Database/Denaturant/Cinnamal
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Cinnamal natural?

It depends. Most commercial cinnamaldehyde is simply distilled out of cassia bark oil; a smaller share is synthesised from petrochemical benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde.

INCI nameCinnamal
CAS104-55-2
FormulaC9H8O · 132.16 Da
FunctionDenaturant · Perfuming
FeedstockPredominantly isolated by fractional distillation from natural cassia…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
natural isolatecassia/cinnamon bark oil1.00~65%
syntheticbenzaldehyde + acetaldehyde (petrochemical)0.00~35%
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Natural route: isolated by distillation from cassia/cinnamon bark oil (already ~80-90% cinnamaldehyde), NOI 1.0. Synthetic: aldol condensation of benzaldehyde+acetaldehyde, NOI 0.0.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

How it’s made

Aldol condensation of benzaldehyde with acetaldehyde (base). Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Predominantly isolated by fractional distillation from natural cassia (Cinnamomum cassia) bark oil, which is naturally rich in cinnamaldehyde. A synthetic route via benzaldehyde-acetaldehyde aldol condensation also supplies technical/flavour grades.

In plain English

A cinnamon-scented fragrance and flavour ingredient. Usually isolated directly from cassia bark oil, though a lab-synthesised version made from petrochemical building blocks is also common.

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Structure

2D structure of Cinnamal

(E)-3-phenylprop-2-enal

PubChem CID 637511 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Cinnamal. PubChem CID 637511. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CINNAMAL. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CINNAMAL. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CINNAMAL