In short
Terrasol is Bedoukian's 2-ethyl fenchol, a damp-earth material. It is camphoraceous when smelled neat and earthy, rooty and patchouli-like in dilution.
What Terrasol smells like
Bedoukian describes Terrasol as diffusive and earthy, with woody, camphoraceous and piney patchouli tones. JECFA, as published by PubChem, records a sharp, camphoraceous odour. Fraterworks finds it camphoraceous neat — a blend of camphor, menthol, eucalyptus and ethyl salicylate — giving way in use to petrichor and decaying leaves, and calls it the most true-to-life damp-earth chemical after geosmin.
- Leading note
- Damp earth
- Clear facets
- Camphor
- Supporting facets
- Rooty, patchouli
- Faint facets
- Musty
- Character
- Diffusive, damp
What makes Terrasol distinctive
Earth after rain without geosmin's beetroot edge.
How Terrasol is used
Used to give a damp-earth, rain-on-soil effect and to naturalise compositions high in synthetics.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Terrasol differs from similar materials
- Geosmin
- Geosmin is the raw wet-soil molecule, with a beetroot edge; Terrasol is a drier, camphoraceous and rooty earth.
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.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Synthetic
- Odour family
- Woody / Aromatic
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 2-Ethyl fenchol
- CAS number
- 18368-91-7
- Molecular formula
- C12H22O
- Molecular weight
- 182.3 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 2-ethyl-1,3,3-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-ol
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 106997, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 24 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 report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (123 of 123 reports). 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
-
Geosmin
Aroma chemical · Green / Woody — earthy, musty, beetroot, damp soil
-
Patchouli Oil
Essential oil · Woody / Chypre — earthy, woody, camphoraceous, dark
-
Cedarwood Oil (Virginia)
Essential oil · Woody / Aromatic — woody, dry, pencil shavings, clean
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 18 published formulas
Terrasol is an ingredient in 15 perfume formulas and 3 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Terrasol
Is Terrasol natural or synthetic?
Terrasol is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Terrasol?
18368-91-7. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Terrasol?
Terrasol is used in 18 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Asphalt Peony, Bright Wolf and Green Fig Shade. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 106997, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Bedoukian Research — Terrasol (BRI 818) specification — manufacturer's description.
- Fraterworks — Terrasol — distributor's description.
- PubChem — 2-ethyl fenchol (JECFA description) (CID 106997) — odour database.
- 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.