In short
Perillaldehyde is a monoterpene aldehyde and the main odorant of perilla (shiso) leaf. It has a strong green, spicy and citrus-peel odour.
What Perillaldehyde smells like
Perillaldehyde, the dominant compound of green shiso, has a powerful fatty-spicy, oily, herbaceous odour in a chemical profile. Supplier listings range from spicy, cumin, cinnamon, pungent, clove, citrus, orange and lime to fresh, green, herbal, grassy, sweet, minty, cumin and citrus. A glossary describes it in shiso as reading at once citrusy and minty. Descriptions differ in emphasis between mint and cinnamon or cumin and citrus.
- Leading note
- Green shiso
- Supporting facets
- Citrus peel, spicy, cumin, minty
- Faint facets
- Fatty, oily
- Character
- Powerful, green, pungent
What makes Perillaldehyde distinctive
Shiso's signature: a green leaf that is citrus, mint and spice at once.
Where the descriptions disagree: Supplier descriptions differ in emphasis between mint and cinnamon or cumin and citrus.
How Perillaldehyde is used
Used in small amounts for green-herbal and citrus-spice effects, and in flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Perillaldehyde differs from similar materials
- Cuminaldehyde
- Cuminaldehyde is cumin itself, sharp and sweaty; perillaldehyde is green-herbal and citrus-peel, with only a cumin facet.
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
Check the IFRA status for your product category before use.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Green / Spicy
- Note position
- Top note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Perillal, 4-(Prop-1-en-2-yl)cyclohex-1-ene-1-carbaldehyde
- CAS number
- 2111-75-3
- Molecular formula
- C10H14O
- Molecular weight
- 150.22 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 4-prop-1-en-2-ylcyclohexene-1-carbaldehyde
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 16441, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Perillaldehyde:
- "Perilla 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.
Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,682 reports): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (99.9% of reports); H315 causes skin irritation (16.4% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (16.3% 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
-
Lime Oil (Expressed)
Essential oil · Citrus / Green — citrus, green, zesty, aromatic
-
Basil Oil
Essential oil · Aromatic / Spicy — herbal, green, aniseed, fresh
-
Cuminaldehyde
Aroma chemical · Spicy / Green — cumin, spicy, green, herbal
-
d-Limonene
Aroma chemical · Citrus / Fruity — citrus, orange, fresh, light
Used in formulas and accords
Not currently used in any published formula.
The Formula & Accord Library lists Perillaldehyde here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.
Further reading
Questions about Perillaldehyde
Is Perillaldehyde natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Perillaldehyde may be made by synthesis or obtained from natural sources, so check the supplier's specification if the distinction matters to you.
What is the CAS number of Perillaldehyde?
2111-75-3. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Is Perillaldehyde covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "Perilla aldehyde" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 16441, 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.
- The Good Scents Company — perillaldehyde — odour database.
- ChemicalBook — perillaldehyde (CAS 2111-75-3) — odour database.
- Premiere Peau — Shiso — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.