Body & Beauty / Compounds / Citronellal

Citronellal on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Fragrance aldehyde — skin sensitizer class; EU requires disclosure for select members; sensitization potency varies by structure; oxidation on shelf increases allergenicity

What is citronellal?

The IUPAC name is 3,7-dimethyloct-6-enal.

Also known as: 3,7-dimethyloct-6-enal, 3,7-Dimethyl-6-octenal, 6-Octenal, 3,7-dimethyl-, 2,3-Dihydrocitral.

IUPAC name
3,7-dimethyloct-6-enal
CAS number
106-23-0
Molecular formula
C10H18O
Molecular weight
154.25 g/mol
SMILES
CC(CCC=C(C)C)CC=O
PubChem CID
7794

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Fragrance aldehyde — skin sensitizer class; EU requires disclosure for select members; sensitization potency varies by structure; oxidation on shelf increases allergenicity

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Citronellal. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IFRA2020restrictionIFRA restriction — dermal sensitization QRA limits
EU_COSMETICS2023allergen_disclosureEU Reg 2023/1545 — expanded allergen list. Mandatory disclosure

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter citronellal

  • Personal Care — perfume, soap, shampoo, cosmetics
  • Consumer Products — cleaning products, candles, air fresheners
  • Fragrance — perfume, cologne, scented personal care products, household fragrance products, candles
    Identified in Fragrance Ingredient Safety Priority Research database (2,325 ingredients)

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Citronellal:

  • Citronellol (alcohol form, less reactive)
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Hydroxycitronellal
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Citronellol (alcohol, less reactive)
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Hydroxycitronellal (with limits)
    Trade-offs: Removes 95-99% of dissolved contaminants including metals, PFAS, nitrates; wastes 2-4 gallons per gallon produced (improving with newer systems); removes beneficial minerals; $0.05-0.25/gallon; requires pre-treatment for longevity.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain citronellal?

Citronellal appears in: perfume (Personal care); soap (Personal care); cleaning products (Consumer products); candles (Consumer products); perfume (Fragrance).

See Citronellal in the body app

Look up products containing citronellal, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →