Not drawn yet: a drawing of what it smells like.

Citronellol

Ingredients · Florals · heart note

Citronellol

Say itsit-ruh-NEL-awl

Fresh pink rose, clean and waxy, with citrusy-green geranium leaf.

What it is
A molecule made in a lab.
Where it comes from
made by hydrogenating geraniol or nerol, or from citronella
When you smell it
Heart: the first hours.
What perfumers do with it
The main rose alcohol; fresh, stable rose backbone for fine fragrance, soap and detergent.
Worth knowing
Its left-handed form dominates rose and geranium, making up 18-55% of rose oil.
Rules
Limited. IFRA-restricted sensitizer; EU-labeled allergen
Also called
3,7-Dimethyloct-6-en-1-ol; dihydrogeraniol

On the label of 157 of the 232 perfumes read so far

No. 5Chanel · printed “Citronellol”SauvageDior · printed “Citronellol”ShalimarGuerlain · printed “Citronellol”MitsoukoGuerlain · printed “Citronellol”Eau SauvageDior · printed “Citronellol”AngelMugler · printed “Citronellol”

Sources