Cinnamal (Cinnamaldehyde)
The cinnamon note — one of the stronger fragrance allergens, and the one most likely to link a cosmetic reaction to a food (cinnamon) sensitivity
INCICinnamal
- Category
- Fragrance
- Risk level
- medium
- Why it's flagged
- EU-labelled fragrance allergen; a comparatively strong sensitiser and also a skin irritant
- What it is
- The aldehyde behind cinnamon's scent; from cinnamon bark oil or synthesised
- Relative risk
- Among the stronger fragrance sensitisers — and an irritant as well as an allergen
- Cross-reactors
- Cinnamyl (cinnamic) alcohol, cinnamon oil, and balsam of Peru; relevant to dietary cinnamon sensitivity
- EU labelling
- Must be named above 0.001% (leave-on) / 0.01% (rinse-off); on the expanded 2023 allergen list
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This ingredient may appear under any of these names:
Commonly found in
Possible reactions
- Red, itchy rash at the contact site
- Swelling of lips or skin
- Burning or stinging sensation
- Cheilitis (inflamed lips) from lip and oral products
- Oral/perioral reactions from cinnamon-flavoured products
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What is cinnamal?
Cinnamal — better known as cinnamaldehyde — is the organic compound behind cinnamon's warm, spicy aroma. It occurs naturally in cinnamon bark oil and is also made synthetically, and it shows up in warm/spicy perfumes, flavoured lip products, toothpaste, mouthwash, and cinnamon-scented home products. Perfumers use it in small amounts to add warmth to floral and oriental compositions.
The same reactive chemistry that makes it smell good makes it a problem: cinnamal is both a skin irritant and one of the stronger fragrance sensitisers, and it's a member of Fragrance Mix I, the standard patch-test screen.
Why it causes reactions
Cinnamal is an aldehyde — a chemical class that reacts readily with skin proteins. On contact it can bind epidermal proteins to form antigens the immune system recognises, triggering allergic contact dermatitis in sensitised people; it can also simply irritate at higher concentrations. The reaction is dose-dependent.
Two features make it especially worth knowing:
- Lip and oral relevance. Cinnamon-flavoured lip balms, plumpers, toothpaste, mouthwash, and gum are frequent causes of cheilitis and perioral/oral reactions, because the tissue is thin and the contact is repeated.
- Food cross-relevance. Because it's the same molecule in spice and cosmetics, dietary cinnamon sensitivity and cosmetic cinnamal allergy can overlap. It also cross-reacts with cinnamyl alcohol, cinnamon oil, and balsam of Peru.
Cinnamal is one of the clearest places where a cosmetic reaction and a food sensitivity meet. If cinnamon gum or toothpaste burns your mouth and a spicy perfume bothers your skin, that's a coherent pattern — and a reason to treat cinnamon broadly, not just one product.
How to spot and avoid it
- Read labels for Cinnamal, Cinnamaldehyde, Cinnamic Aldehyde, and Cinnamon/Cassia Oil.
- Swap flavoured lip/oral products for mint or unflavoured versions.
- Avoid warm "spicy" fragrances if sensitised.
- Patch test new lip and perioral products if you get recurrent cheilitis.
Safer alternatives
- Fragrance-free or non-spicy scents (verify no cinnamon oil).
- Mint/unflavoured toothpaste and lip care.
- For warmth without cinnamal: vanilla or sandalwood-based fragrances, confirmed cinnamon-free.
The bottom line
Cinnamal is the cinnamon note that's both irritant and stronger allergen, with a special talent for sore lips and a genuine bridge to dietary cinnamon sensitivity. Treat natural cinnamon oil as the same allergen, and if you react, manage cinnamon as a family — cinnamyl alcohol and balsam of Peru included.
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References & further reading
- Cinnamal / cinnamic aldehyde contact allergy — overview DermNet
- Cinnamal contact allergy — review PubMed / Contact Dermatitis
- CosIng / Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 (labelled fragrance allergens) EUR-Lex