epi-Cubenol is a cubebane-type sesquiterpene alcohol found in cade and other wood-derived essential oils. The accessible evidence base is modest but better than identity alone: public sources support clear chemistry assignment, occurrence in cade-related materials, and a 2019 study showing efflux-pump-inhibitory and antibiotic-potentiating effects against Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. Those results are still laboratory-stage and should be framed as early mechanistic context rather than human-health evidence.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem resolves epi-cubenol to CID 12046149 with formula C15H26O and InChIKey COGPRPSWSKLKTF-QPSCCSFWSA-N, while NIST and multiple chemistry databases map the same structure to CAS 19912-67-5. This conflicts with one existing local oil-file CAS entry, so the present constituent record follows the stronger external agreement and leaves the archive discrepancy implicit rather than rewriting oil data outside scope. In the AromaForge oil archive, rectified French cade and cade-unrectified records place epi-cubenol around 8.2% to 13%, making it a notable cade marker rather than a rare trace constituent.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, balsamic, resinous, warm, resin 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.
A 2019 Frontiers in Microbiology study reported that epi-cubenol inhibited ethidium-bromide efflux in Staphylococcus aureus K2378 cells overexpressing norA and that combinations with tested antibiotics showed synergistic fractional inhibitory concentration index values across evaluated strains.
A 2019 Frontiers in Microbiology study reported that epi-cubenol inhibited ethidium-bromide efflux in Staphylococcus aureus K2378 cells overexpressing norA and that combinations with tested antibiotics showed synergistic fractional inhibitory concentration index values across evaluated strains.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
The same 2019 study also reported that the active concentrations used for efflux-pump inhibition and synergy testing were not toxic to the HeLa cell line under the tested conditions.
The same 2019 study also reported that the active concentrations used for efflux-pump inhibition and synergy testing were not toxic to the HeLa cell line under the tested conditions.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2013 Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry paper documented fully deuterated 1-epi-cubenol released by Streptomyces griseus grown on deuterated medium, supporting epi-cubenol as a defined microbial natural product and biosynthetic endpoint.
A 2013 Beilstein Journal of Organic Chemistry paper documented fully deuterated 1-epi-cubenol released by Streptomyces griseus grown on deuterated medium, supporting epi-cubenol as a defined microbial natural product and biosynthetic endpoint.
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.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No constituent-specific RIFM review, IFRA use limit, or human repeat-insult dataset was verified for isolated epi-cubenol 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.
The main biological findings here are in-vitro antibacterial-resistance models and should not be translated into medical, anti-infective, or topical-treatment claims for consumers.
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.
Public chemistry sources consistently favored CAS 19912-67-5 for epi-cubenol, which differs from one local oil-file CAS entry and suggests an archive-level identity mismatch worth future review.
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
norA efflux pump inhibition
The clearest functional mechanism located in this pass is inhibition of ethidium-bromide efflux in a Staphylococcus aureus strain overexpressing the NorA multidrug efflux pump.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
antibiotic potentiation via efflux modulation
The same Frontiers in Microbiology study reported synergistic effects between epi-cubenol and tested antibiotics, consistent with efflux-pump modulation rather than direct standalone clinical efficacy.
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 evidence for isolated epi-cubenol was verified in this pass.
- The strongest accessible biological evidence is limited to in-vitro resistance-modulation work rather than direct therapeutic testing.
- A local oil-file CAS entry conflicts with the stronger external database consensus and should be reviewed separately if archive normalization is planned.
- dermal_limit_pct corrected from an unsourced 20 to null, and sensitizing corrected from an unsourced true to null (2026-07-13): no RIFM assessment, IFRA Standard, or dermal-limit/NESIL data specific to epi-cubenol (CAS 19912-67-5) was located in two search passes.
- 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.