Isovalencenol is a vetiver-associated sesquiterpene alcohol used mainly as an identity and composition marker in Chrysopogon zizanioides root oils. The public evidence base is much stronger for occurrence and chemotype context than for isolated-compound pharmacology. Accessible studies do connect isovalencenol-rich vetiver preparations with antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory style research, but those results are mostly whole-oil or extract-level and should not be translated into medical claims for the isolated constituent.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem resolves the name isovalencenol to an (E)-configured sesquiterpene alcohol record with formula C15H24O and InChIKey FXWSXJNUPFBCMQ-ACCUITESSA-N, while NIST and vendor databases also map the better-defined (E)-isomer under CAS-linked records. Because the archive separately tracks isovalencenol and isovalencenol_e, this broader entry keeps CAS unassigned and treats isovalencenol as a practical vetiver marker label whose public identity data often collapse into the (E)-isomer. In the archive, vetiver profiles place trans-isovalencenol around 6.61% in one 2025 Indian GC/MS report and roughly 5.6-6.9% in a south-Indian literature range.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, earthy, vetiver-like, dry 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 south-Indian vetiver composition paper reported an isovalencenol-containing peak group at 5.6-6.9% across four root-oil samples, supporting isovalencenol as a recurring composition marker rather than a rare trace constituent.
A south-Indian vetiver composition paper reported an isovalencenol-containing peak group at 5.6-6.9% across four root-oil samples, supporting isovalencenol as a recurring composition marker rather than a rare trace constituent.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A seasonal root study identified isovalencenol among the major dichloromethane-fraction sesquiterpenes and reported promising antimicrobial activity for some seasonal extracts, with MIC values ranging from 31.25 to 500 microg/mL.
A seasonal root study identified isovalencenol among the major dichloromethane-fraction sesquiterpenes and reported promising antimicrobial activity for some seasonal extracts, with MIC values ranging from 31.25 to 500 microg/mL.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A lead-tolerance paper reported (E)-isovalencenol as one of the predominant compounds in vetiver oil, with values of 10.3-15.6% under the tested cultivation conditions.
A lead-tolerance paper reported (E)-isovalencenol as one of the predominant compounds in vetiver oil, with values of 10.3-15.6% under the tested cultivation conditions.
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 authoritative constituent-specific IFRA-style dermal limit or human safety study was verified for isolated isovalencenol 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.
Most activity signals located in this pass belong to whole oils or seasonal extracts, so consumer-facing copy should avoid antimicrobial, analgesic, or anti-inflammatory claims for isolated isovalencenol.
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
composition marker for vetiver chemotypes
The clearest source-grounded role for isovalencenol in the reviewed literature is as a chemotype and quality marker within sesquiterpene-rich vetiver root oil.
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.
possible contributor to whole oil antimicrobial activity
Seasonal vetiver-root extract work identified isovalencenol among the major sesquiterpenes present in samples with measurable antimicrobial activity, but the study did not establish constituent-specific causality.
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 (5)
- Public identity sources blur the boundary between generic isovalencenol naming and the explicitly (E)-configured isomer, so stereochemical mapping remains imperfect.
- No human clinical studies specific to isolated isovalencenol were verified in this pass.
- The reviewed bioactivity literature did not isolate isovalencenol in a modern dose-response pharmacology program.
- 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.