergens individually named in EU cosmetics law.

Leading note

Oily jasmine

Clear facets

Herbaceous

Supporting facets

Waxy

Faint facets

Gardenia, tuberose

Character

Mild, oily, soft, fresh

• jasmine
• floral
• waxy

What makes Amyl Cinnamal distinctive

The oily, herbaceous jasmine of soap and functional fragrance — fresher and more natural than hexyl cinnamal, a little less lasting.

Concentration and dilution

Flowery and slightly fatty in concentration; jasmine-like on dilution.

Where the descriptions disagree: How different it is from hexyl cinnamal is disputed; some find them nearly identical.

How Amyl Cinnamal is used

Used as an inexpensive jasmine base in soaps, detergents and fine fragrance.

Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials).

How Amyl Cinnamal differs from similar materials

Hexyl Cinnamal*

Suppliers find hexyl cinnamal sweeter, more floral, waxier and finer; amyl cinnamal is fresher and oilier but shorter-lived. (compared directly by a cited source)

Amylcinnamyl Alcohol*

The alcohol is a softer, waxier jasmine, described as very close to the aldehyde; amyl cinnamal is oilier and more herbaceous. (compared directly by a cited source)

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

A declarable allergen covered by an IFRA Standard.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Floral / Powdery

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

alpha-Amylcinnamaldehyde

CAS number

122-40-7

Molecular formula

C14H18O

Molecular weight

202.29 g/mol

IUPAC name

2-benzylideneheptanal

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 31209, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Amyl Cinnamal:

• "alpha-Amyl cinnamic aldehyde" — Restriction, 49th Amendment, published 2020-01

Limits differ by product category and are set out in the Standard itself; this page does not reproduce them. The list above reflects the library as read on 19 October 2026.

Amyl Cinnamal is one of the 26 fragrance allergens listed individually in Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (label name: Amyl cinnamal), which must be named on cosmetic labels above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 extended the list; see the fragrance allergens list.

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (2,175 reports): H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (98.2% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (94.2% of reports). 1 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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

• Hexyl Cinnamal

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Powdery — jasmine, floral, waxy, herbal

• Benzyl Acetate

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity — jasmine, fruity, pear, sweet

Amyl Cinnamal is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Amylcinnamyl Alcohol.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 5 published formulas

Amyl Cinnamal is an ingredient in 4 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.

• Dried Fruits Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Amyl Cinnamic Aldehyde”

• Lilac Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Amyl Cinnamic Aldehyde”

• Lychee Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Amyl Cinnamic Aldehyde”

• Tuberose Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Alpha Amyl Cinnamaldehyde”

• Wild Strawberry Base

  Community Formula · Base · listed as “Amyl Cinnamic Aldehyde”

Further reading

• White Floral Accords: Jasmine, Tuberose and Orange Blossom

  How jasmine, tuberose, orange blossom, gardenia and ylang-ylang accords are built — benzyl acetate, Hedione, indole, methyl anthranilate — and their pitfalls.

• Perfume Materials by Odor Family: A Formulator's Palette Map

  Which materials build each odor family — citrus, floral, woody, amber, musk and more — their usual roles, what to watch for, and links to each in depth.

Questions about Amyl Cinnamal

Sources

• PubChem — compound 31209, checked 19 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• IFRA — Standards Library, read 19 October 2026.
• EUR-Lex — Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex III.
• Scentspiracy — Jasmonal A (amyl cinnamal) — distributor's description.
• Fraterworks — amyl cinnamic aldehyde — distributor's description.
• Basenotes — amyl or hexyl cinnamic aldehyde (forum) — published perfumery reference.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.