(E)-o-Methoxycinnamaldehyde is a cassia and cinnamon-associated phenylpropanoid aldehyde with a smaller but more distinct literature than many trace spice constituents. The strongest live evidence supports clear identity, occurrence in cassia oils already represented in AromaForge, food-flavouring safety review, and several preclinical findings involving fungal inhibition, CYP interaction, immune signaling, and NAAA-linked anti-inflammatory screening. Human therapeutic evidence was not verified, so archive wording should present it as a research-active cinnamon aldehyde rather than an established medical ingredient.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists this constituent as CID 641298 with formula C10H10O2 and IUPAC name (E)-3-(2-methoxyphenyl)prop-2-enal. JECFA flavoring specifications describe it as a pale yellow crystalline material with a warm spicy floral odor and recognize it under JECFA number 688 and FEMA number 3181.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded warm spicy, floral-spicy, cinnamon-like descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Compare the recorded goal signals with the intended purpose, while keeping model assumptions separate from observed study outcomes.
- 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 1978 Applied and Environmental Microbiology paper reported that o-methoxycinnamaldehyde completely inhibited growth of Aspergillus parasiticus and A. flavus at 100 microgram/mL and suppressed aflatoxin B1 production by more than 90% at 6.25 microgram/mL.
This is one of the clearest direct constituent studies and shows stronger antifungal than antibacterial activity under the tested conditions.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2002 Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics study identified o-methoxycinnamaldehyde as the cinnamon component inhibiting CYP1A2 and CYP2E1 in rat liver microsomes, with a reported Ki of 6.3 microM for the CYP2E1-linked reaction.
This is the strongest direct mechanism paper located for the isolated constituent in this pass.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2021 Phytomedicine study reported that Cinnamomum verum-derived o-methoxycinnamaldehyde prevented LPS-induced depressive-like behavior in mice and decreased TNFalpha and IL-2 by promoting NFAT mRNA decay in T lymphocytes.
The findings are mechanistically richer than most cinnamon-constituent papers, but they remain preclinical and should not be translated into medical claims.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2023 Journal of Ethnopharmacology study found that o-methoxycinnamaldehyde inhibited NAAA activity with an IC50 of 9.62 +/- 0.30 microg/mL in a Ramulus Cinnamomi essential-oil investigation.
This adds a newer enzyme-linked anti-inflammatory mechanism signal, although the broader study centered on the whole essential oil.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 1986 rat metabolism study reported rapid urinary elimination of o-methoxycinnamaldehyde metabolites, with 91% recovered within 24 hours and 98% within 48 hours, mainly after oxidation to corresponding acids.
This is useful for metabolism context and suggests rapid biotransformation rather than persistence of the parent aldehyde.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
How it contributes to goal calculations
Model markers guide the formulation score. They are separate from the source findings above.
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 attachedWHO JECFA lists o-methoxycinnamaldehyde as having no safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
This pass did not verify a public aromatherapy-style leave-on dermal maximum for isolated (E)-o-methoxycinnamaldehyde.
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 this molecule is an aromatic aldehyde and the direct human tolerability literature is limited, safety framing should remain more conservative than the food-flavoring assessment alone might suggest.
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.
(E)-cinnamaldehydeAmplification 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 · effect
No source citation attached.
Read (E)-cinnamaldehyde report →How the effects were investigated
cyp1a2_and_cyp2e1_inhibition
Rat liver microsome work identified o-methoxycinnamaldehyde as a competitive inhibitor of CYP1A2 and a mixed-type inhibitor of CYP2E1, with the stronger effect seen against CYP2E1-linked oxidation.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
naaa_inhibition_with_pea_oea_preservation
A 2023 cell-based study reported that o-methoxycinnamaldehyde inhibited N-acylethanolamine acid amidase, supporting a plausible route for higher cellular PEA and OEA levels in the tested anti-inflammatory system.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
reduced_nfat_mrna_stability_in_t_lymphocytes
A 2021 mouse and T-cell study attributed anti-inflammatory and behavior-linked effects to o-methoxycinnamaldehyde-driven promotion of NFAT mRNA decay rather than blockade of NFAT nuclear translocation.
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 constituent-specific human clinical efficacy evidence was verified in this pass.
- Public dermal-safety guidance for isolated (E)-o-methoxycinnamaldehyde was not located.
- Several newer anti-inflammatory findings are still mixture-adjacent or preclinical rather than direct human evidence.
- 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.