What it is
The register’s chemical name for it: “Cinnamaldehyde; 2-Propenal, 3-phenyl-.”
- EU register name (INCI)
- CINNAMAL
- CAS number
- 104-55-2
- EC number
- 203-213-9
- Other names in the register
- Cinnamaldehyde; 2-Propenal, 3-phenyl-
What the register lists it for
These are the uses the European Commission’s CosIng register lists for Cinnamal in any cosmetic, hair roles first. They say why a maker might add it, not what it does in one formula, and they aren’t a safety rating.
- Perfuming
-
Used as a perfume or scent material. Essential oils and their scent compounds, such as linalool and limonene, carry this role.
Register definition: “Used for perfume and aromatic raw materials.”
- Denaturant
-
Makes alcohol taste too bad to drink. It is why labels say Alcohol Denat.
Register definition: “Rendering cosmetics unpalatable. Mostly added to cosmetics containing ethyl alcohol to make it unsuitable for ingestion.”
- Flavoring
-
Gives a product a taste. On a hair label it is a role the ingredient has elsewhere, such as in lip balm or toothpaste.
Register definition: “Imparting taste and/or flavour to a cosmetic product.”
Where it sits on each label
US labels list ingredients from most to least, except that those at 1% or less may follow in any order. A name near the top is a large part of the formula. A label doesn’t mark where the 1% point falls, so further down, the order says little about how much is in it.
- Rinse-out conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Rinse-out conditioners without it
- Deep conditioners 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Deep conditioners without it
- Hair oils 1 label First five names: 0 of 1 Hair oils without it
Every label, product by product (3)
- Jessicurl Too Shea! Extra Moisturizing Conditioner Rinse-out conditioner 22nd of 31 names
- Jessicurl Deep Conditioning Treatment Deep conditioner 21st of 30 names
- Bouclème Revive 5 Hair Oil Hair oil · listed as † Cinnamal 31st of 31 names
Each line runs from the first name on a label to the last; a dot is where this ingredient sits. Makers change formulas now and then; if the list on your bottle differs, go by your bottle.
Your next step
Other perfuming ingredients on these labels
- Linalool 63 labels
- Citronellol 24 labels
- Geraniol 24 labels
- Hexyl Cinnamal 21 labels
- Coumarin 15 labels
- Benzyl Salicylate 12 labels
- Linum Usitatissimum (Linseed) Seed Oil 11 labels
- Amyl Cinnamal 9 labels
Updated · The name, numbers and uses come from the European Commission’s CosIng entry (CC BY 4.0); we write the uses in US spelling and put the hair ones first. The labels are each maker’s own. The order rule is the FDA’s Cosmetics Labeling Guide. All our sources are on the Sources page.