Dihydroanethole

What Dihydroanethole smells like

JECFA, as published by PubChem, describes 4-propylanisole as a colourless to pale yellow liquid with a sweet, herbaceous, quite powerful aroma. PubChem links it to natural-product databases. Fraterworks describes a sweet, warm anise-fennel aroma with black-liquorice richness and faint sassafras undertones, calling it anethole's softer sibling and less prone to oxidation.

Leading note

Sweet herbaceous

Character

Powerful

• sweet
• herbaceous

What makes Dihydroanethole distinctive

Anethole's saturated relative, described by JECFA as sweet and herbaceous.

How Dihydroanethole is used

Fraterworks uses it to build anise and fennel accords and to add sweet, herbaceous warmth to oriental and fougère compositions.

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

How Dihydroanethole differs from similar materials

Anethole

Anethole is the sweet aniseed molecule; dihydroanethole, its saturated relative, is described only as sweet, herbaceous and powerful.

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.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Aromatic / Spicy

Note position

Top to heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

4-Propylanisole

CAS number

104-45-0

Molecular formula

C10H14O

Molecular weight

150.22 g/mol

IUPAC name

1-methoxy-4-propylbenzene

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7702, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 24 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 (1,538 of 1,538 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

• Anethole

  Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Spicy — anise, licorice, sweet, herbal

• Estragole

  Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Green — anise, tarragon, herbal, sweet

• Sweet Fennel Oil

  Essential oil · Aromatic / Green — anise, sweet, herbal, green

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 3 published formulas

Dihydroanethole is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula and 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Marshmallow Accord

  Community Formula · Accord

• Mezcal Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Dihydro Anethole”

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Myrrh Lantern

  RUŌOD House Original

Further reading

• 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 Dihydroanethole

Sources

• PubChem — compound 7702, checked 24 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• PubChem — 4-Propylanisole (CID 7702): JECFA organoleptic description — odour database.
• Fraterworks — Dihydroanethol — distributor'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.