Fragrance allergen

Terpinolene

Terpinolene is a pine-scented terpene found in citrus peel, pine, tea tree, parsnip and many other plant oils. It is used in perfumes and soaps and as a solvent for resins. In the EU it is one of the allergens that must be named on a cosmetic label, with a limit on its peroxide value.

Formula
C10H16
Molar mass
136.24 g/mol
CAS
586-62-9

Where it comes from

Terpinolene is a constituent of many essential oils, with parsnip oil a major source at 40-70%. It also occurs in orange, bergamot and mandarin peel oils, in Scots pine oil and in tea tree oils. It was once extracted by fractional distillation of wood turpentine. PubChem says it is now produced by treating alpha-pinene with aqueous phosphoric acid at 75 degrees Celsius. Limonene can also be isomerised to terpinolene.

Smell and use

Sweet and pine-like. Chemical records describe the odour as sweet and pine, and the aroma as pine-like, with a somewhat sweet citrus character in the taste.

Terpinolene is used as a fragrance in perfumes and soaps and to improve the odour of industrial and household products. Beyond fragrance it serves as a solvent for resins and essential oils, and it is used in making synthetic resins and flavours.

On the label

Named on 10% of the 6,851 perfume ingredient lists we hold (681 perfumes).

EU
Annex III, entry 133. Must be named above 0.001% in leave-on products (0.01% rinse-off).
Great Britain
Not on Great Britain's list. It came to the EU list in 2023 and a GB label need not name it.

Terpinolene is on the EU list of fragrance allergens that must be named on cosmetic labels, with a peroxide value limit of below 10 mmoles/L. The SCCS opinion SCCS/1459/11 (2012) has a specific entry for it, which records a peroxide value of less than 10 mmoles/L in substance. PubChem's summary of company notifications to the ECHA inventory includes H317, may cause an allergic skin reaction. These are company notifications, not a harmonised classification.

A list that does not name it does not prove it is absent: brands only have to name it above the threshold.

Frequency by concentration

  • Eau de parfum 10% of 4,898
  • Eau de toilette 6% of 1,227
  • Extrait 8% of 341
  • Parfum 35% of 191
  • Cologne 3% of 108
  • Body spray 17% of 42
  • Other 19% of 27

Share of the perfumes we hold a list for, in each concentration.

Named alongside

Share of the lists naming Terpinolene that also name each of these.

Perfumes whose box names it

Common questions

What does terpinolene smell like?

Sweet and piney. Chemical records describe its odour as sweet pine and its aroma as pine-like. One record also notes a somewhat sweet, citrus flavour in the taste.

Is terpinolene natural or synthetic?

Both. It occurs naturally in citrus peel oils, pine oil, tea tree oils and parsnip oil. One source says it is now produced from alpha-pinene with phosphoric acid rather than extracted from turpentine, and that limonene can also be isomerised to it.

Why is terpinolene on my perfume label?

It is on the EU list of fragrance allergens that must be named when present above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products. Its entry also caps how oxidised it can be, through a peroxide value limit.