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Hexyl Cinnamal

Depends on youFragrancefragrancemaskingEU-declared fragrance allergen

Genuinely relevant for some people, or depends on dose and pH.

Also written as: alpha-Hexylcinnamaldehyde · Hexyl Cinnamaldehyde · HCA · Jasmine Aldehyde

What it is

Hexyl cinnamal is a synthetic aldehyde with a soft jasmine and chamomile character, produced from benzaldehyde and octanal. It is one of the most heavily used fragrance materials worldwide and is a component of the fragrance mix II screening panel. It appears on many face-mask labels simply because it is a common building block of commercial fragrance blends.

What it does well

  • Stable, low-cost floral note that survives harsh formulations

    It holds up well in soaps, cleansers and clay bases where more delicate florals degrade. This is a formulation advantage, not a skin benefit.

    Strong evidence

Worth knowing

  • A declared allergen, though a comparatively infrequent one

    Despite being on the mandatory labelling list and in fragrance mix II, positive patch tests to hexyl cinnamal alone are uncommon: 0.3% of 1855 consecutive patients in a six-centre European study, against 11.3% in those same patients for the original 8% fragrance mix, now called mix I. Mix II came later, and drew reactions from 4.9% of patients in a large German series; hexyl cinnamal is among its least reactive parts, at 3.8% of mix-positive patients against 47.7% for Lyral. Its presence on a label is not a strong warning sign for most people.

    Matters most toPeople with a diagnosed fragrance allergy.

Where the EU stands

Labelling required

One of the original 26 declared fragrance allergens. Must be named on the pack above 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products. No maximum concentration is set.

Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex III entry 87 · source ↗

Sources (2)

Every link goes to the original: a journal, a PubMed record or an EU document.

  1. [1]
    Further important sensitizers in patients sensitive to fragrances

    Contact Dermatitis · 2002

    Among 1855 consecutive patients patch tested at six European dermatological centres, 0.3% reacted to hexyl cinnamic aldehyde, against 11.3% for the 8% fragrance mix and 2.7% for Lyral, the strongest single sensitiser in the series.

  2. [2]
    Patch testing with fragrance mix II: results of the IVDK 2005-2008

    Contact Dermatitis · 2010 · doi:10.1111/j.1600-0536.2010.01753.x

    Of 35633 patients patch tested with fragrance mix II, 4.9% reacted; among the 367 mix-positive patients given a full breakdown, 3.8% reacted to hexyl cinnamal against 47.7% for hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde, placing hexyl cinnamal among the mix's least reactive constituents.

Masks that contain Hexyl Cinnamal