alpha-Vetivone is an oxygenated sesquiterpene ketone that helps define the odor profile and analytical fingerprint of vetiver root oil. Current evidence is strongest for identity, occurrence, and one older constituent-level antioxidant paper rather than for broad standalone bioactivity claims. For AromaForge it is best described as a vetiver marker constituent with fragrance relevance and limited preclinical pharmacology, not as a well-established wellness-active.
Chemical identity and composition
Live identity sources consistently map alpha-vetivone to CAS 15764-04-2 and PubChem CID 442405. The literature and industry databases also use the synonym iso nootkatone, reflecting its eremophilane-type sesquiterpene ketone structure and close relationship to other vetiver odorants.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, earthy, dry, vetiver-like descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- 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.
antioxidant related research
A PubMed snippet for the 2005 vetiver oil paper reports that beta-vetivenene, beta-vetivone, and alpha-vetivone showed strong antioxidant activities after isolation from the crude oil.
Measured: strong antioxidant activity among isolated constituents
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
vetiver marker constituent
A full-text seasonal vetiver root study identified alpha-vetivone as one of seven recurring constituents and quantified it at 6.1% in the winter fraction, supporting its role as a recurrent vetiver ketone marker.
Measured: identification and seasonal abundance in dichloromethane fractions
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
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 attachedThe Good Scents Company lists alpha-vetivone as a flavor and fragrance agent and links out to RIFM and IFRA references, but the page itself does not provide a constituent-specific dermal limit or human safety summary.
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.
No constituent-specific human clinical safety studies, phototoxicity reviews, or modern toxicokinetic papers for isolated alpha-vetivone were located in the sources reviewed for 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.
Because most public safety discussion centers on whole vetiver oil rather than isolated alpha-vetivone, mixture-level safety should not be over-attributed to this single ketone.
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
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
How the effects were investigated
free radical scavenging signal
An older vetiver oil study isolated alpha-vetivone among the constituents showing strong antioxidant activity, supporting a free-radical-scavenging research signal rather than a clinical mechanism.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
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)
- Direct constituent-specific bioactivity evidence for isolated alpha-vetivone is sparse compared with the much larger whole-vetiver-oil literature.
- No human clinical studies specific to alpha-vetivone were located in the reviewed public sources.
- Accessible mechanism data remain limited to general antioxidant assay language rather than deeper pathway-level evidence.
- 2026-07-13 re-verification (worker c3): a targeted search found a supplier/SDS-derived claim that alpha-vetivone is classified Skin Sens. 1B at 5-<10% concentration within vetiver oil, but this appears to describe vetiver oil's mixture-level GHS classification rather than an isolated-substance hazard classification for alpha-vetivone itself, so it was not treated as sufficient to set sensitizing:true or a numeric dermal limit; dermal_limit_verified remains false pending a primary CLP/ECHA or RIFM record for the isolated compound.
- 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.