Germacrone is a sesquiterpene ketone found in several aromatic medicinal plants and appears in the AromaForge archive as a minor constituent of myrrh. Compared with many archive constituents, it has a relatively substantive standalone preclinical literature: accessible studies report antiviral activity against influenza in cell systems and antitumor effects in hepatoma models, while mechanistic reviews repeatedly map those findings to JAK2/STAT3, apoptotic, ROS, and related signaling pathways. The evidence is still preclinical rather than clinical, so AromaForge should frame germacrone as a research-active constituent with stronger lab evidence than human-use evidence.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists germacrone as C15H22O and identifies the title compound with InChIKey CAULGCQHVOVVRN-SWZPTJTJSA-N. NIST records CAS 6902-91-6 and groups the naming set around germacrone, germacron, and the (E,E)-germacrone description. In the local archive it is presently a minor myrrh constituent at 0.94% in the referenced GC-MS lot.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded warm, spicy, woody, earthy 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 PubMed-indexed influenza study reported dose-dependent activity against H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses and influenza B virus, with decreases in viral protein expression, RNA synthesis, and infectious progeny in MDCK and A549 cells.
The search snippet also states the time-of-addition experiment placed the effect at attachment or entry and early replication stages.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A HepG2 apoptosis paper reported that germacrone decreased phosphorylated JAK2 and STAT3 and regulated p53 and Bcl-2 family expression while inducing apoptosis.
This supports a narrower, source-grounded mechanistic link to JAK2/STAT3-associated pro-apoptotic signaling in liver cancer cells.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2022 open-access HepG2 study reported that germacrone increased ROS, activated caspase-3 and GSDME cleavage, and reduced xenograft tumor growth in mice treated intragastrically for 21 days.
The accessible full text ties the cell-death phenotype to ROS-dependent, caspase-3-mediated GSDME cleavage and includes the in vivo xenograft experiment.
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.
This research pass did not verify a constituent-specific human safety monograph, IFRA limit, or dedicated dermal-sensitization review for isolated germacrone.
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 usable evidence base is much stronger for preclinical activity than for standardized consumer-safety guidance, so archive copy should avoid implying established therapeutic or topical-safety outcomes.
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
early-stage influenza inhibition
A PubMed-indexed antiviral study reported inhibitory effects at viral attachment or entry and early replication stages, with reduced viral protein expression, RNA synthesis, and infectious progeny formation.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
JAK2/STAT3-associated apoptosis signaling
A hepatoma study reported decreased phosphorylated JAK2 and STAT3 with associated p53 and Bcl-2 family regulation during germacrone-induced apoptosis in HepG2 cells.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
ROS-linked caspase-3 and GSDME activation
A later HepG2 study linked germacrone exposure to increased reactive oxygen species, caspase-3 activation, GSDME cleavage, and pyroptosis-like cell death, with rescue by N-acetylcysteine.
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 (7)
- No verified human clinical trial for isolated germacrone was identified in this pass.
- Consumer-safety documentation for isolated germacrone appears much thinner than its preclinical pharmacology literature.
- Most mechanism data come from cancer-cell and antiviral model systems and should not be generalized into medical claims.
- 2026-07-13 verification pass: web search for IFRA/RIFM dermal limit and sensitization data found no authoritative constituent-specific results for germacrone; prior dermal_limit_pct (2) was an unsourced placeholder and has been corrected to null.
- 2026-07-13 second-pass retry: direct CAS-number search (6902-91-6) against IFRA/RIFM/ECHA found nothing constituent-specific; retrieved the TGSC safety data page directly (thegoodscentscompany.com/data/rw1419191.html), which confirms Oral/Dermal/Inhalation Toxicity 'Not determined' and usage recommendation 'not for fragrance use' / 'not for flavor use'. Supplier listings mention antitumor/antibacterial/antifungal research use, but these are not human dermal-safety data. 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.