Bisabolol

Bisabolol, or more formally α-(-)-bisabolol or also as levomenol, is a natural monocyclic sesquiterpene alcohol. It is a colourless viscous oil that is the primary constituent of the essential oil from German chamomile (Matricaria recutita). It is almost insoluble in water and glycerin, but well soluble in ethanol. The enantiomer, α-(+)-bisabolol, is also found naturally but is rare. Synthetic bisabolol is usually a racemic mixture of the two, α-(±)-bisabolol.

Bisabolol has a weak sweet floral aroma and is used in various fragrances. It has also been used for hundreds of years in cosmetics because of its perceived skin healing properties. Bisabolol is known to have anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties.

A structurally related compound known as β-bisabolol (CAS# [15352-77-9]) differs only in the position of the tertiary alcohol functional group.

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