Compound Monograph
Bisabolol
alpha-Bisabolol (levomenol) is the anti-inflammatory, skin-soothing sesquiterpene alcohol of German chamomile and the Candeia tree — a cosmetic workhorse valued for being calming and notably non-sensitizing. Its therapeutic evidence is almost entirely preclinical, with no human trials of the isolate.
Sources · 8
Where Does It Come From?
Bisabolol is a naturally occurring sesquiterpene alcohol, found in German Chamomile, Yarrow, Candeia tree and 5 other sources. It is well tolerated orally (low toxicity).
Principal source German Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla Herb monograph → 
Source Cannabis Cannabis sativa Herb monograph → 
Source Yarrow Achillea millefolium Herb monograph → Concentration
Content by Source
Concentrations not reported. No percent-dry-weight or mg/g figures have been published for this compound in its source plants.
Bisabolol at a Glance
alpha-Bisabolol (levomenol) is the sesquiterpene alcohol behind German chamomile’s skin-soothing reputation, also obtained commercially from the Brazilian Candeia tree.
It is a cosmetic workhorse, valued less for potency than for an unusual combination: genuinely calming to irritated skin while being notably non-sensitising — which matters in a category where many actives are themselves irritants.
Its therapeutic evidence is almost entirely preclinical and topical.
What It's Used For
alpha-Bisabolol (levomenol) is the anti-inflammatory, skin-soothing sesquiterpene alcohol that gives German chamomile much of its calming reputation, and it is a cosmetic-industry workhorse — valued precisely because it is anti-irritant and, unusually for an essential-oil terpene, non-sensitizing 3Reference 3Safety assessment / final reportView study →.
The natural, active form is the (-)-α enantiomer; the cosmetic supply is drawn largely from the Candeia tree. Two honesty points frame the page: its therapeutic evidence is almost entirely preclinical, and the only direct human-tissue pharmacology is an ex-vivo study on isolated pregnant uterus 4Reference 4Anti-inflammatory and utero-relaxant effect on the pregnant human uterusView study → — there are no clinical trials of the isolate.
Support is an experimental score — weighted by study type (human > animal > in vitro) and volume. A beta, not a validated metric. This molecule has strong cosmetic-safety standing but no isolate efficacy trials, so scores stay low by design.
(-)-α-Bisabolol is antiphlogistic in classic edema models 1Reference 1Pharmacological investigations with compounds of chamomile II: antiphlogistic effects of (-)-α-bisabolol and bisabolol oxidesView study → and anti-nociceptive/anti-inflammatory in rodents 2Reference 2AnimalAnti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of (-)-α-bisabolol in rodentsView study →; mechanistically it downregulates NF-κB and MAPK signaling and induces Nrf2 antioxidant defenses in tissue-protection models 5Reference 5Attenuates NF-κB/MAPK signalling and ER-stress apoptosis via Nrf2View study →. Its cosmetic value rests on being calming and anti-irritant while non-sensitizing 3Reference 3Safety assessment / final reportView study →.
Gap: the therapeutic evidence is preclinical or formulation-level — there is no controlled trial of the isolate for a defined inflammatory skin disease; the human record is tolerability, not efficacy 3,
alpha-Bisabolol is the dominant antimicrobial component of chamomile oil (activity tracks its content), with notable antifungal activity 6Reference 6In-vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Matricaria chamomilla and othersView study → and repeatable in-vitro anti-Leishmania potency 5Reference 5Attenuates NF-κB/MAPK signalling and ER-stress apoptosis via Nrf2View study →.
Gap: in-vitro only, at moderate (not potent) concentrations, with no in-vivo efficacy or human infection data 5,
Oral (-)-α-bisabolol reduces acute gastric mucosal lesions in mice, with protection linked to lowered lipid peroxidation, modulated SOD activity and reduced neutrophil migration 7,
Gap: rodent-only, at pharmacological (not dietary) doses, with no human GI data 7,
alpha-Bisabolol induces apoptosis and cell-cycle arrest in non-small-cell lung cancer cell lines 9Reference 9Anticancer effects of α-Bisabolol in human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells are mediated via apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell migration and invasion and upregulation of P13K/AKT signalling pathwayView study →.
Gap: in-vitro only, often at high concentrations, with no in-vivo or clinical signal — not evidence of a cancer therapy 9Reference 9Anticancer effects of α-Bisabolol in human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells are mediated via apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell migration and invasion and upregulation of P13K/AKT signalling pathwayView study →.
Mechanisms
| Target / pathway | Effect | Relevant to |
|---|---|---|
| NF-κB signaling | downregulated (↓ pro-inflammatory transcription) | anti-inflammatoryorgan protection |
| MAPK cascade | attenuated | anti-inflammatory / anti-apoptotic |
| Nrf2 / antioxidant defense | ↑; ↓ lipid peroxidation, modulated SOD | gastroprotectiontissue protection |
| Neutrophil migration | reduced | gastroprotectionanti-inflammatory |
| Microbial / fungal membrane | disrupted (lipophilic partition) | antimicrobial / antifungal |
| Uterine smooth muscle | relaxant (ex-vivo human tissue) | pregnancy-relevant caution |
Pharmacokinetics
alpha-Bisabolol is a small lipophilic sesquiterpene alcohol (C₁₅H₂₆O; MW 222.4) with a high logP (~4–5) that drives ready dermal penetration — the property behind its use as a skin-penetration enhancer — but also poor water solubility. No formal human pharmacokinetic dataset exists; metabolism is expected to be rapid via oxidation and conjugation (microbial biotransformation studies confirm it is readily oxidized at multiple positions). Absorption fraction, half-life and clearance in humans should be treated as unknown.
Clinical trials
There are no controlled clinical trials of isolated alpha-bisabolol for any endpoint. Human exposure is overwhelmingly via cosmetic and dermatological formulations, where it is a soothing/anti-irritant ingredient rather than a tested active; the only direct human-tissue pharmacology is an ex-vivo study on isolated pregnant uterus 4Reference 4Anti-inflammatory and utero-relaxant effect on the pregnant human uterusView study →.
| Completed | Planned | Terminated | Preclinical |
|---|---|---|---|
| —(none, isolate) | — | — | Extensive |
Last checked: July 2026.
Toxicity & Safety
Topically, alpha-bisabolol is about as benign as an essential-oil terpene gets — it is added to formulations specifically to reduce irritation — and the open question is not toxicity but the fact that concentrated oral use has never been characterized in humans.
- Long history of safe cosmetic and food-flavoring use. Safety reviews find it well tolerated, with low acute toxicity.
- Low sensitizing and irritant potential. Unusually for a terpene, it is used to calm other ingredients rather than to provoke.
- Concentrated oral supplementation is uncharacterized. Cosmetic tolerability data do not extend to swallowing therapeutic doses.
- Avoid oral supplementation in pregnancy. Relaxes pregnant human uterine muscle in vitro.
- Commercial purity varies. The chemotype and purity of “bisabolol” depends on its source.
Full Safety & Interactions Detail
alpha-Bisabolol has a long history of safe cosmetic and food-flavoring use; the RIFM fragrance-material review 6Reference 6In-vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Matricaria chamomilla and othersView study → and the CIR/toxicology safety reviews 3Reference 3Safety assessment / final reportView study → conclude it is well tolerated, with low acute toxicity (rodent oral LD₅₀ in the multi-g/kg range) and — importantly — low sensitizing and irritant potential, which is why it is used to reduce the irritation of other ingredients. No significant genotoxicity or phototoxicity signal appears in these reviews, and human drug interactions are undocumented. The honest caveats are that concentrated oral supplementation is not a characterized human exposure and that the purity/chemotype of commercial “bisabolol” varies with source.
Dosage
There is no established human therapeutic dose. Cosmetic formulations typically use ~0.1–1% alpha-bisabolol topically. Preclinical oral doses in rodent studies cluster around 50–200 mg/kg, which do not translate to a human dose; any oral figure is a research estimate, not a recommendation.
References
- Jakovlev V, et al. (1979). Pharmacological investigations with compounds of chamomile II: antiphlogistic effects of (-)-α-bisabolol and bisabolol oxides. Planta Medica. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/419180/
- Rocha NFM, et al. (2011). Anti-nociceptive and anti-inflammatory activities of (-)-α-bisabolol in rodents. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg’s Archives of Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21870032/
- Bisabolol (2017). Safety assessment / final report. International Journal of Toxicology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29025339/
- α-Bisabolol (2018). Anti-inflammatory and utero-relaxant effect on the pregnant human uterus. Korean Journal of Physiology & Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29962853/
- α-Bisabolol (2022). Attenuates NF-κB/MAPK signalling and ER-stress apoptosis via Nrf2. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36364909/
- Mekonnen A, et al. (2016). In-vitro antimicrobial activity of the essential oils of Matricaria chamomilla and others. International Journal of Microbiology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26880928/
- (-)-α-Bisabolol (2010). Gastroprotection on acute gastric mucosal lesions in mice. Fundamental & Clinical Pharmacology. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19663933/
- (-)-α-Bisabolol-induced gastroprotection (2011): reduced lipid peroxidation, SOD activity and neutrophil migration. European Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21924353/
- Wu S, Peng L, Sang H, et al. (2018). Anticancer effects of α-Bisabolol in human non-small cell lung carcinoma cells are mediated via apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell migration and invasion and upregulation of P13K/AKT signalling pathway. J BUON. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30570866/
