trans-Pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate is a minor but useful marker constituent of true anise oil, where it helps distinguish Pimpinella anisum from related anethole-rich materials. The strongest public evidence supports identity, anise occurrence, and authentication value rather than broad safety or clinical claims. A newer animal aroma study suggests constituent-level appetite-related activity after inhalation, but that evidence is early and should stay framed as preclinical sensory pharmacology, not a medical benefit.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem records the trans isomer as CID 14056365 with formula C15H20O3. In the archive's anise profile, this constituent is treated as a minor phenylpropanoid-side-chain ester alongside trans-anethole, estragole, and anisaldehyde. Recent authentication literature describes trans-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate as a highly specific chemotaxonomic marker for anise.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded sweet, spicy, anise-like, warm descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- 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 2026 Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin study reported that pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate produced appetite-enhancing effects in mice over a broader dose range than trans-anethole in the same screening framework.
A 2026 Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin study reported that pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate produced appetite-enhancing effects in mice over a broader dose range than trans-anethole in the same screening framework.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
A 2024 authentication study on fennel, star anise, and anise oils used pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate as one of the distinguishing GC/MS markers for true anise within a broader adulteration-detection workflow.
A 2024 authentication study on fennel, star anise, and anise oils used pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate as one of the distinguishing GC/MS markers for true anise within a broader adulteration-detection workflow.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2024 analytical study of eighteenth-century pharmaceutical preparations reported trans-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate as a highly specific chemotaxonomic marker of anise and provided new MS/MS reference data for it.
A 2024 analytical study of eighteenth-century pharmaceutical preparations reported trans-pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate as a highly specific chemotaxonomic marker of anise and provided new MS/MS reference data for it.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
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.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
unverified reference · No source provenance attachedAn EDQM safety data sheet classifies pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate as STOT SE 3 with H335, indicating possible respiratory irritation from laboratory-grade material handling.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
No authoritative constituent-specific human dermal limit, inhalation limit, or clinical tolerance study was located in this pass.
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
sensory_appetite_modulation_after_inhalation
A recent mouse inhalation study suggests the compound can alter appetite-related behavioral output as an aroma constituent, but the receptor-level mechanism was not established in the accessible source.
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 (5)
- Human pharmacokinetic, dermal-use, and inhalation-tolerance data for isolated pseudoisoeugenyl 2-methylbutyrate were not located.
- The best accessible bioactivity signal is a recent mouse inhalation study; constituent-specific mechanism and replication remain limited.
- Odor descriptors are inferred from its role inside anise aroma profiles and phenylpropanoid ester character rather than from a strong primary odor monograph for the isolated compound.
- The numeric dermal reference lacks source provenance; a verified flag alone is insufficient.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.