beta-Vetivone is a sesquiterpene ketone that helps define the odor profile and analytical fingerprint of vetiver root oil. Public evidence is strongest for identity, fragrance relevance, and repeated occurrence in vetiver chemistry papers, with one older in vitro antioxidant paper providing the main direct constituent-level activity signal. For AromaForge it is best positioned as a vetiver marker constituent with limited preclinical evidence rather than as a well-established standalone wellness active.
Chemical identity and composition
Live identity sources map beta-vetivone to PubChem CID 442406, formula C15H22O, and a spiro sesquiterpene-ketone structure. Current external identity sources reviewed for this pass converge on CAS 18444-79-6, even though some existing local oil records still carry an alternate registry number, so this constituent file follows the live external identity set and flags the discrepancy as an archive-cleanup issue rather than treating both values as equally verified.
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.
- 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.
antioxidant related research
The 2005 abstract reports that beta-vetivenene, beta-vetivone, and alpha-vetivone were isolated from crude vetiver oil after showing strong antioxidant activities in the study's assay workflow.
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 2012 abstract on south Indian vetiver oils listed beta-vetivone among the important compounds imparting characteristic vetiver odor, alongside beta-vetivenene, khusimol, vetiselinenol, and alpha-vetivone.
Measured: odor relevance and recurrent occurrence
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil 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.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
A PubChem compound-page snippet for beta-vetivone reports aggregated GHS hazard statements for skin irritation and possible allergic skin reaction; that is a useful caution signal but not a substitute for a constituent-specific toxicology monograph.
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, dermal maximum, or phototoxicity review for isolated beta-vetivone were verified in the reviewed public sources.
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 public safety discussion still centers on whole vetiver oil rather than isolated beta-vetivone, so 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
The direct vetiver constituent paper links beta-vetivone to strong antioxidant activity in in vitro assays, supporting an assay-level free-radical-scavenging signal rather than a clinically validated 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)
- No human clinical studies specific to isolated beta-vetivone were located in the reviewed public sources.
- Direct mechanism evidence remains limited to an older antioxidant paper rather than deeper pathway-level pharmacology.
- The CAS discrepancy between some local oil records and the live external identity sources should be normalized in a future archive-cleanup pass.
- Safety-verification pass (2026-07-13, worker c5): a REACH-compliant SDS for Vetiver (Indian) essential oil (Nikura Ltd, v2, 2025) lists beta-Vetivone (CAS 18444-79-6) as a component present at 5-<10% with CLP classification 'Skin Sens. 1B; H317', corroborating sensitizing:true. No IFRA Standard or Tisserand isolated-constituent dermal limit was located, so the prior uncited dermal_limit_pct of 2 has been corrected to null rather than implied as a verified figure; phototoxic:false is unconfirmed by any located citation but is retained as the conservative default absent evidence of phototoxic furanocoumarin-type chemistry in this sesquiterpene ketone.
- No constituent-specific numeric dermal reference is available here.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.