Epicedrol is a cedrane-type sesquiterpene alcohol found in wood oils such as hiba and sandalwood materials in the AromaForge archive. The strongest source-grounded evidence is for its chemical identity, stereochemistry, and repeated occurrence in sesquiterpene-rich wood profiles rather than for isolated human-use pharmacology. Current public literature also supports a biosynthetic role as the product of epi-cedrol synthase in Artemisia annua, but direct standalone safety and efficacy data remain sparse, so archive copy should keep claims conservative and non-medical.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem REST data identifies epicedrol as CID 6713078 with formula C15H26O and stereospecific IUPAC name (1S,2R,5S,7R,8S)-2,6,6,8-tetramethyltricyclo[5.3.1.01,5]undecan-8-ol. NIST lists the same formula and InChIKey and treats epicedrol as a distinct stereoisomer within the cedrol/isocedrol cluster. In the local archive it is a major hiba wood constituent and a minor secondary alcohol in one Mysore sandalwood GC/MS sheet.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, dry, cedar-like, balsamic 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.
occurrence in hiba wood
A directly readable hiba wood study reported epi-cedrol at 15.9% of the wood-chip essential oil, supporting epicedrol as one of the leading constituents of this chemotype.
Measured: relative abundance in steam-distilled wood oil
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
biosynthetic identity
The PubMed record for the 1999 cloning paper reports that the expressed gene product cyclized farnesyl diphosphate to a 96:4 mixture of epicedrol and cedrol, identifying epicedrol as the major enzymatic product.
Measured: major cyclization product from farnesyl diphosphate
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this 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.
The Good Scents Company lists epicedrol as a natural substance and extractive and notes 'not for fragrance use' and 'not for flavor use,' but the page does not provide a transparent constituent-specific dermal limit or toxicology 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 verified human clinical safety studies, phototoxicity reviews, or modern constituent-specific sensitization data were located in the reviewed public sources for isolated epicedrol.
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.
Whole-oil safety information for hiba or sandalwood should not be over-attributed to isolated epicedrol.
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
sesquiterpene cyclase product
The accessible enzyme literature describes epicedrol as the major cyclization product of farnesyl diphosphate by 8-epicedrol synthase, which is a biosynthetic mechanism rather than a therapeutic one.
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 epicedrol were located in the reviewed public sources.
- No direct constituent-specific antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or neurologic paper was verified for isolated epicedrol in this pass.
- Constituent-specific dermal-limit, sensitization, and phototoxicity data were not located in the reviewed public sources.
- 2026-07-13 verification pass: web searches for IFRA/RIFM dermal limit, sensitization, and phototoxicity data for epicedrol returned no authoritative constituent-specific results; prior dermal_limit_pct (20) and sensitizing (true) were unsourced placeholders and have been corrected to null pending real data.
- 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.