Sabinene

In short

Sabinene is a bicyclic monoterpene found in black pepper, nutmeg, juniper and carrot seed oils. It has a warm, spicy and woody odour.

What Sabinene smells like

Sabinene has a warm, oily-peppery, woody-herbaceous and spicy odour of moderate to poor tenacity, in Arctander's description as quoted. Supplier specifications give woody, spicy, citrus and terpy with green, oily and camphoraceous nuances, or terpenic, woody and citrus, similar to pepper, wood, herb and spice. It is a constituent of black pepper, nutmeg and many other oils, and gives black pepper oil part of its fresh top.

Leading note: Peppery wood
Supporting facets: Citrus, terpenic, herbaceous
Faint facets: Camphoraceous
Character: Warm, fresh, volatile

What makes Sabinene distinctive

The pepper inside many oils: a warm, oily, peppery-woody terpene that fades quickly.

How Sabinene is used

Used to give a peppery, woody-fresh top to spicy, woody and citrus compositions.

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

How Sabinene differs from similar materials

Black Pepper Oil: Black pepper oil owes part of its fresh top to sabinene and adds dry wood and caryophyllene; sabinene alone is a short-lived peppery terpene. (compared directly by a cited source)
Nutmeg Oil: Nutmeg oil contains sabinene and adds sweet spice and a woody dry-out. (compared directly by a cited source)
beta-Caryophyllene: beta-Caryophyllene is dry, woody and clove-like and lasts; sabinene is fresher, more peppery and fades quickly.

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

Oxidises in air; store well closed.

Identity and classification

Type: Aroma chemical
Origin: Occurs in nature
Odour family: Spicy / Woody
Note position: Top note
Physical form at room temperature: Liquid
Also known as: 4-Methylene-1-isopropylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexane
CAS number: 3387-41-5
Molecular formula: C10H16
Molecular weight: 136.23 g/mol
IUPAC name: 4-methylidene-1-propan-2-ylbicyclo[3.1.0]hexane

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 18818, 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 (362 reports): H226 flammable liquid and vapor (83.4% of reports); H304 may be fatal if swallowed and enters airways (68.2% of reports); H302 harmful if swallowed (52.2% of reports); H315 causes skin irritation (40.9% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (29.6% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (11.9% of reports); H335 may cause respiratory irritation (11.6% 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

Black Pepper Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Woody — peppery, spicy, woody, fresh
Nutmeg Oil
Essential oil · Spicy / Woody — spicy, warm, woody, sweet
alpha-Pinene
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Woody — piney, resinous, fresh, turpentine
Terpinen-4-ol
Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Spicy — spicy, herbal, woody, earthy

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

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

Questions about Sabinene

Is Sabinene natural or synthetic?

The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Sabinene 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 Sabinene?

3387-41-5. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Sources

PubChem — compound 18818, 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 — sabinene (with Arctander) — odour database.
Parchem — sabinene — distributor's description.
Foreverest — natural sabinene — manufacturer's description.
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.