Farnesol is a natural organic compound which is an acyclic sesquiterpene alcohol found as a colorless liquid. It is insoluble in water, but miscible with oils. Farnesol is the alcohol derivative of Farnesol Pyrophosphate (FPP). It is the building block of most (possibly all) acyclic sesquiterpenoids and is an important starting compound for organic synthesis.

It is present in many essential oils such as citronella, neroli, cyclamen, lemon grass, tuberose, rose, musk, balsam and tolu. It is used in perfumery to emphasize the odors of sweet floral perfumes. Its method of action for enhancing perfume scent is as a co-solvent that regulates the volatility of the odorants. It is especially used in lilac perfumes.

Farnesol is a natural pesticide for mites and is a pheromone for several other insects.

In a 1994 report released by five top cigarette companies, farnesol was listed as one of 599 additives to cigarettes. http://quitsmoking.about.com/cs/nicotineinhaler/a/cigingredients.htm It is a flavoring ingredient.

In 2007, farnesol was shown to bind the Pseudomonas aeruginosa transcriptional regulator PqsR and alter the properties of its binding to the promoter region of the pqsABCDE cluster.

Health & Safety information

Farnesol should be avoided by people with perfume allergy^[1].

References

1. ↑ Survey and health assessment of chemical substances in massage oils

See also

• Farnesene
• Nerolidol

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