In short
cis-6-Nonenol is an unsaturated alcohol with a fresh melon and cucumber odour. It occurs in melons and is used in traces for juicy, watery fruit effects.
What cis-6-Nonenol smells like
cis-6-Nonenol is a powerful, fresh green-melon material: sweet honeydew and cantaloupe with a watery cucumber side. Suppliers describe fresh, sweet, green melon with honeydew and cucumber facets; Bedoukian and Synerzine a watery cucumber note with hints of pumpkin; others a waxy, vegetable-like character with juicy, fatty nuances. It occurs naturally in honeydew, muskmelon and watermelon, and its odour threshold is around one part per billion.
- Leading note
- Honeydew melon
- Clear facets
- Watery cucumber
- Supporting facets
- Waxy
- Faint facets
- Pumpkin
- Character
- Fresh, sweet, watery, green
What makes cis-6-Nonenol distinctive
It is the melon among the nine-carbon greens: sweeter and more honeydew-like than nonadienol, which is cucumber and violet leaf first, and fuller and waxier than the aldehydic Melonal.
Concentration and dilution
Used in tiny traces because of its very low odour threshold.
How cis-6-Nonenol is used
Used in traces in melon and watery-fruit accords and fresh compositions, and in melon flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How cis-6-Nonenol differs from similar materials
- 2,6-Nonadienol
- Nonadienol is greener — cucumber and violet leaf first; cis-6-nonenol is sweeter honeydew melon with a waxy side.
- Melonal
- Melonal is an aldehydic, ozonic green melon-and-cucumber with an underripe, rind-like feel; cis-6-nonenol is sweeter, waxier honeydew flesh.
- cis-6-Nonenal
- cis-6-Nonenal, the aldehyde, is fresher and more powerful, with citrus and cucumber; the alcohol is sweeter and more honeydew-like.
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
Potent; use from dilution.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Fruity / Green
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- (Z)-Non-6-en-1-ol, Melon alcohol
- CAS number
- 35854-86-5
- Molecular formula
- C9H18O
- Molecular weight
- 142.24 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- (Z)-non-6-en-1-ol
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 5362792, 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 report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (158 of 158 reports). 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
-
Melonal
Aroma chemical · Aquatic / Fruity — melon, watery, green, fresh
-
2,6-Nonadienal
Aroma chemical · Green / Aquatic — cucumber, green, violet leaf, watery
-
Calone
Aroma chemical · Aquatic / Metallic — marine, watermelon, ozonic, watery
-
cis-3-Hexenol
Aroma chemical · Green / Fruity — green, cut grass, leafy, fresh
cis-6-Nonenol is also suggested as a partner on the pages for 2,6-Nonadienol.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
cis-6-Nonenol is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about cis-6-Nonenol
Is cis-6-Nonenol natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial cis-6-Nonenol may be made by synthesis or obtained from natural sources, so check the supplier's specification if the distinction matters to you.
What is the CAS number of cis-6-Nonenol?
35854-86-5. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use cis-6-Nonenol?
cis-6-Nonenol is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Honeydew Static and Lime Bruise. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 5362792, 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 — cis-6-nonen-1-ol — odour database.
- ChemicalBook — cis-6-nonen-1-ol (CAS 35854-86-5) — odour database.
- Sigma-Aldrich — cis-6-nonen-1-ol — 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.