trans-Cadina-1,4-diene is a lesser-studied sesquiterpene hydrocarbon that appears in manuka and a range of other woody or leaf essential-oil profiles. The current live evidence base is much stronger for identity and occurrence than for isolated pharmacology or human safety. Publicly accessible sources confirm the structure and naming and show repeated GC-MS occurrence in manuka, Melaleuca, Laurus, and related oils, but the biological literature located in this pass is largely mixture-level. For AromaForge, it is best framed as a chemistry and compositional marker with explicit evidence gaps.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem resolves trans-Cadina-1,4-diene to CID 91746579 with formula C15H24, IUPAC name (1S,4R)-1,6-dimethyl-4-propan-2-yl-1,2,3,4,4a,7-hexahydronaphthalene, and InChIKey JUQGWBAOQUBVFP-IKCIUXDWSA-N. NIST indexes the same material under the alternate names trans-Cadina-1(2),4-diene and E-Cadina-1,4-diene. In the local archive, manuka oil explicitly lists trans-Cadina-1,4-diene at 5.66%.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded woody, dry, resinous, herbal, resin, herbaceous 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 current public manuka GC-MS sheet reports trans-Cadina-1,4-diene at 5.66%, supporting its role as a notable secondary sesquiterpene in at least some Leptospermum scoparium profiles.
A current public manuka GC-MS sheet reports trans-Cadina-1,4-diene at 5.66%, supporting its role as a notable secondary sesquiterpene in at least some Leptospermum scoparium profiles.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2023 open-access Melaleuca composition study reported trans-Cadina-1,4-diene repeatedly at about 0.14-0.29% across several tea-tree-type oils, supporting recurrent occurrence but not isolated pharmacology.
A 2023 open-access Melaleuca composition study reported trans-Cadina-1,4-diene repeatedly at about 0.14-0.29% across several tea-tree-type oils, supporting recurrent occurrence but not isolated pharmacology.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
A 2024 Laurus nobilis review paper included trans-Cadina-1,4-diene among the quantified volatile constituents across tested laurel materials, again reinforcing occurrence rather than standalone efficacy.
A 2024 Laurus nobilis review paper included trans-Cadina-1,4-diene among the quantified volatile constituents across tested laurel materials, again reinforcing occurrence rather than standalone efficacy.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this 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.
Screening assumption (family fallback). It is not a verified constituent-specific exposure limit.
model fallback · Essential Oil Safety and Dermal Limits — sesquiterpenes generally do not have safety concerns; beta-caryophyllene RIFM fragrance material safety dataNo constituent-specific IFRA monograph, human tolerability study, or dedicated public dermal-limit source was verified for isolated trans-Cadina-1,4-diene 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.
Because the accessible biological evidence is mixture-level and sparse, archive copy should avoid implying direct antimicrobial, antioxidant, or therapeutic effects for the isolated constituent.
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.
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 (6)
- No isolated trans-Cadina-1,4-diene pharmacology study was verified in this pass.
- No human clinical, dermal-safety, inhalation-safety, reproductive, or chronic-toxicity study specific to this constituent was verified.
- Most accessible literature treats trans-Cadina-1,4-diene as a GC-MS occurrence marker inside whole-oil studies rather than as a tested standalone active.
- Second pass (2026-07-13, three searches): no IFRA Standard, RIFM assessment, or exact-CAS Good Scents entry for trans-Cadina-1,4-diene (CAS 38758-02-0) was located; only sibling cadinane-diene isomers (20085-11-4, 16729-00-3, 931410-54-7) turned up, none matching this exact CAS, so their listings ('not for fragrance use', no GHS classification) are not applied here as isomer-specific data. The prior dermal_limit_pct 25 and sensitizing:true had no citation in this record's sources[] and are corrected to null pending real data for this exact CAS.
- 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.