Canthoxal

What Canthoxal smells like

Canthoxal (IFF; anisyl propanal) is an anise-type aldehyde. IFF describes licorice, basil, fennel and anise notes with a slight fruity and watery modification; suppliers list anisic, balsamic, basil, fennel, floral, herbal and licorice, and floral, anisic, balsamic and spicy. A distributor describes a soft, sweet anisic character with delicate watery, transparent qualities. On its own it can seem dull.

Leading note

Sweet anise

Clear facets

Licorice

Supporting facets

Basil, fennel, watery

Faint facets

Floral

Character

Soft, sweet, transparent, herbal

• anisic
• sweet
• liquorice
• herbal
• floral

What makes Canthoxal distinctive

A watery, herbal anise — licorice, basil and fennel in a transparent aldehyde, rather than the powdery hawthorn of anisaldehyde.

How Canthoxal is used

Used for anisic and herbal-floral effects; its Schiff base with methyl anthranilate is the hawthorn-mimosa material often associated with it.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).

How Canthoxal differs from similar materials

Anisaldehyde

Anisaldehyde is sweet hawthorn and mimosa; Canthoxal is a watery licorice-basil-fennel anise.

Anethole

Anethole is the sweet licorice-anise itself, warmer and denser; Canthoxal is more transparent and herbal, with basil and fennel.

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

An aldehyde: it can discolour or react in some bases, so test stability in the final product.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Floral / Green

Note position

Heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Anisyl propanal, 2-Methyl-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)propanal

CAS number

5462-06-6

Molecular formula

C11H14O2

Molecular weight

178.23 g/mol

IUPAC name

3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropanal

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 64813, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Canthoxal:

• "4-Methoxy-alpha-methylbenzenepropanal" — Restriction, 51st Amendment, published 2023-06

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.

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,748 reports): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (99.8% of reports); H412 harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects (87.9% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (73.8% of reports). 3 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

• Anisaldehyde

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Floral — anisic, hawthorn, floral, sweet

• Heliotropin

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Gourmand — powdery, almond, vanilla, floral

• Mimosa Absolute

  Absolute · Floral / Powdery — powdery, honeyed, green, floral

• Hydroxycitronellal

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — muguet, floral, soft, sweet

Canthoxal is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Anisyl Acetate.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 2 published formulas

Canthoxal is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Hyacinth Accord

  Community Formula · Accord

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Anise Ink

  RUŌOD House Creation

Further reading

• Powdery Notes in Perfumery: Iris, Orris and Ionones

  Orris and the ionones at the heart of powdery perfume, the rest of the powdery palette, how to build violet, iris and face-powder accords, and handling.

• 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 Canthoxal

Sources

• PubChem — compound 64813, 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.
• IFF — Canthoxal, via SpecialChem — manufacturer's description.
• The Good Scents Company — Canthoxal — odour database.
• Fraterworks — Canthoxal — distributor's description.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 2. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.