Hexyl Cinnamal; Hexyl Cinnamic Aldehyde

(in 7,840 products)

1. Flavor / Flavoring / Flavor Enhancer - Provides or enhances a particular taste or smell.

2. Fragrance / Fragrance Component - Provides or enhances a particular smell or odor.

Hexyl cinnamaldehyde (hexyl cinnamal) is a pale yellow to yellow clear liquid to solid, which is nearly insoluble in water but soluble in oils. It is a common additive in perfume and cosmetic industry as aroma substance. It is found naturally in the essential oil of chamomile. [1]

Many sites conflate amyl cinnamal, hexyl cinnamal and cinnamaldehyde (cinnamal/cinnamic aldehyde).

Hexyl cinnamal is not the same as amyl cinnamal, hexyl cinnamal has 6 carbons in the hydrocarbon chain whereas amyl cinnamal only has 5 carbons. The hydrocarbon chain in amyl cinnamal and hexyl cinnamal appears to lower the reactivity of the aldehyde group. [1]

In a patch test study conducted on over 8000 participants to determine the skin sensitization potential of common fragrances, amyl cinnamal and hexyl cinnamal both have a standardized probability of 0.1% to cause skin sensitization (Group 3), cinnamyl alcohol at 0.6% (Group 2) and cinnamaldehyde at 1.0% (Group 1). Females were also three times more likely than men to suffer skin sensitization from cinnamyl alcohol and nearly two times more likely than men for cinnamaldehyde. [2]

A comparative review also gave a 'human threshold value' of 23622 to hexyl cinnamal, 4724 to cinnamyl alcohol and 591 to cinnamaldehyde, where the higher the threshold value, the safer the ingredient. [3]

In conclusion, cinnamaldehyde has a higher probability to trigger allergic skin reactions compared to hexyl cinnamal. They are two distinct and separate ingredients.

(EC) No 1223/2009

2003/15/EC

III/87

The presence of the substance must be indicated in the list of ingredients referred to in Article 19(1)g when its concentration exceeds:

- 0.001% in leave-on products

- 0.01% in rinse-off products

0450/01 - Memorandum on the SCCNFP Opinion concerning Fragrance Allergy

0673/03 - Opinion concerning Essential Oils

0017/98 - Opinion concerning Fragrance Allergy in Consumers - A Review of the Problem -

Analysis of the need for appropriate Consumer Information and Identification of Consumer Allergens

0202/99 - Opinion concerning the Interim Position on Fragrance Allergy

1. PubChem: https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/1550884

2. Sensitization to 26 fragrances to be labelled according to current European regulation. (Contact Dermatitis, 57(1), 1–10. DOI:10.1111/j.1600-0536.2007.01088.x)

3. Risk management by labelling 26 fragrances? (Int. J. Hyg. Environ. Health, 213(4), 308–320. DOI:10.1016/j.ijheh.2010.04.001)

1. EU CosIng Annex III, SUBSTANCES WITH RESTRICTIONS IN COSMETIC PRODUCTS [2018]

- Ref: III/87

2. EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety

- List B: http://ec.europa.eu/health/scientific_committees/opinions_layman/perfume-allergies/en/l-3/1-introduction.htm

3. International Fragrance Association Transparency List [2015]