Camphene

What Camphene smells like

Camphene is a waxy white solid that melts at about 50 °C. The Good Scents Company's own panel describes it as camphoraceous, cooling and piney-woody with terpy nuances, and with citrus, green-minty and green-spicy notes; Takasago gives oily-camphoraceous for its grade, which it says is widely used in pine, lavender and citrus fragrances, and Moellhausen harsh, camphoraceous and coniferous. It is a constituent of many conifer oils, notably Siberian fir and black spruce.

Leading note

Oily camphor

Clear facets

Piney-woody

Supporting facets

Cooling

Faint facets

Citrus, green-minty

Character

Cooling, oily, harsh

• camphoraceous
• piney
• woody
• fresh

What makes Camphene distinctive

An oily, cooling camphor note with a piney-woody body: more camphoraceous than the pinenes, and harsher and oilier than their clean green pine.

How Camphene is used

Used in conifer reconstructions and fresh compositions, and as an intermediate for other aroma chemicals.

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

How Camphene differs from similar materials

beta-Pinene

beta-Pinene is the drier, woodier green-pine note; camphene is oilier and more camphoraceous, with a cooling edge.

Siberian Fir Needle Oil*

Siberian fir contains a large share of camphene beside bornyl acetate and alpha-pinene. (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 waxy solid; dissolve before use.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Aromatic / Woody

Note position

Top note

Physical form at room temperature

Solid

Also known as

2,2-Dimethyl-3-methylenebicyclo[2.2.1]heptane

CAS number

79-92-5

Molecular formula

C10H16

Molecular weight

136.23 g/mol

IUPAC name

2,2-dimethyl-3-methylidenebicyclo[2.2.1]heptane

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 6616, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 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 (2,128 reports): H410 very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (97.6% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (97.5% of reports); H228 flammable solid (94.8% of reports); H400 very toxic to aquatic life (85.8% of reports); H304 may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways (61.4% of reports). 48 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

• alpha-Pinene

  Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — piney, resinous, fresh, turpentine

• Camphor

  Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — camphoraceous, medicinal, cooling

• Bornyl Acetate

  Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — pine, balsamic, camphoraceous, sweet

• Rosemary Oil

  Essential oil · Aromatic / Woody — herbal, camphoraceous, fresh, woody

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists Camphene here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Conifer Notes in Perfumery: Pine, Fir, Cypress and Juniper

  Pine, fir, spruce, cypress and juniper materials for formulators: bornyl acetate and fir balsam, oxidation and peroxide limits, EU allergens and a fir accord.

• Aromatic Notes in Perfumery: Lavender, Sage, Rosemary and Mint

  The aromatic family for formulators: lavender, lavandin and spike, clary sage, rosemary, mint and basil — chemistry, chemotypes and EU allergen status.

Questions about Camphene

Sources

• PubChem — compound 6616, checked 19 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• The Good Scents Company — camphene (with Takasago's and Moellhausen's descriptions) — odour database.
• Wikipedia — Camphene — published perfumery reference.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.