Isopropyl Myristate

What Isopropyl Myristate smells like

Isopropyl myristate is an ester of isopropyl alcohol and myristic acid used in cosmetics as an emollient, thickening agent and texture enhancer; a supplier also markets it as a fragrance enhancer. No odour description was found in the sources consulted, so no odour is stated here. Fraterworks describes a virtually odourless diluent with a faint oily-fatty character, a solvent, diluent and fixative for oil-based perfumes, beard oils and solid perfumes that, unlike DPG's stickiness or TEC's affinity for water, keeps a dry, elegant feel on the skin.

Leading note

No single note leads in the published descriptions

Character

Oily, low-volatility

• odourless
• oily

What makes Isopropyl Myristate distinctive

A light cosmetic ester used to carry and spread fragrance in oils, rather than for any odour of its own.

Concentration and dilution

Fraterworks advises dissolving crystals and resinoids in a compatible material before adding them to IPM, and balancing it with alcohol in reed diffusers to control evaporation.

How Isopropyl Myristate is used

Used as an emollient carrier for perfume oils and in cosmetic and skin-care products.

Typical role: solvent (dilutes or carries other materials).

How Isopropyl Myristate differs from similar materials

Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

Caprylic/capric triglyceride is another light emollient carrier, valued for its stability; both are oil carriers rather than perfumery materials.

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

Not miscible with water; behaviour differs from DPG in alcohol-water bases.

Identity and classification

Type

Solvent or carrier

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

No odour family

Note position

Base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

IPM

CAS number

110-27-0

Molecular formula

C17H34O2

Molecular weight

270.5 g/mol

IUPAC name

propan-2-yl tetradecanoate

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 8042, 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 classify it (3,041 reports): H315 causes skin irritation (15.6% of reports). 2,565 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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

• Dipropylene Glycol (DPG)

  Solvent or carrier · No odour family — odourless

• Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride

  Solvent or carrier · No odour family — odourless, oily

Isopropyl Myristate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Diethyl Phthalate (DEP).

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists Isopropyl Myristate here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Is Your Fragrance Oil Already Diluted? Carrier Solvents Explained

  Many purchased fragrance oils are cut with DPG, IPM or benzyl benzoate. How to find out, what it does to your concentration, and how IFRA certificates treat it.

Questions about Isopropyl Myristate

Sources

• PubChem — compound 8042, checked 19 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• Skinsort — ingredient listing (isopropyl myristate) — published perfumery reference.
• SpecialChem — perfume and fragrance ingredients (KLK Oleo IPM) — distributor's description.
• Fraterworks — Isopropyl Myristate (IPM) — 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.