In short
Phenylacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal is a more stable form of phenylacetaldehyde with a green, hyacinth-like note.
What Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal smells like
Phenylacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal is a green-floral hyacinth material with an earthy, mushroom-like undertone. Arctander is quoted as describing a powerful green-earthy character; suppliers list green-floral (hyacinth) and earthy, and green foliage, floral, rosy, earthy and mushroom. It is a gentler, more stable form of phenylacetaldehyde: one source notes it is not as pungent as the aldehyde and lacks its bitter-almond note.
- Leading note
- Green hyacinth
- Clear facets
- Earthy
- Supporting facets
- Rosy
- Faint facets
- Mushroom
- Character
- Green, earthy, soft, stable
What makes Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal distinctive
The earth under the hyacinth: green-floral like phenylacetaldehyde, but softer and earthier, with a faint mushroom note and none of the aldehyde's almond sharpness.
How Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal is used
Used for green hyacinth and lilac effects in products where phenylacetaldehyde itself would be too unstable or too harsh.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal differs from similar materials
- Phenylacetaldehyde
- One source describes the acetal as less pungent than the aldehyde and without its bitter-almond note; the aldehyde is sharper, sweeter and honeyed. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Acetaldehyde Ethyl Phenylethyl Acetal
- The ethyl phenylethyl acetal is leafier, with a nasturtium-leaf note; the dimethyl acetal is earthier, with a faint mushroom nuance.
- Benzaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal
- Benzaldehyde dimethyl acetal, the acetal of benzaldehyde, is sweet and floral-almond rather than green.
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
More stable than the free aldehyde, but can hydrolyse in acidic media.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Synthetic
- Odour family
- Green / Floral
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- CAS number
- 101-48-4
- Molecular formula
- C10H14O2
- Molecular weight
- 166.22 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 2,2-dimethoxyethylbenzene
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 60995, 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 (1,706 reports): H319 causes serious eye irritation (92.9% of reports). 17 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
-
Phenylacetaldehyde
Aroma chemical · Green / Floral — green, honeyed, hyacinth, floral
-
Cinnamyl Alcohol
Aroma chemical · Floral / Spicy — balsamic, floral, hyacinth, sweet
-
Galbanum Oil
Essential oil · Green / Resinous — green, sharp, bitter, resinous
Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Acetaldehyde Ethyl Phenylethyl Acetal, Benzaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal and Hydratropic Aldehyde.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 4 published formulas
Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas and 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal
Is Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal natural or synthetic?
Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal?
101-48-4. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal?
Phenylacetaldehyde Dimethyl Acetal is used in 4 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Cut Stem Atelier, Gardenia Accord and Honeyed Rose Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 60995, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- The Good Scents Company — phenyl acetaldehyde dimethyl acetal (with Arctander's description) — odour database.
- ChemicalBook — phenylacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal (CAS 101-48-4) — odour database.
- Scentspiracy — Phenyl acetaldehyde dimethyl acetal (PADMA) — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.