CAS 2216-51-5 · HS 2906.11

Menthol

Menthol is a cyclic monoterpene alcohol best known for the cooling sensation it triggers on contact with mucous membranes and skin, alongside its characteristic peppermint aroma.

The commercially relevant form is L-menthol (also written (-)-menthol), formula C₁₀H₂₀O (molar mass 156.27 g/mol), which appears as colourless prismatic or needle-shaped crystals with a strong minty odour. It is the only one of the eight possible menthol stereoisomers that delivers the full cooling effect through activation of the TRPM8 cold receptor.

We source bulk Menthol from top China manufacturers for our partners, working with several of them. The manufacturers are mostly in Anhui. For this ingredient the minimum order is 500 kg and a 20-foot container takes 9 MT, and a smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.

Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.

or call +86-21-6858 0751

Minimum order: 500 kg
Qty in 20' FCL: 9 MT
Packaging: 25 kg galvanised drum, nitrogen blanketed

ISO 9001
HACCP
Halal
Kosher

Specifications

Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade

Item	Specification
Appearance	White crystalline powder or colorless crystals
Odor	Characteristic strong minty-cool aroma
Assay (C₁₀H₂₀O)	≥ 99.0%
Melting Point	42.0–44.0°C
Optical Rotation [α]₂₀	-49° to -50° (L-menthol) / 0° (DL-menthol)
Refractive Index (40°C)	1.458–1.461
Solubility	Very slightly soluble in water; freely soluble in ethanol, ether, oils
Non-volatile Matter	≤ 0.05%
Heavy Metals (as Pb)	≤ 10 mg/kg
Lead (as Pb)	≤ 2 mg/kg
Arsenic (as As)	≤ 2 mg/kg
Purity (Food Grade)	>= 99.0%
Moisture/Loss on Drying	<= 0.5%
pH	6.0 - 8.0
Total Plate Count	<= 1000 cfu/g
Yeast & Mold	<= 100 cfu/g

Common Markets Grades

Menthol grades divide by source, isomer purity and physical form.

Natural menthol is recovered from peppermint and cornmint essential oil and is graded at minimum 99.0 percent L-menthol content with optical rotation between -49 and -51 degrees. Synthetic menthol is produced as either racemic DL-menthol or as enantiopure L-menthol using asymmetric catalysis, with the L-form preferred for flavour and pharmaceutical use.

Pharmaceutical grade L-menthol meeting USP, EP, BP, and JP monographs comes as large translucent crystals or as a fine crystalline powder. Food grade material at FCC specifications is the standard material for confectionery and beverage applications.

Particle size grades range from large prismatic crystals (5 to 15 millimeter) preferred for slow-dissolution and visual display through to fine powders for direct compression in tablets and lozenges. Specialty grades include free-flowing prilled menthol for dust-free dispensing and stabilised cocrystal forms for improved handling at warm temperatures.

Applications

Confectionery: peppermint candies, mints, mint-flavoured hard candy, and gum
Chewing gum across stick, pellet, and bubble formats for cooling impact and aroma
Oral care: toothpaste, mouthwash, breath sprays, and dental floss
Beverages: peppermint tea, mint-flavoured protein drinks, and mojito mixers
Pharmaceutical lozenges, cough drops, and throat sprays for soothing and cooling
Topical analgesics: rubefacient creams, gels, sports balms, and patch products
Antipruritic and after-bite products for itch relief
Decongestant inhalers, vapor rubs, and chest balms
Cigarette and cigar flavouring where permitted by national law
Personal care: shampoos, shower gels, shaving products, and aftershaves
Aromatherapy oils and massage preparations for cooling sensation
Industrial flavours for ice cream, frozen desserts, and chocolate-mint applications

Brands Using Menthol

Widely-distributed consumer products that list Menthol on the ingredient label.

Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.

China Manufacturers of Menthol

Top Menthol manufacturers in China.

Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.

How We Help Source Menthol

Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Menthol out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Menthol together with other ingredients such as Capsicum Oleoresin, Ethyl Maltol and White Pepper into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.

Regulatory Status

Menthol is approved for use across food, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic applications in essentially all regulated markets.

In the European Union it is listed in the Union flavouring list under FL number 02.015 and is permitted in food at quantum satis subject to good manufacturing practice. Pharmacopoeial monographs in the European Pharmacopoeia govern pharmaceutical use.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognises menthol as Generally Recognized as Safe under 21 CFR 182.20 for flavour use. FEMA assigns it GRAS number 2665. The agency also regulates menthol as an active pharmaceutical ingredient in over-the-counter monograph products including topical analgesics, antitussives, and oral health care preparations.

JECFA has evaluated menthol and placed it among flavouring substances of no safety concern at current intake levels.

Pharmacopoeial monographs for L-menthol appear in the USP, Ph. Eur., BP, and JP. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a 2022 rule restricting menthol as a characterising flavour in cigarettes and cigars, with implementation timelines that have shifted multiple times.

Manufacturing Process

Menthol Manufacturing Process

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Global menthol supply comes from three industrial routes.

The natural route distills essential oil from Mentha arvensis (cornmint) cultivated principally in India, with smaller production in China and Brazil. The oil is chilled to crystallise menthol from the dementholized oil fraction, and the crystals are then recrystallised to pharmaceutical purity. India is the dominant supplier of natural menthol, accounting for the majority of global natural-source volume.

The Symrise (formerly Haarmann and Reimer) synthetic route runs through m-cresol hydrogenation to thymol followed by hydrogenation to a racemic menthol mixture, which is then resolved by selective crystallisation of the L-isomer benzoate ester.

The Takasago asymmetric synthesis, commercialized in 1984 and built on Noyori's BINAP rhodium catalysis (work recognised by the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry), starts from myrcene. The myrcene is converted via geranyl diethylamine, asymmetrically isomerised to (R)-citronellal, cyclized to isopulegol, and hydrogenated to L-menthol with isomer purity exceeding 99 percent. This route is the largest single source of synthetic L-menthol worldwide.