Menthol	Last updated: 19/02/2026
(Also known as: l-menthol; (-)-menthol; levomenthol)

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Hazard alerts

The following Pesticide Hazard Tricolour (PHT) alerts are based on the data in the tables below. An absence of an alert does not imply the substance has no implications for human health, biodiversity or the environment but just that we do not have the data to form a judgement. The alerts for Highly Hazardous Pesticides (HHPs) are based on applying the FAO/WHO (Type 1) and the PAN (Type II) criteria to PPDB data. Further details on the HHP indicators are given in the tables below. Neither the PHT nor the HHP hazard alerts take account of usage patterns or exposure, thus they do not represent risk.

PHT: Environmental fate	PHT: Ecotoxicity	PHT: Human health	Highly Hazardous Pesticide
	Ecotoxicity Moderate alert: Fish acute ecotoxicity: Moderate; Daphnia acute ecotoxicity: Moderate Warning: Significant data are missing	Human health Moderate alert: Mammals acute toxicity: Moderate Warning: Significant data are missing

GENERAL INFORMATION

Description	A naturally occuring substance in various mint plant species and which demonstrates insecticidal nd repellency activity
Example pests controlled	Mosquitoes; Spiders; Common houseflies; Mice; Mites; Grain store pests; Ants; Lice; Moths
Example applications	Public plants; Residential houses; Crop storage; Grain stores
Efficacy & activity	-
Appearance and life cycle	-
Taxonomic classification	-

GB regulatory status

GB COPR regulatory status	Not approved
Date COPR inclusion expires	Not applicable
GB LERAP status	No UK approval formuse as a pest managent agent

EC Regulation 1107/2009 (repealing 91/414)

EC Regulation 1107/2009 status	Not approved
Dossier rapporteur/co-rapporteur	Not applicable
Date EC 1107/2009 inclusion expires	Not applicable
EU Candidate for substitution (CfS)	Not applicable
Listed in EU database	No
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 in the following EU Member States	ATAustria BEBelgium BGBulgaria CYCyprus CZCzech Republic DEGermany DKDenmark EEEstonia ELGreece                   ESSpain FIFinland FRFrance HRCroatia HUHungary IEIreland ITItaly LTLithuania LULuxembourg                   LVLatvia MTMalta NLNetherlands PLPoland PTPortugal RORomania SESweden SISlovenia SKSlovakia
Approved for use (✓) under EC 1107/2009 by Mutual Recognition of Authorisation and/or national regulations in the following EEA countries	ISIceland NONorway

Additional information

Known to be also used in the following countries	-

Chemical structure

Isomerism	Menthol has three chiral centres (at carbons 1, 2, and 5 of the cyclohexane ring) meaning that, theoretically there are eight stereoisomers. The naturally occurring isomer is (1R,2S,5R)-menthol, also called L menthol or (-)-menthol). The others are neomenthol, isomenthol and neoisomenthol. All four exists as a pair of enantiomers.
Chemical formula	C₁₀H₂₀O
Canonical SMILES	C[C@@H]1CC[C@H]([C@@H](C1)O)C(C)C
Isomeric SMILES	-
International Chemical Identifier key (InChIKey)	NOOLISFMXDJSKH-KXUCPTDWSA-N
International Chemical Identifier (InChI)	InChI=1S/C10H20O/c1-7(2)9-5-4-8(3)6-10(9)11/h7-11H,4-6H2,1-3H3/t8-,9+,10-/m1/s1
2D structure diagram/image available?	Yes

Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre diagrams

Common Name	Relationship	Link
menthol	-

General status

Biopesticide type		Repellent; Insecticide; Other substance
Other bioactivity & uses		Plant component
Substance groups		Monoterpine alcohol
Minimum active substance purity		-
Known relevant impurities		-
Substance origin		Natural
Mode of action		Insect repellency is driven by TRP channel activation (sensory aversion), while insecticidal toxicity involves octopamine receptor agonism and nervous system hyperexcitation.
Substance source		Occurs naturally in essential oils from various mint species (e.g., peppermint or cornmint oil)
Uses		Crop and harvest protection
Target pests		Mosquitoes; Spiders; Common houseflies; Mice; Mites; Grain store pests; Ants; Lice; Moths
Target host		Public plants; Residential houses; Crop storage; Grain stores
Farming system suitability		-
CAS RN		2216-51-5
Alternative/old CAS RN		89-78-1
EC number		218-690-9
CIPAC number		-
US EPA chemical code		-
PubChem CID		16666
Molecular mass		156.27
PIN (Preferred Identification Name)		-
IUPAC name		5-methyl-2-(propan-2-yl)cyclohexan-1-ol (or p-menthan-3-ol)
CAS name		2-isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexan-1-ol
Global Governance status: Listed (✓) under		UK Poisons List Order 1972 Rotterdam Convention Montreal Protocol XNo The Poisons List Order 1972 XNo Rotterdam Convention XNo Montreal Protocol Stockholm Convention OSPAR EU Water Framework Directive XNo Stockholm Convention XNo OSPAR XNo EU Water Framework Directive
Relevant Environmental Water Quality Standards		-
Forever chemical		-
Highly Hazardous Pesticide (HHP)	Type I	-
	Type II	-
Other status information		FEMA=2665
Herbicide Resistance Class (HRAC MoA class)		Not applicable
Herbicide Resistance Class (WSSA MoA class)		Not applicable
Insecticide Resistance Class (IRAC MoA class)		Not applicable
Fungicide Resistance Class (FRAC MOA class)		Not applicable
Examples of recorded resistance		-
Physical state		A white or colourless waxy crystalline solid with a characteristic strong peppermint odour
Related substances & organisms		peppermint oil cornmint oil

Commercial

Property	Value
Availability status	Current
Introduction & key dates	-
Example manufacturers & suppliers of products using this active now or historically	BASF
Example products using this active	-
Formulation and application details	-
Commercial production	Commercially, menthol is produced through two main routes: natural extraction from mint plants and synthetic chemical synthesis. Natural production starts with cultivating cornmint. The aerial parts (leaves and stems) are harvested during the flowering stage, then steam distillation is used to yield a crude cornmint oil. This oil is cooled, causing pure menthol crystals to precipitate. This process yields high-quality natural L-menthol. Synthetic production has three major industrial routes include. (i) The Takasago process (Japan) starts from myrcene. Diethylamine is added to form an enamine which undergoes asymmetric isomerisation using a chiral catalyst to yield enantiomerically enriched (+)-citronellal. This is cyclised to isopulegol and hydrogenated to (-)-menthol. (ii) The Symrise process begins with m-cresol which is alkylated with propene to thymol, hydrogenated to a racemic menthol mixture. This is then separated into its isomers by distillation. (iii) The BASF process uses citral as feedstock and this is enantioselectively hydrogenated to (+)-citronellal using chiral rhodium catalysts, cyclised to isopulegol, and hydrogenated to high-purity (-)-menthol.
Impact on climate of production and use	-

ENVIRONMENTAL FATE

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Solubility - In water at 20 °C at pH 7 (mg l⁻¹)		435	Q4 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 4 = Verified data at 25 °C	Moderate
Solubility - In organic solvents at 20 °C (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Melting point (°C)		41	Q4 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 4 = Verified data	-
Boiling point (°C)		-	-	-
Degradation point (°C)		-	-	-
Flashpoint (°C)		-	-	-
Octanol-water partition coefficient at pH 7, 20 °C	P	1.58 X 1003	Calculated	-
	Log P	3.2	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	High
Fat solubility of residues	Solubility	-	-	-
	Data type	-	-	-
Density (g ml⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dissociation constant pKa) at 25 °C		-	-	-
		-
Vapour pressure at 20 °C (mPa)		8500	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source at 25 °C	Highly volatile. If applied directly to plants or soil, drift is a concern & mitigation is advisable
Henry's law constant at 25 °C (Pa m³ mol⁻¹)		2.6	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source	Moderately volatile
Volatilisation as max % of applied dose lost	From plant surface	-	-	-
	From soil surface	-	-	-
Maximum UV-vis absorption L mol⁻¹ cm⁻¹		-	-	-
Surface tension (mN m⁻¹)		-	-	-

Degradation

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
General biodegradability		Readily biodegradable
Soil degradation (days) (aerobic)	DT₅₀ (typical)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (lab at 20 °C)	-	-	-
	DT₉₀ (field)	-	-	-
	DT₅₀ modelling endpoint	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Dissipation rate RL₅₀ (days) on and in plant matrix	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous photolysis DT₅₀ (days) at pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Aqueous hydrolysis DT₅₀ (days) at 20 °C and pH 7	Value	-	-	-
	Note	-
Water-sediment DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Water phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Sediment phase only DT₅₀ (days)		-	-	-
Air degradation		As this parameter is not normally measured directly, a surrogate measure is used: ‘Photochemical oxidative DT₅₀’. Where data is available, this can be found in the Fate Indices section below.
Decay in stored produce DT₅₀		-

Soil adsorption and mobility

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Linear	Kd (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Koc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	Notes and range	-
Freundlich	Kf (mL g⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Kfoc (mL g⁻¹)	-
	1/n	-
	Notes and range	-
pH sensitivity		-

Known metabolites

None

ECOTOXICOLOGY

Terrestrial ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 940	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Acute LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Short term dietary LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Birds - Chronic 21d NOEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Acute 14 day LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ dw soil)		-	-	-
Earthworms - Chronic NOEC, reproduction (mg kg⁻¹ dw soil)		-	-	-
Soil micro-organisms		-	-	-
Collembola	Acute LC₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic NOEC (mg kg⁻¹)	-	-	-
Non-target plants	Vegetative vigour ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Seedling emergence ER₅₀ (g ha⁻¹)	-	-	-
Honeybees (Apis spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Unknown mode acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Chronic	-	-	-
	Notes	-
Bumblebees (Bombus spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
		-
Mason bees (Osmia spp.)	Contact acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Oral acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg bee⁻¹)	-	-	-
Other bee species (1)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Other bee species (2)	Acute LD₅₀ (worst case from 24, 48 and 72 hour values - μg insect⁻¹)	-	-	-
	Mode of exposure	-
Beneficial insects (Ladybirds)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Lacewings)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Parasitic wasps)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Predatory mites)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Ground beetles)		-	-	-
Beneficial insects (Butterflies)	Contact	-	-	-
	Notes	-
	Oral	-	-	-
	Notes	-

Aquatic ecotoxicology

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		18.9	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Pimephales promelas	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Fish - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Fish - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		15.6	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Danio rerio	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		71.0	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Daphnia magna	Moderate
Temperate Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Chronic 21 day NOEC (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Tropical Freshwater Aquatic invertebrates - Acute 48 hour EC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic crustaceans - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Acute 96 hour LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, static, water (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Sediment dwelling organisms - Chronic 28 day NOEC, sediment (mg kg⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic Plants (free-floating, fonds growth, fresh) - 7 day (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Aquatic plants (rooted, growth rate, fresh) - 14 day (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Algae - Acute (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹) (72 h ErC₅₀)		16.2	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Scenedesmus subspicatus	Low
Algae - Chronic (growth rate, fresh; mg l⁻¹) (NOEC)		5.0	F4 F = U.S. EPA ECOTOX database / U.S. EPA pesticide fate database / Miscellaneous WHO documents / FAO data, IPCS INCHEM data (US EPA Databases Related to Pesticide Risk Assessment ) 4 = Verified data Scenedesmus subspicatus	Low
Mesocosm study data	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
	NOEAEC mg l⁻¹	-	-	-
Marine bivalves		-	-	-

Regulatory Threshold Levels (RTLs) used to calculate Total Applied Toxicity (TAT)

Species group	RTL	Notes
Mammals	94	Worst case of acute and chronic mammals
Birds	No data	No data for acute and chronic birds
Soil organisms	No data	No data for acute and chronic earthworms
Terrestrial plants	No data	No data for non-target plants vegetative vigour and seedling emergence
Pollinators	No data	No data for contact and oral honeybees
Arthropods	No data	No data for parasitic wasps and predatory mites
Fish	0.189	Worst case of temperate acute and chronic fish
Aquatic invertebrates	0.71	Worst case of temperate acute and chronic aquatic invertebrates
Aquatic plants	0.5	Worst case of free-floating plants, rooted plants, acute and chronic algae

HUMAN HEALTH AND PROTECTION

General

Property		Value	Source; quality score; and other information	Interpretation
Threshold of Toxicological Concern (Cramer Class)		-	-	-
Mammals - Acute oral LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹)		> 940	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rat	Moderate
Mammals - Short Term Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mammals - Long Term (Chronic) Oral NOAEL (mg kg⁻¹ bw d⁻¹)		-	-	-
Mammals - Dermal LD₅₀ (mg kg⁻¹ body weight)		> 5000	Q3 Q = Miscellaneous data from online sources 3 = Unverified data of known source Rabbit	-
Mammals - Inhalation LC₅₀ (mg l⁻¹)		-	-	-
Other Mammal toxicity endpoints		-	-	-
ADI - Acceptable Daily Intake (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
ARfD - Acute Reference Dose (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AAOEL - Acute Acceptable Operator Exposure Level (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
AOEL - Acceptable Operator Exposure Level - Systemic (mg kg⁻¹ bw day⁻¹)		-	-	-
Dermal penetration studies (%)		-	-	-
Dangerous Substances Directive 76/464		-	-	-
Exposure Routes	Public	-
	Occupational	-
Mammalian dose elimination route and rate		-	-	-

Health issues

Specific human health issues (hazard-based)		Carcinogen Genotoxic Endocrine disruptor No data found A0 A = Chromosome aberration (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; B0 B = DNA damage/repair (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; C0 C = Gene mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; D0 D = Genome mutation (EFSA database) 0 = No data ; E0 E = Unspecified genotoxicity type (miscellaneous data source) 0 = No data No data found Reproduction / development effects Acetyl cholinesterase inhibitor Neurotoxicant No data found No data found No data found Respiratory tract irritant Skin irritant Skin sensitiser ✓Yes, known to cause a problem ✓Yes, known to cause a problem XNo, known not to cause a problem Eye irritant Phototoxicant   ✓Yes, known to cause a problem No data found
General human health issues		No information available

Handling issues

Property	Value and interpretation
General	No information available
CLP classification 2013	-
WHO Classification	-
UN Number	-
Waste disposal & packaging	-
Shelf-life, storage, stability and reactivity	-

TRANSLATIONS

Language	Name
English	menthol
French	-
German	-
Danish	-
Italian	-
Spanish	-
Greek	-
Polish	-
Swedish	-
Hungarian	-
Dutch	-
Norwegian	-

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Record last updated:	19/02/2026
Contact:	aeru@herts.ac.uk
Please cite as:	Lewis, K.A., Tzilivakis, J., Warner, D. and Green, A. (2016) An international database for pesticide risk assessments and management. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment: An International Journal, 22(4), 1050-1064. DOI: 10.1080/10807039.2015.1133242

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