Himachalol is a cedarwood-associated sesquiterpene alcohol found in Atlas and Himalayan cedar oils. Compared with many obscure terpenes, it has a usable evidence trail: chemistry databases support the identity cleanly, older work isolated it as an insecticidal principle of cedarwood oil, and later preclinical papers explored antifungal and antiproliferative activity. The literature is still preclinical and does not justify human therapeutic claims, so AromaForge should position himachalol primarily as a woody cedar constituent with early laboratory bioactivity context.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem lists himachalol as CID 121536 with formula C15H26O and resolves the CAS number 1891-45-8. In local archive data it appears in Atlas cedarwood at a reported 1.7-3.7%. The published literature also ties himachalol to Cedrus deodara and Cedrus libani wood-derived extracts, showing that the constituent belongs to the cedarwood sesquiterpene family rather than being a broad cross-plant marker.
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.
A 2020 preclinical study found that himachalol inhibited B16-F10 murine melanoma cell proliferation, increased apoptotic markers, and reduced papilloma volume in a chemically induced mouse skin-carcinogenesis model without reported liver or kidney toxicity in that experiment.
The abstract reports IC50 values of 8.8 and 7.3 microg/mL at 24 and 48 hours, sub-G1 accumulation, Annexin V positivity, lower phospho-Erk/phospho-Akt, and significant reduction in papilloma volume after topical, intraperitoneal, or gavage treatment.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 1997 murine invasive aspergillosis study reported low in vitro MIC values against Aspergillus fumigatus and 60% protection in mice treated orally with himachalol, increasing to 80% survival when combined with an azole comparator regimen.
The abstract reports geometric mean MIC values below or around 0.39 microg/mL in selected assay systems and notes reduced kidney fungal burden alongside improved mouse survival.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 1988 cedarwood-oil bioassay paper isolated himachalol and beta-himachalene as insecticidal principles from Himalayan cedarwood oil, with purified sesquiterpenes producing 97.5% mortality at 0.56 micromol per insect against pulse beetle.
The paper states that the himachalol-containing fraction accounted for about 3% of essential-oil weight after purification and showed strong knockdown and mortality activity in the test system.
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 reviewed himachalol evidence is preclinical. Even where one animal study reported no adverse liver or kidney findings in its own protocol, that does not establish broad human safety for topical, inhaled, or internal use.
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 constituent-specific IFRA restriction, dermal maximum, or modern human tolerability study for isolated himachalol 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.
Archive copy should avoid implying proven antifungal, anticancer, or pesticidal efficacy for human use from these early-stage studies.
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
apoptosis and cell cycle disruption in melanoma models
A 2020 Journal of Ethnopharmacology abstract reports that himachalol increased sub-G1 accumulation, increased Annexin V-positive apoptosis, lowered Bcl-2, raised Bax, and reduced phosphorylated Erk and Akt in B16-F10 melanoma cells.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
direct insecticidal activity in cedarwood fractions
The 1988 cedarwood-oil paper identified purified himachalol as one of the fractions responsible for insecticidal activity against pulse beetle and housefly test systems.
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)
- This pass did not verify a modern human clinical literature base for isolated himachalol.
- No public source reviewed here established a constituent-specific dermal limit or inhalation safety threshold for himachalol.
- Some newer himachalol discussion appears in synthesis and derivative papers, but the underlying bioactivity evidence still centers on preclinical models.
- A 2026-07-13 targeted search for IFRA/RIFM/Tisserand dermal-limit, sensitization, and phototoxicity data specific to himachalol (CAS 1891-45-8) returned no authoritative constituent-specific results; the previously listed dermal_limit_pct of 20 and sensitizing:true were unsourced placeholders and have been cleared to null pending a verified source.
- Second-pass 2026-07-13 retry tried a different angle: a direct CAS-number search (1891-45-8) against IFRA/RIFM/ECHA turned up only supplier/identity listings (Good Scents, ChemicalBook, GuideChem, PubChem), and a Tisserand & Young Essential Oil Safety 2nd ed. search found only whole-oil guidance ('no special precautions' listed for Atlas Cedarwood Oil) rather than a himachalol-specific constituent monograph or dermal limit. No authoritative constituent-specific value was found; dermal_limit_pct/sensitizing remain null.
- 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.