(E)-2-Hexadecenal is a long-chain unsaturated aldehyde found at low single-digit levels in some coriander leaf oils, but the public literature around it is dominated by endogenous lipid-signaling and reactivity studies rather than perfumery monographs. The best-supported evidence describes it as a sphingosine-1-phosphate breakdown product that can trigger JNK-linked stress signaling and form glutathione, protein, or DNA adducts in experimental systems. For AromaForge, that makes it a chemically notable aldehyde with meaningful mechanistic reactivity data, but with sparse fragrance-specific safety and essentially no direct human-use literature.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists 2-hexadecenal as CID 5280541 with formula C16H30O and IUPAC name (E)-hexadec-2-enal. The synonym set includes CAS 3163-37-9, 22644-96-8, and 27104-14-9; the public identity match for the cilantro-herb file's local CAS 64562-33-0 was not verified through PubChem in this pass. Beyond botanical occurrence, the accessible biomedical literature treats trans-2-hexadecenal as an endogenous sphingolipid-derived aldehyde formed through sphingosine-1-phosphate lyase activity or oxidative sphingolipid breakdown.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded fatty, waxy, green, cilantro-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.
A cilantro leaf oil composition record accessible through secondary indexing reported (E)-2-hexadecenal at about 2.94% among the identified coriander leaf volatiles.
A cilantro leaf oil composition record accessible through secondary indexing reported (E)-2-hexadecenal at about 2.94% among the identified coriander leaf volatiles.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2011 Cell Signalling study reported that trans-2-hexadecenal caused cytoskeletal reorganization, cell rounding, detachment, and apoptosis in multiple cell types through oxidant stress-dependent JNK signaling.
A 2011 Cell Signalling study reported that trans-2-hexadecenal caused cytoskeletal reorganization, cell rounding, detachment, and apoptosis in multiple cell types through oxidant stress-dependent JNK signaling.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2012 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications study reported that trans-2-hexadecenal can react directly with DNA to form aldehyde-derived DNA adducts in vitro.
A 2012 Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications study reported that trans-2-hexadecenal can react directly with DNA to form aldehyde-derived DNA adducts in vitro.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2017 Journal of Lipid Research paper identified glutathione conjugates and protein adducts formed from trans-2-hexadecenal, including products also detected in HepG2 lysates.
A 2017 Journal of Lipid Research paper identified glutathione conjugates and protein adducts formed from trans-2-hexadecenal, including products also detected in HepG2 lysates.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2019 Cell Biochemistry and Function study reported that 2-hexadecenal inhibited C6 glioma cell growth, altered cytoskeletal organization, and activated JNK, p38, and ERK1/2 signaling along with apoptosis markers.
A 2019 Cell Biochemistry and Function study reported that 2-hexadecenal inhibited C6 glioma cell growth, altered cytoskeletal organization, and activated JNK, p38, and ERK1/2 signaling along with apoptosis markers.
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.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No dedicated RIFM fragrance safety assessment, IFRA constituent limit, or human dermal study specific to isolated (E)-2-hexadecenal 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.
Experimental literature consistently describes trans-2-hexadecenal as a reactive electrophilic aldehyde capable of forming glutathione, protein, and DNA adducts, which argues for conservative handling rather than assuming fragrance inertness.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
The accessible studies are cell-based and mechanistic; they do not establish safe or unsafe topical exposure thresholds for consumer aromatics use.
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
jnk dependent stress signaling
Cell-based work reported that trans-2-hexadecenal activates MLK3-MKK4/7-JNK signaling, with downstream cytoskeletal changes and apoptosis that were blocked by JNK inhibition.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
electrophilic adduct formation
Because it is an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde, trans-2-hexadecenal can react with glutathione, amino-acid side chains, and DNA in experimental systems, supporting electrophilic reactivity as a central mechanistic feature.
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 (5)
- Fragrance-specific safety coverage for isolated (E)-2-hexadecenal appears sparse compared with the shorter-chain cilantro aldehydes.
- No human clinical literature was verified for isolated (E)-2-hexadecenal.
- The public occurrence trail in essential oils is thinner than the endogenous lipid-signaling literature, so perfume-oriented claims should stay limited.
- 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.