gamma-Selinene is a sesquiterpene hydrocarbon found in root, rhizome, bud, and hop-related aromatic materials, including lovage root in the AromaForge archive. The strongest evidence supports identity, occurrence, and biosynthesis. Public studies also provide cautious mixture-level antimicrobial context and a few biochemical papers showing gamma-selinene synthase activity in plant metabolism. Human clinical and constituent-specific safety evidence remain thin, so this record should stay chemistry-first and avoid therapeutic overreach.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem resolves gamma-selinene under the synonym Selina-4(15),7(11)-diene and related stereochemical entries, all with formula C15H24. In the local archive it is documented at 1.58% in lovage root oil. The public literature also reports notable occurrence in Alpinia pahangensis rhizome oil and Populus nigra bud volatiles.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, dry, spicy, green 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.
lovage root occurrence
A directly readable archive source lists gamma-selinene at 1.58% in lovage root oil.
Measured: constituent occurrence
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
alpinia pahangensis rhizome oil
A 2011 Chem Biodiversity paper reported gamma-selinene at 11.60% in Alpinia pahangensis rhizome oil, while the whole rhizome oil inhibited several Staphylococcus aureus strains and selected fungi.
Measured: major constituent occurrence plus whole-oil antimicrobial activity
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
gamma selinene synthase
A 2025 Sci China Life Sciences paper reported that gamma-selinene synthase catalyzes the first step of dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpene alkaloid biosynthesis in Tripterygium.
Measured: enzyme function in sesquiterpene alkaloid pathway
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
helichrysum antimicrobial mixture model
A 2024 Antibiotics paper reported gamma-selinene among the compounds identified by chemometric analysis as contributors to Helichrysum italicum oil antimicrobial activity, alongside multiple other constituents.
Measured: antimicrobial activity attribution within a complex oil
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.
No authoritative standalone toxicology review, IFRA restriction, or human tolerability study for isolated gamma-selinene was 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.
Because accessible activity evidence is mixture-level or biochemical, copy should avoid direct antimicrobial, metabolic, or broader therapeutic claims for isolated gamma-selinene.
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
gamma selinene synthase formation
A recent plant-biosynthesis study reported a dedicated gamma-selinene synthase that catalyzes an early step in dihydroagarofuran sesquiterpene alkaloid biosynthesis in Tripterygium.
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.
mixture level atp ase binding prediction
In a 2024 Helichrysum italicum study, gamma-selinene was among several compounds implicated by chemometric analysis and ATP-ase-oriented docking as contributors to whole-oil antimicrobial activity.
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 (7)
- No human clinical studies for isolated gamma-selinene were located in this pass.
- Most accessible biological findings concern whole oils or plant biosynthesis rather than purified gamma-selinene dose-response work.
- Constituent-specific dermal, inhalation, and chronic safety literature remains sparse in public sources.
- 2026-07-13 verification pass: web search for IFRA/RIFM dermal limit and sensitization data found no authoritative constituent-specific results; prior dermal_limit_pct (25) and sensitizing (true) were unsourced placeholders and have been corrected to null.
- 2026-07-13 second-pass retry: direct CAS-number search (515-17-3) against IFRA/RIFM/ECHA found nothing constituent-specific; retrieved the TGSC safety data page directly (thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1104381.html), which confirms Oral/Dermal/Inhalation Toxicity 'Not determined' and usage recommendation 'not for fragrance use' / 'not for flavor use'. This corroborates the absence of a published dermal limit rather than establishing one; dermal_limit_pct, sensitizing, phototoxic, and penetration_enhancer remain unverified.
- 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.