Isoeugenol

What Isoeugenol smells like

Isoeugenol is warm, sweet and spicy-floral, with a clove-and-carnation profile and soft woody undertones. A glossary finds it softer and rounder than eugenol, faintly sweet and phenolic with a smoky, balsamic undertow, and gives an odour threshold of a few parts per billion. It is a strong skin sensitiser, and IFRA restricts it tightly.

Leading note

Carnation

Clear facets

Clove

Supporting facets

Smoky, balsamic

Faint facets

Woody

Character

Warm, sweet, rounded, potent

• carnation
• spicy
• floral
• sweet

What makes Isoeugenol distinctive

The carnation molecule: softer and rounder than eugenol, more flower than spice.

How Isoeugenol is used

Used in carnation, spicy floral and oriental compositions at low levels, within IFRA limits.

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

How Isoeugenol differs from similar materials

Eugenol*

Eugenol is the sharper, more medicinal clove; isoeugenol is softer and rounder, more carnation. (compared directly by a cited source)

Isoeugenyl Acetate*

A glossary finds the acetate softer and slower; it is more balsamic and fruity. (compared directly by a cited source)

Methyl Isoeugenol

Methyl isoeugenol is milder, a sweet clove-carnation that Arctander counts among the most carnation-like eugenol derivatives.

Methyl Diantilis*

Givaudan places Methyl Diantilis in the same spicy register as isoeugenol, with an added powdery, carnation-like, vanilla aspect and no discolouration. (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 strong skin sensitiser; a declarable allergen covered by an IFRA Standard with low limits. Use sparingly.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Spicy / Floral

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

CAS number

97-54-1

Molecular formula

C10H12O2

Molecular weight

164.2 g/mol

IUPAC name

2-methoxy-4-[(E)-prop-1-enyl]phenol

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 853433, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Isoeugenol:

• "Isoeugenol" — 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.

Isoeugenol is one of the 26 fragrance allergens listed individually in Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (label name: Isoeugenol), 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. It has a harmonised EU classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex VI): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,995 reports): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (99.7% of reports); H302 harmful if swallowed (99.5% of reports); H315 causes skin irritation (99.5% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (98.9% of reports); H312 harmful in contact with skin (96.4% of reports); H335 may cause respiratory irritation (10.9% of reports). 1 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

• Eugenol

  Aroma chemical · Spicy / Floral — clove, spicy, warm

• Clove Bud Oil

  Essential oil · Spicy / Floral — clove, spicy, warm, sweet

• Benzyl Salicylate

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Powdery — balsamic, floral, faint, sweet

• Isoeugenyl Acetate

  Aroma chemical · Spicy / Floral — carnation, spicy, balsamic, sweet

Isoeugenol is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Benzyl Isoeugenol, Carnation Absolute, Methyl Diantilis, Methyl Eugenol and Methyl Isoeugenol.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 5 published formulas

Isoeugenol is an ingredient in 5 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

• Gardenia Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “ISO Eugenol”

• Mango Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “ISO Eugenol”

• Mimosa Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Iso Eugenol (97-54-1)”

• Oud Accord

  Community Formula · Accord

• Tuberose Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “ISO Eugenol”

Further reading

• How to Make a Carnation Accord

  Building carnation from eugenol, isoeugenol, rose materials and benzyl salicylate: an illustrative accord, balancing, IFRA and EU allergen limits, and records.

• Spicy Notes in Perfumery: Warm and Fresh Spices

  Warm and fresh spice materials, their key constituents, why cinnamon and clove are closely restricted, and how to build warmth within the limits.

Questions about Isoeugenol

Sources

• PubChem — compound 853433, 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.
• Premiere Peau — Isoeugenol — published perfumery reference.
• Bioshop — Isoeugenol — distributor's description.
• Premiere Peau — Carnation — 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.