Phenylethyl Alcohol, with the CAS number 60-12-8, is a synthetic aroma chemical commonly used in perfumery for its sweet, floral, and slightly rosy scent profile. It is often employed as a middle note in fragrance compositions, contributing to the overall floral character of a perfume. This ingredient is versatile and can be found in a variety of fragrance types, including floral, fruity, and even some gourmand compositions. In addition to its olfactory properties, Phenylethyl Alcohol can also serve as a fixative, helping to stabilize and prolong the scent of a formulation. From a safety and regulatory perspective, it is important to note that Phenylethyl Alcohol is listed as a potential allergen in cosmetic formulations, and its use may be subject to certain restrictions under IFRA guidelines. Perfumers should be mindful of these considerations when incorporating this ingredient into their creations, ensuring compliance with safety standards while leveraging its desirable scent characteristics. — AI-generated summary, 2026-09-02.
A soft, mildly sweet rosy-floral note with a fresh, slightly honeyed character. Clean and rounded rather than sharp, it lends a natural rose-petal transparency and is one of the workhorse floralisers used to build rose, lilac, muguet and white-floral accords.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 1096.
Colorless oily liquid.
2% soluble in water, except for commercial grade which may be only 1.5% soluble. Soluble in Propylene glycol, miscible with alcohol and oils.
Mild and warm, rose-honey-like odor of moderate to poor tenacity. Poorer grades show earthy or pungent, more Hyacinth-like topnotes, or greener 'gassy' notes.
The taste of this alcohol is sweet and honey-rose-like at concentrations lower than 40 ppm, but tends to become unpleasantly perfumey at higher concentrations.
Phenylethylalcohol is one of the most widely used of all perfume chemicals. Its low cost, versatility and general acceptability on odor, its excellent stability are factors speaking strongly in favor of this otherwise relatively weak odorant. It is almost never 'out of place' in a composition, be it floral, balsamic, Oriental, mossy, herbaceous or 'modern-aldehydic'.
The title alcohol finds some use in flavor compositions, mainly in imitation Butter, Strawberry, Raspberry, Caramel, Honey, Melon, and in various fruit complexes.
1) from Styrene oxide by hydration. 2) from Ethylene oxide and Benzene with Aluminium chloride.