In short
Hexyl cinnamal (alpha-hexylcinnamaldehyde) is a jasmine-like aldehyde used in large amounts in floral and functional fragrance.
What Hexyl Cinnamal smells like
Hexyl cinnamal is a soft, waxy jasmine aldehyde. Suppliers describe it as sweeter and more overtly floral than amyl cinnamal, with a slightly waxy edge — finer and more delicate — and prefer it for jasmine bases. It is one of the most widely used floral materials in soaps, detergents and cosmetics, and one of the 26 fragrance allergens individually named in EU cosmetics law.
- Leading note
- Soft waxy jasmine
- Clear facets
- Waxy
- Faint facets
- Herbal, chamomile-like
- Character
- Soft, sweet, waxy, lasting
What makes Hexyl Cinnamal distinctive
The sweeter, finer and waxier of the two cinnamal jasmines, and the longer-lasting.
How Hexyl Cinnamal is used
Used very widely as a jasmine base and floral blender in soap, detergent, cosmetics and fine fragrance.
Typical role: backbone (used in large proportions as a structural material of an accord); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).
How Hexyl Cinnamal differs from similar materials
- Amyl Cinnamal
- Suppliers find amyl cinnamal fresher and oilier but shorter-lived; hexyl cinnamal is sweeter, more floral and waxier. (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-Hexylcinnamaldehyde
- CAS number
- 101-86-0
- Molecular formula
- C15H20O
- Molecular weight
- 216.32 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- (2E)-2-benzylideneoctanal
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 1550884, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Hexyl Cinnamal:
- "alpha-Hexyl 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.
Hexyl Cinnamal is one of the 26 fragrance allergens listed individually in Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (label name: Hexyl 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 (2,496 reports): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (99.6% of reports); H400 very toxic to aquatic life (65.1% of reports); H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (62.4% of reports). 2 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
-
Amyl Cinnamal
Aroma chemical · Floral / Powdery — jasmine, floral, waxy
-
Benzyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity — jasmine, fruity, pear, sweet
-
Hedione
Aroma chemical · Floral / Citrus — jasmine, transparent, citrus, airy
Hexyl Cinnamal is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Amylcinnamyl Alcohol, Benzyl Propionate, Benzylacetone and Jasmal.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 13 published formulas
Hexyl Cinnamal is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula, 11 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.
Further reading
Questions about Hexyl Cinnamal
Is Hexyl Cinnamal natural or synthetic?
Hexyl Cinnamal is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Hexyl Cinnamal?
101-86-0. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Hexyl Cinnamal?
Hexyl Cinnamal is used in 13 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Açaí Accord, Banana Bread and Blueberry Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Is Hexyl Cinnamal covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "alpha-Hexyl cinnamic aldehyde" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 1550884, 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 H (hexyl cinnamal) — distributor's description.
- ChemicalBook — hexyl cinnamal (CAS 101-86-0) — odour database.
- 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.