# Geraniol

> Geraniol is a rosy, floral monoterpene alcohol made from geranyl pyrophosphate, found in rose and geranium oils and as a minor terpene in cannabis.

- Canonical: https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/geraniol.html
- Also written: geranyl alcohol, trans-geraniol, lemonol
- Glossary category: Cannabinoids and terpenes · Evidence: Established
- Status: Draft: awaiting expert review · Updated: 2026-10-31
- Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/), attribute "GenetixBay cannabis glossary"

Geraniol is an acyclic [monoterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/monoterpene.md) alcohol, the main scent of rose and palmarosa oils and a component of geranium and citronella. Its smell is rosy, sweet and floral with a citrus edge. It forms when the [phosphate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/phosphate.md) group is removed from [geranyl pyrophosphate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/geranyl-pyrophosphate.md), the same C10 precursor that feeds both monoterpenes and [cannabinoids](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/cannabinoid.md).

## In practice

In cannabis it is generally minor, [not detected](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/non-detect.md) to roughly 0.1% w/w. It often appears together with [linalool](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/linalool.md) in floral-leaning profiles. Labs sometimes report geranyl acetate, its ester, separately. Geraniol is moderately volatile and can oxidise to citral-type aldehydes during storage.

## Don't confuse with

- **Geranyl pyrophosphate**: the phosphorylated precursor, not an aroma compound.
- **Geranial**: an aldehyde (part of citral), lemon-scented.
- **Nerol**: the cis isomer of geraniol, with a sweeter rose note.

## Related terms

[Geranyl pyrophosphate](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/geranyl-pyrophosphate.md), [Linalool](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/linalool.md), [Monoterpene](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/monoterpene.md), [Terpenoid](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpenoid.md), [Terpene profile](https://genetixbay.com/knowledge/glossary/terpene-profile.md)

## Sources

1. Booth JK, Bohlmann J. 2019. Terpenes in Cannabis sativa: from plant genome to humans. Plant Science 284:67-72.