Body & Beauty / Compounds / Citronellyl acetate

Citronellyl acetate on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Fragrance terpene ester/alcohol — generally low toxicity; some members are EU designated allergens (cinnamyl alcohol, citronellol); oxidation products may be more allergenic than parent compound

What is citronellyl acetate?

The IUPAC name is 3,7-dimethyloct-6-enyl acetate.

Also known as: 3,7-dimethyloct-6-enyl acetate, 3,7-Dimethyl-6-octen-1-yl acetate, Acetic acid, citronellyl ester, 6-Octen-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, 1-acetate.

IUPAC name
3,7-dimethyloct-6-enyl acetate
CAS number
150-84-5
Molecular formula
C12H22O2
Molecular weight
198.30 g/mol
SMILES
CC(CCC=C(C)C)CCOC(=O)C
PubChem CID
9017

Risk for people

Low risk

Fragrance terpene ester/alcohol — generally low toxicity; some members are EU designated allergens (cinnamyl alcohol, citronellol); oxidation products may be more allergenic than parent compound

Regulatory consensus

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

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IFRA2024no_restrictionNo IFRA restriction.
FDA1965GRASGRAS food flavoring

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 citronellyl acetate

  • Personal Care — perfume, soap, lotion, shampoo
  • Consumer Products — cleaning products, 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 Citronellyl acetate:

  • Geranyl acetate
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Rhodinyl acetate
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain citronellyl acetate?

Citronellyl acetate appears in: perfume (Personal care); soap (Personal care); cleaning products (Consumer products); air fresheners (Consumer products); perfume (Fragrance).

See Citronellyl acetate in the body app

Look up products containing citronellyl acetate, 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 →