Database/Perfuming/Citronellyl Nitrile
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Citronellyl Nitrile natural?

It depends. Citronellyl nitrile is made from citronellal, which is natural origin from citronella oil or pine turpentine and petrochemical from isobutylene-based citral; the nitrogen is always from synthetic ammonia.

INCI nameCitronellyl Nitrile
CAS51566-62-2
FormulaC10H17N · 151.25 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockCitronellal converted to its oxime with hydroxylamine and…

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 or pine-derived citronellalcitronellal from citronella or eucalyptus citriodora oil, or made from pine-turpentine myrcene, converted via the oxime with hydroxylamine0.91Carbon skeleton C10H17 137.2/151.3 = 0.91; nitrogen from hydroxylamine (synthetic ammonia) is petrochemical.
petrochemical citronellalcitronellal from citral built from isobutylene0.00No natural carbon.
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

C10H17N 151.3 Da: the C10H17 carbon skeleton 137.2 Da comes from citronellal, which is natural when taken from citronella oil or made from pine turpentine; the nitrile nitrogen 14.0 Da comes from hydroxylamine made from synthetic ammonia. Natural or pine-derived route 0.91, petrochemical-citral route 0.00.
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.

Where it comes from

Citronellal converted to its oxime with hydroxylamine and dehydrated to the nitrile.

In plain English

A fragrance ingredient with a green, floral scent, manufactured synthetically from a citronellal-type starting material. Used in perfumed cosmetics and personal care products purely for scent.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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Structure

2D structure of Citronellyl Nitrile

3,7-dimethyloct-6-enenitrile

PubChem CID 3033030 ↗

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. 2Citronellyl Nitrile. PubChem CID 3033030. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3CITRONELLYL NITRILE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4CITRONELLYL NITRILE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=CITRONELLYL%20NITRILE