Woody

Guaiacol

Note Profile

Natural

About

Guaiacol is a synthetic and naturally occurring aroma chemical known for its smoky, woody and slightly vanilla-like scent. In perfumery it is used to recreate campfire smoke, charred wood, leather and toasted nuances with a smooth phenolic warmth. It appears as a colorless to pale yellow oily liquid and functions primarily as a powerful base note modifier.

Scent Profile

Olfactorily, guaiacol has a strong **smoky** and **phenolic** character reminiscent of wood fire, creosote and smoked foods, with a distinct medicinal tinge. At lower dosages it reveals softer **vanillic**, woody and slightly spicy aspects that can suggest tea-rose and balsamic warmth. At higher levels the burnt and tarry facets dominate, producing an intense charred, leathery and somewhat medicinal impression with good tenacity.

ScentWheel

Breadthfocused

EnvelopeBase · ~280h lasting

Origin

Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) is a catechol derivative first identified from guaiacum resin and can be obtained in small quantities by distillation of wood creosote. Today it is produced mainly by synthetic methods, often via methylation of catechol derived from petrochemical phenol, yielding a high-purity aroma chemical suitable for fragrance use. It is a clear to pale straw-colored oily liquid with CAS number 90-05-1 and INCI name GUAIACOL.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use guaiacol in trace to low percentages to introduce smoky, charred and leathery nuances into woody, leather, oriental and gourmand compositions. Typical usage levels in fine fragrance range from traces up to about 0.5-2% of the concentrate, where it can support notes of leather, castoreum, blackcurrant, stone fruits and vanilla, or subtly warm floral accords like hyacinth, ylang‑ylang, narcissus and rose. It acts mainly as a base-note modifier, lending long-lasting phenolic warmth, but must be dosed carefully to avoid overpowering the composition or causing instability in alkaline products such as soap.

A variety of Smoky