RUŌOD Lab

Safranal

Aroma chemical · Spicy / Leather

saffron, leathery, spicy, warm — heart note.

Aroma illustration for Safranal: saffron threads and a crocus flower and stitched leather swatches, for its saffron and leathery notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Skeletal formula of Safranal, C10H14O, drawn from PubChem's 2D record. Stereochemistry is not shown.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Safranal smells like (saffron, leathery), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.Skeletal formula drawn by RUŌOD Lab from PubChem's 2D record (CID 61041). Stereochemistry is not shown; the coloured background is decoration.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Safranal is the main odour molecule of saffron. It gives a leathery, warm, spicy note.

What Safranal smells like

Safranal is the main odour compound of saffron, formed as the bitter picrocrocin breaks down while the stigmas dry. A fragrance profile describes a strong saffron character — spicy, herbaceous and slightly phenolic, with metallic, medicinal and green nuances and warm leathery, woody, hay and light tobacco facets. In isolation one writer finds it cold and metallic with raw leather and damp hay; at high doses it turns medicinal, iodine-like and astringent.

Leading note
Saffron
Clear facets
Leathery
Supporting facets
Metallic, hay
Faint facets
Medicinal, iodine
Character
Warm, dry, metallic, intense
  • saffron
  • leathery
  • spicy
  • warm

What makes Safranal distinctive

It is saffron itself: leather, hay and a cold metallic edge together — a spice that smells closer to suede than to food.

Concentration and dilution

Cold and metallic in isolation; iodine-like and astringent at high doses.

How Safranal is used

Used for saffron and leather effects in oriental, leather and rose-saffron compositions.

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

How Safranal differs from similar materials

Ethyl Safranate
Ethyl safranate is fruitier and rosier, with apple and saffron as a nuance; safranal is the leathery, metallic saffron itself.
Safraleine
Fraterworks finds safranal the closest material to saffron but highly restricted, and offers Safraleine, saffron with herbal, leathery and tobacco facets, as the usable alternative.

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

Covered by an IFRA Standard; dose carefully.

Identity and classification

Type
Aroma chemical
Origin
Occurs in nature
Odour family
Spicy / Leather
Note position
Heart note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
CAS number
116-26-7
Molecular formula
C10H14O
Molecular weight
150.22 g/mol
IUPAC name
2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-diene-1-carbaldehyde

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 61041, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Safranal:

  • "2,6,6-Trimethylcyclohex-1,3-dienyl methanal" — 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 (1,700 reports): H315 causes skin irritation (100% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (97.7% of reports); H302 harmful if swallowed (80.4% of reports); H412 harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects (75.7% 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

Safranal is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Osmanthus Absolute and Safraleine.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 2 published formulas

Safranal is an ingredient in 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

Further reading

  • How to Build a Saffron Accord

    A saffron accord from saffron-type aroma chemicals, leather, hay and rose: an illustrative accord, rose–saffron–oud, color, stability and restrictions.

  • 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 Safranal

Is Safranal natural or synthetic?

The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Safranal 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 Safranal?

116-26-7. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Safranal?

Safranal is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Leather Accord and Tobacco Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Is Safranal covered by an IFRA Standard?

Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "2,6,6-Trimethylcyclohex-1,3-dienyl methanal" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.

Sources

  • PubChem — compound 61041, 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.
  • Premiere Peau — Safranal — published perfumery reference.
  • Premiere Peau — Saffron perfume — published perfumery reference.
  • Scent Verdict — Safranal — published perfumery reference.
  • Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Safranal — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

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