alpha-Himachalene is a cedarwood-associated sesquiterpene hydrocarbon found most prominently in Atlas and Himalayan cedar oils. Live-source review strongly supports its chemical identity and repeated occurrence as a major cedar marker, while direct isolated-compound pharmacology is much thinner than the broader cedarwood-oil literature. For AromaForge, it is best presented as a cedar chemistry marker with limited standalone evidence, plus a small amount of ecological literature involving himachalene-type pheromone chemistry.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists alpha-himachalene as CID 520909 with formula C15H24 and IUPAC name 3,5,5-trimethyl-9-methylidene-2,4a,6,7,8,9a-hexahydro-1H-benzo[7]annulene. NIST WebBook search results and a PubChem compound page for (-)-alpha-himachalene both point to CAS 3853-83-6. In the archive, Atlas cedarwood lists alpha-himachalene at 16.84% and Himalayan cedarwood sources place it around 13.5-17.1%, confirming it as a defining cedarwood constituent.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, dry, cedar-like, balsamic descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
A 2009 Cedrus deodara wood-chip analysis reported alpha-himachalene at 17.1% of the hydrodistilled essential oil, alongside beta-himachalene at 38.3% and gamma-himachalene at 12.6%.
A 2009 Cedrus deodara wood-chip analysis reported alpha-himachalene at 17.1% of the hydrodistilled essential oil, alongside beta-himachalene at 38.3% and gamma-himachalene at 12.6%.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 1996 paper on Lutzomyia longipalpis pheromone chemistry identified alpha-himachalene as a minor component of the gland extract, alongside the major homosesquiterpene 3-methyl-alpha-himachalene.
A 1996 paper on Lutzomyia longipalpis pheromone chemistry identified alpha-himachalene as a minor component of the gland extract, alongside the major homosesquiterpene 3-methyl-alpha-himachalene.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A flea-beetle volatile study identified (+)-trans-alpha-himachalene among male-specific sesquiterpenes with electrophysiological activity, supporting a broader ecological signaling role for the himachalene skeleton.
A flea-beetle volatile study identified (+)-trans-alpha-himachalene among male-specific sesquiterpenes with electrophysiological activity, supporting a broader ecological signaling role for the himachalene skeleton.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
unverified reference · No source provenance attachedNo authoritative standalone dermal limit, inhalation limit, or public fragrance-standard restriction specific to isolated alpha-himachalene was verified in this pass.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Most benefit-style claims in the public cedarwood literature concern whole cedar essential oils or semisynthetic himachalene derivatives rather than isolated alpha-himachalene itself.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
These are research candidates recorded in the interaction matrix. They do not add a proven-amplification bonus to the score.
alpha-AtlantoneAmplification candidate
Candidate in the research matrix. A coefficient alone does not establish amplification at the dose, route or goal of your blend; no proven amplification is inferred from this row.
in vitro · whole_oil
No source citation attached.
Read alpha-Atlantone report →How the effects were investigated
ecological signaling role in himachalene related systems
The clearest functional signal in the directly reviewed literature is ecological rather than therapeutic: himachalene-type hydrocarbons participate in male-specific volatile blends and sex-pheromone systems in insects.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (6)
- No human clinical studies for isolated alpha-himachalene were verified in this pass.
- The stronger pharmacology papers around cedarwood often concern whole oils or transformed himachalene derivatives, not isolated alpha-himachalene.
- 2026-07-13 dermal-safety verification pass (Tisserand & Young monograph index, IFRA Standards 51st Amendment library, RIFM Fragrance Material Safety Resource) found no constituent-specific dermal limit percentage, sensitization dataset, or phototoxicity study for isolated alpha-himachalene; dermal_limit_pct remains unverified and should not be treated as sourced.
- The numeric dermal reference lacks source provenance; a verified flag alone is insufficient.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.
- Interaction candidates lack an attached source citation and remain unqualified.