Linalool (CAS 78-70-6) — floral heart Note Fragrance Ingredient
Linalool
CAS 78-70-6
What Is Linalool?
Linalool is a naturally occurring floral-woody scent found in lavender, bergamot, and many flowers. You’ll encounter it in perfumes, soaps, and aromatherapy products. This versatile ingredient creates fresh, uplifting floral notes with a subtle woody depth. It’s prized for blending well with other scents and adding natural complexity to fragrances.
Safety Profile
USE WITH AWARENESS
What Does Linalool Smell Like?
Linalool opens with a bright, citrusy floral burst reminiscent of bergamot peel and fresh lavender fields. As it evolves, the scent softens into a delicate floral heart with whispers of lily-of-the-valley and rose petals. The dry-down reveals its woody character – like freshly sanded cedar with a honeyed sweetness. This chameleon molecule can smell citrus-fresh in one context and softly floral in another, always maintaining a clean, slightly green undertone that prevents cloying sweetness.
Scent Profile
In Famous Fragrances
Fragrance associations may not reflect actual formulations.
Linalool provides the fresh floral backbone that makes this lily-of-the-valley soliflore sparkle, balancing the green notes with soft woody undertones.
Used alongside citrus notes to create the signature fresh-woody accord, giving longevity to the bright bergamot opening.
Showcases linalool’s natural lavender character, blending it with herbal notes for an authentic Provençal field effect.
Provides floral freshness in the aldehydic bouquet, helping bridge the citrus top to floral heart notes.
Linalool’s woody-floral character balances the fougère’s herbal notes, creating a clean masculine signature.
2D Molecular Structure
SMILES: CC(C)=CCCC(C)(O)C=C
Chemistry, Properties & Perfumer Guide
The Chemistry
Linalool is a monoterpene alcohol with two stereocenters, existing as (R)-(-)-linalool and (S)-(+)-linalool enantiomers. Naturally abundant in lavender, bergamot, and coriander, it’s biosynthesized from geranyl pyrophosphate. Industrial production involves isomerization of pinene derivatives or synthesis from isoprene. The racemic mixture is most common in perfumery, though enantiomers show slightly different olfactory profiles. Its tertiary alcohol structure makes it relatively stable compared to primary terpene alcohols.
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Boiling Point | 198 °C |
|---|---|
| Melting Point | Below -74 °C |
| Flash Point | 78 °C |
| Density | 0.865 g/cm³ at 15°C |
| Refractive Index | 1.4627 |
| Vapor Pressure | 0.16 mmHg |
| Solubility | 1590 mg/L in water at 25°C |
| XLogP | 2.7 |
Perfumer Guide
| Application | Typical % | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Fragrance | 5-15% | Up to 25% | Core floral-woody building block |
| Soap | 3-8% | Up to 12% | Provides fresh floral character |
| Detergent | 1-3% | Up to 5% | Clean floral note with good stability |
| Candles | 4-10% | Up to 15% | Balances sweetness with woody freshness |
Classic Accords
+ Lavender + Coumarin = Fougère Base
+ Rose + Jasmine = Floral Bouquet
+ Oakmoss + Patchouli = Woody Chypre
Tip: Use linalool to bridge citrus top notes to floral hearts, or add 1-2% to woody bases for natural freshness.
Alternatives & Comparisons
Softer, fruitier version with similar floral character but higher boiling point for longer-lasting effects.
More citrus-fresh with less floral character, used when brighter top notes are needed.
Natural alternative containing 25-38% linalool plus complementary herbal notes for complex effects.
Safety, Regulatory & Sustainability
⚠ Regulatory Disclaimer
General reference only. IFRA, REACH, EU Cosmetics Regulation standards update periodically. Consult current IFRA Standards Library before formulating. Not legal or regulatory advice.
IFRA Status
No IFRA restrictions. Listed as safe for all applications under current standards.
EU Allergen Declaration
Must be declared when present at ≥0.001% in leave-on products or ≥0.01% in rinse-off products (EU Regulation No 1223/2009 Annex III).
GHS Classification
H319 Eye irritation
RIFM Assessment
RIFM safety assessment confirms safe use at current levels, with no evidence of phototoxicity or significant sensitization potential.
Sustainability
Linalool is increasingly produced via sustainable routes including fermentation and green chemistry processes. Natural sourcing from lavender farms supports traditional agriculture, while synthetic production reduces land use. Biodegradable and not bioaccumulative, it presents low environmental risk when properly handled.
Explore Linalool
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Industry & Science Data
References
- PubChem Compound Summary for Linalool CID 6549
- Bickers et al. (2003). The safety assessment of fragrance materials. Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology. PMID 12892656
- IFRA Standards Library (2023). 49th Amendment. IFRA
Data: PubChem (NIH), PubMed, RIFM, IFRA. Last reviewed: Mar 2026.
Perfumer's Practical Notes
Olfactory threshold: 0.189 ppm (van Gemert, median of n values) — moderate potency; you can smell it at low-double-digit ppm in a finished product.
IFRA Standard: SPECIFICATION, driven by DERMAL SENSITIZATION
Format compatibility
Perfumery references
“Light and refreshing, floral-woody odor with a faintly citrusy note.”
“Linalool has a typical floral odor, free from camphoraceous and terpenic notes. Synthetic linalool exhibits a cleaner and fresher note than the natural products.”
Open this ingredient in Fragrance Studio to check compatibility, see dilution math, and compare it against 2,900+ other aromachemicals.
Ingredient Data Sheet
CAS 78-70-6Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 154.25 g/mol🔬 PubChem |
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 2.7🔬 PubChem |
| Boiling Point | 198 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Vapor Pressure | 0.16 mmHg @ 25°C📊 OPERA |
| Flash Point | 25.6 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Involatility Index | 0.0139💻 Calculated |
| log Kp (skin permeability) | -1.724💻 Calculated |
| SMILES | CC(=CCCC(C)(C=C)O)C🔬 PubChem |
Volatility & Performance
| Fragrance Note | Heart💻 Calculated |
| Volatility Class | Slow💻 Calculated |
| Persistence Score | 1.3 / 5💻 Calculated |
Odor & Flavor
| Primary Descriptors | citrusfloralwoody• leffingwell |
| Functional Groups | alcoholalkene💻 RDKit |
| “Light and refreshing, floral-woody odor with a faintly citrusy note. The odor description of to-day (1968) would naturally be somewhat different from descriptions prior to 1957, when pure, synthetic Linalool was an uncommon item on the perfumer's shelf. Commercial grade, synthetic Linalool does have trace impurities, and they do have an influence upon the odor of the product.”📖 Arctander | |
| Linalool has a typical floral odor, free from camphoraceous and terpenic notes. Synthetic linalool exhibits a cleaner and fresher note than the natural products.📖 Fenaroli | |
Flavor Notes (Arctander)
| “Linalool has a peculiar creamy-floral, but not distinctly sweet taste. The flavor picture seems to vary considerably with the concentration. Linalool is pleasant only in low concentrations and in combination with other flavorants. It is used frequently in Blueberry imitation, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Gr”📖 Arctander |
Sensory Thresholds
| Odor Detection Threshold | 0.1889 ppm (n=31)📖 van Gemert |
Regulatory Status
| IFRA Listed | Yes — see IFRA Standards for category limits⚖️ IFRA 51 |
| EU Annex III | Listed (restricted)⚖️ IFRA 51 |
| FEMA Number | FEMA 2635⚖️ FEMA GRAS |
| GRAS Status | Generally Recognized as Safe⚖️ FEMA GRAS |
| IOFI Classification | Nature Identical📖 Fenaroli |
Physical data: PubChem (NIH/NLM), U.S. EPA CompTox Dashboard, EPA OPERA models, RDKit. Odor & flavor: Arctander (Perfume & Flavor Chemicals), Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, Leffingwell. Thresholds: van Gemert (Compilations of Odour Threshold Values). Regulatory: IFRA Standards 51st, FEMA GRAS. Trade names: Surburg (Common Fragrance & Flavor Materials). All data compiled and cross-referenced for perfumertools.com.
Physicochemical Properties
DTXSID: DTXSID7025502
Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 154.253 g/mol🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Density | 0.875 g/cm^3🔬 EPA CTX |
| Boiling Point | 197.038 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Melting Point | 16.19 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Flash Point | 77.375 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Refractive Index | 1.463 Dimensionless📊 OPERA |
| Molar Volume | 179.667 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
Partition & Solubility
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 52.172 Log10 unitless🔬 EPA CTX |
| LogD (pH 5.5) | 3.128 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogD (pH 7.4) | 3.128 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogKoa (Octanol-Air) | 6.5 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| Water Solubility | 0.01 mol/L🔬 EPA CTX |
| Henry's Law Constant | 0 atm-m3/mole🔬 EPA CTX |
Transport Properties
| Vapor Pressure | 0.165 mmHg🔬 EPA CTX |
| Viscosity | 3.878 cP📊 OPERA |
| Surface Tension | 26.881 dyn/cm📊 OPERA |
| Thermal Conductivity | 136.976 mW/(m*K)📊 OPERA |
Molecular Descriptors
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 20.23 Ų💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Donors | 1 count💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Acceptors | 1 count💻 Computed |
| Rotatable Bonds | 4 count💻 Computed |
| Aromatic Rings | 0 count💻 Computed |
| Molar Refractivity | 49.504 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
| Polarizability | 19.625 Å^3📊 OPERA |
Data Sources:
🔬 EPA Experimental data from U.S. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard & CTX APIs. 📊 OPERA Predicted using EPA's OPERA QSAR models. 💻 Computed Calculated from SMILES using RDKit.
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