In short
Hexyl salicylate is a salicylate ester with a green, floral and slightly herbal smell. It is widely used as a soft, fresh floral blender.
What Hexyl Salicylate smells like
Hexyl salicylate is a very faint, sweet-herbaceous floral with dry, bark-like green undertones — sometimes called a 'witch-hazel' odour — reminiscent of azaleas with fresh leafy, fruity nuances, according to a technical source drawing on older literature. Other suppliers describe an orchid-like softness with fresh green nuances and balsamic warmth. Its odour impact is low but its substantivity very high, and poorer grades can show phenolic, ink-like off-notes.
- Leading note
- Soft green floral
- Supporting facets
- Azalea, bark-like green
- Faint facets
- Balsamic
- Character
- Faint, soft, green, tenacious
What makes Hexyl Salicylate distinctive
A quiet green-floral fixative: barely there on its own, but long-lasting, and it softens and binds sharper materials.
How Hexyl Salicylate is used
Used as a blender, modifier and fixative in floral, fougère and green accords and very widely in functional products; IFRA restricts it.
Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials).
How Hexyl Salicylate differs from similar materials
- Amyl Salicylate
- Amyl salicylate is sweeter and more clover-like; hexyl salicylate is fainter, greener and bark-like, with azalea.
- cis-3-Hexenyl Salicylate
- The cis-3-hexenyl ester carries a distinct fresh-leaf greenness and lily of the valley; hexyl salicylate is fainter and more bark-like.
- Benzyl Salicylate
- Both are faint fixatives; benzyl salicylate is sweeter and balsamic-floral, hexyl salicylate greener.
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
Covered by an IFRA Standard.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Synthetic
- Odour family
- Floral / Green
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- CAS number
- 6259-76-3
- Molecular formula
- C13H18O3
- Molecular weight
- 222.28 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- hexyl 2-hydroxybenzoate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 22629, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Hexyl Salicylate:
- "Hexyl salicylate" — 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.
Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. It has a harmonised EU classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex VI): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction; H361d suspected of damaging the unborn child. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (2,023 reports): H410 very toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (100% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (98.4% of reports); H400 very toxic to aquatic life (90.2% of reports); H315 causes skin irritation (26.9% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (13.2% of reports). 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
-
Benzyl Salicylate
Aroma chemical · Floral / Powdery — balsamic, floral, faint, sweet
-
cis-3-Hexenyl Salicylate
Aroma chemical · Green / Floral — green, leafy, balsamic, floral
-
Hedione
Aroma chemical · Floral / Citrus — jasmine, transparent, citrus, airy
Hexyl Salicylate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for cis-3-Hexenyl Benzoate, Cyclohexyl Salicylate, Ethyl Salicylate, Hexyl Benzoate and Isoamyl Salicylate.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 28 published formulas
Hexyl Salicylate is an ingredient in 24 perfume formulas and 4 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Hexyl Salicylate
Is Hexyl Salicylate natural or synthetic?
Hexyl Salicylate is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Hexyl Salicylate?
6259-76-3. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Hexyl Salicylate?
Hexyl Salicylate is used in 28 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Bell Glass, Bleached Driftwood and Bracken Moon. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Is Hexyl Salicylate covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "Hexyl salicylate" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 22629, 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.
- Scentspiracy — Hexyl Salicylate — distributor's description.
- Kao Chemicals — salicylates catalogue — manufacturer's description.
- Fraterworks — hexyl salicylate — 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 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.