Body & Beauty / Compounds / Musk ambrette

Musk ambrette on your skin: a safety profile

Severe risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Photoallergen; neurotoxic; suspected endocrine disruptor; BANNED in EU cosmetics (REACH Annex II); one of the original nitro musks — largely eliminated from market

What is musk ambrette?

The IUPAC name is 1-tert-butyl-2-methoxy-4-methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzene.

Also known as: 1-tert-butyl-2-methoxy-4-methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzene, Amber musk, Ambrette musk, Musk ambrette (artificial).

IUPAC name
1-tert-butyl-2-methoxy-4-methyl-3,5-dinitrobenzene
CAS number
83-66-9
Molecular formula
C12H16N2O5
Molecular weight
268.27 g/mol
SMILES
CC1=C(C=C(C(=C1[N+](=O)[O-])OC)C(C)(C)C)[N+](=O)[O-]
PubChem CID
6753

Risk for people

Severe risk

Photoallergen; neurotoxic; suspected endocrine disruptor; BANNED in EU cosmetics (REACH Annex II); one of the original nitro musks — largely eliminated from market

Regulatory consensus

4 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Musk ambrette. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU2024Banned in cosmetics (REACH Annex II)
EDC Assessment2024Suspected endocrine disruptor
IFRA1995prohibitionIFRA prohibited
EU_COSMETICS1995bannedEU banned in cosmetics

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 musk ambrette

  • Personal Care — perfume (historical), aftershave (historical)
  • 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 Musk ambrette:

  • Ethylene brassylate
    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×
  • Galaxolide (with caveats)
    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×
  • Macrocyclic musks
    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 musk ambrette?

Musk ambrette appears in: perfume (historical) (Personal care); aftershave (historical) (Personal care); perfume (Fragrance); cologne (Fragrance).

Why do regulators disagree about musk ambrette?

Musk ambrette has been classified by 4 agencies including EU, EDC Assessment, IFRA, EU_COSMETICS, with differing conclusions. 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. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Musk ambrette in the body app

Look up products containing musk ambrette, 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 →