Compounds · Esters · Phenylpropanoid pathway
Methyl salicylate
Also known as Dầu lộc đề · Wintergreen oil — an analysis may use any of these names
Medicated balm, sweetly medicinal, warm. The familiar smell of rubbing liniments and the family medicine cabinet.
- CAS
- 119-36-8
- Formula
- C8H8O3
- Molar mass
- 152.15
- Odour threshold
- 40 ppbin water
- Boiling point
- ≈ 222 °C at atmospheric pressure
For this compound the two axes sit close together. Volatility tells you whether it leaves a surface early or late; the threshold tells you how much of it the nose needs before it notices.
Must be declared on the label
This compound was added by Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 to the list of allergens that must be declared individually on cosmetic labels in the European Union. Name to use on the label: METHYL SALICYLATE.
The declaration threshold is 0.001% in leave-on products and 0.01% in rinse-off products. This is an EU requirement — see the regulations page for why it matters beyond the EU. This is not legal advice.
Where it comes from
Biosynthetic pathway: Phenylpropanoid pathway — plants build them around a six-carbon aromatic ring.
About the threshold figure
Moderate. The wintergreen note is recognised at once at medium concentrations.
Published thresholds differ by several orders of magnitude, because of differences in measuring method, sample purity and panel. The figure here is an order of magnitude for relative comparison, not a measurement. We give it only for compounds where the literature broadly agrees — 52 of the 106 compounds in the library. The rest are left blank rather than guessed.
Why it sits where it does
The ester of salicylic acid; its hydroxyl group forms an internal hydrogen bond, so it evaporates more easily than its mass would suggest.
Where else you meet it
Medicated balm, rubbing liniments, wintergreen leaves, and some chewing gums.