In short
Trifernal is a trade name for 3-phenylbutanal, an aromatic aldehyde with a fresh green-floral odour. It is used for hyacinth, lilac and green floral effects.
What Trifernal smells like
Trifernal (Firmenich) is a powerful green aldehyde that Firmenich describes as having the natural bitter green character of some flowers and of crushed foliage, with technical descriptors of grass, tomato leaf and earthy. The Good Scents Company lists powerful, foliage-green, herbal and hyacinth. Firmenich suggests it for floral fragrances built on lilac, hyacinth, violet or muguet, and notes it is very effective at low levels.
- Leading note
- Bitter crushed foliage
- Clear facets
- Tomato leaf
- Supporting facets
- Grass, earthy, hyacinth
- Character
- Green, bitter, sharp, powerful
What makes Trifernal distinctive
Tomato leaf. Among the hyacinth-type greens it is the most foliage-like and bitter, with an earthy, tomato-leaf rawness rather than a floral or honeyed sweetness.
How Trifernal is used
Used at low levels in lilac, hyacinth, violet and muguet florals to give the natural bitterness of stems and leaves.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Trifernal differs from similar materials
- Phenylacetaldehyde
- Phenylacetaldehyde is a sweet, honeyed hyacinth; Trifernal is bitter foliage, grass and tomato leaf.
- Hydratropic Aldehyde
- Hydratropic aldehyde stays floral, a fresh lilac-hyacinth green; Trifernal is more bitter, earthier and leafier.
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
- Green / Floral
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 3-Phenylbutanal
- CAS number
- 16251-77-7
- Molecular formula
- C10H12O
- Molecular weight
- 148.2 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 3-phenylbutanal
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 85979, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Trifernal:
- "3-Phenylbutanal" — 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 report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (1,374 of 1,517 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
-
Phenylacetaldehyde
Aroma chemical · Green / Floral — green, honeyed, hyacinth, floral
-
Hydrocinnamaldehyde
Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — hyacinth, green, balsamic, floral
-
alpha-Terpineol
Aroma chemical · Floral / Aromatic — lilac, floral, piney, herbal
-
cis-3-Hexenol
Aroma chemical · Green / Fruity — green, cut grass, leafy, fresh
Used in formulas and accords
Not currently used in any published formula.
The Formula & Accord Library lists Trifernal here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.
Further reading
Questions about Trifernal
Is Trifernal natural or synthetic?
Trifernal is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Trifernal?
16251-77-7. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Is Trifernal covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "3-Phenylbutanal" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 85979, 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.
- Firmenich — TRIFERNAL® marketing sheet — manufacturer's description.
- dsm-firmenich — Trifernal® PE 989007 — manufacturer's description.
- The Good Scents Company — Trifernal — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.