Vanitrope

What Vanitrope smells like

Vanitrope (propenyl guaethol) is a vanilla-like phenol with clove and spicy facets. A database ranks spicy, sweet, clove, phenolic, woody and vanilla first; one supplier calls it smoky, vanillic and phenolic with clove warmth; another describes sweet vanilla with heliotrope-violet nuances, tobacco warmth and a powdery drydown. A patent finds it less sweet than vanillin, with an unpleasant phenolic note that makes it hard to use alone as a vanillin substitute.

Leading note

Spicy vanilla

Clear facets

Clove

Supporting facets

Phenolic, smoky

Faint facets

Woody, tobacco

Character

Warm, spicy, powerful, dry

• vanilla
• spicy
• sweet
• clove

What makes Vanitrope distinctive

Vanilla seen through clove and smoke — a spicier, more phenolic vanilla than vanillin.

Where the descriptions disagree: Suppliers describe a refined sweet vanilla; a patent finds it less sweet than vanillin, with an unpleasant phenolic note.

How Vanitrope is used

Used to deepen gourmand, oriental and tobacco accords alongside vanillin, rather than alone.

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

How Vanitrope differs from similar materials

Vanillin*

A patent finds it less sweet than vanillin, with a phenolic note; it is spicier and more clove-like. (compared directly by a cited source)

Methyl Diantilis

Methyl Diantilis is more floral, carnation and powdery; Vanitrope is the smokier, more phenolic vanilla.

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; check the limit for your product category.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Gourmand / Spicy

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Solid

Also known as

Propenyl guaethol, 2-Ethoxy-5-(prop-1-enyl)phenol

CAS number

94-86-0

Molecular formula

C11H14O2

Molecular weight

178.23 g/mol

IUPAC name

2-ethoxy-5-[(E)-prop-1-enyl]phenol

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 5354280, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Vanitrope:

• "Propenylguaethol" — 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 (367 reports): H315 causes skin irritation (11.2% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (11.2% of reports); H335 may cause respiratory irritation (10.9% of reports). 326 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

• Vanillin

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy

• Ethyl Vanillin

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy, candy

• Methyl Diantilis

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Spicy — vanilla, spicy, clove, sweet

• Coumarin

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fougère — hay, sweet, almond, tobacco

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

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

Further reading

• Vanillin in Perfumery: Grades, Strength, Color and Dosage

  Vanillin, ethyl vanillin and vanilla absolute compared for formulators: odor and strength, dissolving the crystals, discoloration, products and records.

• Building a Gourmand Accord: Vanilla, Caramel and Beyond

  The materials of gourmand perfume — vanillin, ethyl maltol, coumarin, lactones, roasted notes — how to keep them wearable, and color and crystal problems.

Questions about Vanitrope

Sources

• PubChem — compound 5354280, 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.
• The Good Scents Company — propenyl guaethol — odour database.
• Fraterworks — Vanitrope — distributor's description.
• US9834739B2 — Fragrance composition (patent) — published literature.
• 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.