Isobornyl Acetate

Synthetic Ingredient Overview

• 🔎 Chemical Name: Bornan-2-yl acetate

• 🧪 Synonyms: Isobornyl acetate, 2-Bornyl acetate, Borneyl acetate

• 🧬 Chemical Formula: C₁₂H₂₀O₂

• 📂 CAS N°: 125-12-2

• 📘 FEMA: 2135

• ⚖️ MW: 196.29 g/mol

• 📝 Odor Type: Fresh, Terpenic

• 📈 Odor Strength: Medium (approx. 8 hours on strip when undiluted)

• 👃🏼 Odor Profile: Fresh, woody, dry-amber; reminiscent of borneol with green pine and camphoraceous nuances

• ⚗️ Uses: Modifier, Herbalizer, Fougère base construction

• 🧴 Appearance: Colorless to pale straw yellow liquid

What is Isobornyl Acetate?

Isobornyl Acetate is a terpenic ester with a bicyclic structure derived from borneol or camphene, used primarily for its dry, woody freshness and ability to create or support green, resinous, and forest-like effects in perfumery. Its synthesis is typically carried out through:

1. Acetylation of isoborneol, or

2. Catalytic addition of acetic acid to camphene, using strong acid catalysts.

The result is an optically inactive, moderately volatile compound, prized for its blending power, diffusivity, and dry clarity. It offers a technical balance between volatility and substantivity, making it a practical material in both fine fragrance and detergent formulations.

Olfactory Profile & Perfumery Applications

Isobornyl Acetate delivers a crisp, forest-like scent, suggestive of:

• Pine needles

• Dry conifer wood

• Clean camphoraceous air

• Slight dry amber and faint citrus-herbal lift

While sometimes associated with "cleaning product" freshness, in skilled formulation it lends dimensional freshness and structural support to otherwise floral or green-dominated fragrances.

Functional applications in perfumery:

• Primary role in pine and conifer accords

• Fougère construction, in combination with:

  • Coumarin (warm tonality)

  • Amyl Salicylate (soft floral lift)

  • Terpinyl Acetate or Nopyl Acetate (diffusive brightness)

• Top note brightener for rosemary, sage, lavandin, artemisia

• Modifier in soapy-green aldehydic fragrances or masculine florals

Comparative note: Unlike α-terpineol or terpinen-4-ol, Isobornyl Acetate does not skew overly citrusy or phenolic; its dryness provides a firm structural base to build forest impressions.

Industrial & Technical Uses

Beyond fine fragrance, Isobornyl Acetate is extensively used in:

• Soap and bath fragrance bases (stable at high pH)

• Shampoos and herbal hair products

• Pine and herbal household products (cleansers, air fresheners)

• Functional Fougères in shaving foams and deodorants

• Camphor precursor (intermediate in synthetic camphor production)

Additionally, it demonstrates mild antimicrobial activity, making it of interest in preservative-free and hygiene-forward product development.

Regulatory & Safety Overview

• IFRA Category 4 (leave-on skin): Safe up to 30% in fragrance concentrate

• FEMA GRAS (No. 2135): Approved for use in food and beverages

  • Max CoE limits: 5 ppm in food, 0.1 ppm in beverages

• US FDA (21 CFR 172.515): Approved as flavoring

• ECHA REACH Status: Not classified as hazardous

• Toxicology:

  • Non-toxic in typical concentrations

  • May cause irritation in pure form

  • Flammable: proper storage in cool, well-ventilated area required

No allergenic concern has been identified under standard usage conditions. Compatible with essential oil systems and synthetic compositions.

Suggested internal link: IFRA Limits for category-specific usage guidance.

Additional Information

• Found naturally in oils of fir, pine, basil, thyme, and rosemary (minor component)

• Offers olfactory roundness and structure to unbalanced herbal-green themes

• Useful in early-stage development of neo-chypre and neo-fougère accords

• Low polarity makes it soluble in oils, alcohols, and hydrocarbons, but not in water or glycerol

Flavor use: Aromatic agent in bakery, confectionery, puddings, and frozen dairy; total estimated consumption remains low globally, making it suitable for trace-use food applications.

Sources

• Arctander, S. (1961). Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin

• Burdock, G.A. (2010). Fenaroli’s Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, 6th ed.

• ChemicalBook – Isobornyl Acetate Properties and Safety Overview

• PubChem Compound Summary – CID 11558

• FEMA GRAS Database – 2135

• Scentspiracy Archives and Technical Database