Geraniol is a naturally occurring aromatic alcohol widely used as an aroma chemical and fragrance ingredient in perfumery, cosmetics, personal care, soaps and home-fragrance products. It has a distinctive sweet, fresh, rosy and floral aroma, making it one of the important materials for creating rose and floral fragrance accords. Geraniol occurs naturally in essential oils such as rose, geranium, palmarosa and citronella. Geraniol is especially useful for creating rose, geranium and other floral notes. It adds sweetness, freshness and floral body to a fragrance composition.
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INCI Name Geraniol
CAS No. 106-24-1
EC No. 203-377-1
Molecular Formula C₁₀H₁₈O
Molecular Weight 154.25 g/mol
Appearance Clear, colorless to pale yellow liquid
Odor Sweet, fresh, rosy and floral
Chemical Family Monoterpene alcohol
Function Fragrance ingredient / Aroma chemical
Uses in Perfumery
It is commonly incorporated into:
Fine Fragrances: Used in perfumes, Eau de Parfum, Eau de Toilette, colognes and perfume oils.
Rose Accords: One of the classic materials for building realistic rose-type fragrances, often combined with Citronellol, Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol and Nerol.
Floral Accords: Useful in geranium, peony, jasmine, muguet, orange blossom and other floral compositions.
Citrus-Floral Fragrances: Its fresh character works particularly well with bergamot, lemon, orange and neroli materials.
Soap & Personal Care Fragrances: Provides a clean floral character suitable for soaps, shampoos, conditioners and body products.
Cosmetic & Personal-Care Applications
Geraniol may be used as a fragrance component in:
Perfumes and fragrance oils
Body sprays and colognes
Creams and lotions
Body washes and shower gels
Soaps
Shampoos and conditioners
Deodorants
Hair-care products
Candles and wax products
Reed diffusers
Room sprays and air-care products
Blends Well With
Geraniol combines particularly well with Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol, Citronellol, Nerol, Linalool, Eugenol, Rose Absolute, Geranium Oil, Palmarosa Oil, Jasmine, Ylang-Ylang, Neroli, Bergamot, Patchouli, Sandalwood and musk materials.
Important Formulation Note
Geraniol is also a recognized fragrance allergen. Its concentration in a finished cosmetic or fragrance product may need to be considered for ingredient/allergen labeling and safety assessment.
In simple terms: Geraniol is a key sweet, rosy floral aroma chemical used by perfumers to give fragrances a natural-looking rose/floral character and to enhance the richness and freshness of floral compositions.
