SHEET /vs/menthol-vs-camphor · COMPARISON
Menthol vs Camphor: what is the difference?
How they differ
Both are terpenoids that produce a sensation the body reads as temperature, and they trip different receptors. Menthol activates TRPM8, the cold receptor, which is why it feels cool without lowering any temperature, and it is the reason peppermint and menthol cigarettes feel the way they do. Camphor is less selective, working on several TRP channels including the warm ones, which is why it reads as both cooling and warming and why it appears in chest rubs alongside menthol rather than instead of it. Camphor is the more toxic of the two by a wide margin and is dangerous to children if swallowed, which is why its concentration in consumer products is capped in many countries. Menthol comes from mint, camphor from the camphor laurel or from synthesis.
Side by side
| Menthol | Camphor | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C10H20O | C10H16O |
| Molecular weight | 156.26 g/mol | 152.23 g/mol |
| Family | Terpenoids | Terpenoids |
| Everyday group | Food & flavor | Scent & aroma |
| Functional groups | Alcohols | Ketones |
| GHS signal wordThe supplier-filed hazard label, not a statement about ordinary use. | Warning | Danger |
| Oral LD50A single acute animal measure. It ranks nothing about human safety. | 3,300 mg/kg (oral, rat) | 1,310 mg/kg (oral, mouse) |
| CAS number | 2216-51-5 | 76-22-2 |
| PubChem CID | 16666 | 2537 |
Common questions
- What is the difference between Menthol and Camphor?
- Both are terpenoids that produce a sensation the body reads as temperature, and they trip different receptors. Menthol activates TRPM8, the cold receptor, which is why it feels cool without lowering any temperature, and it is the reason peppermint and menthol cigarettes feel the way they do. Camphor is less selective, working on several TRP channels including the warm ones, which is why it reads as both cooling and warming and why it appears in chest rubs alongside menthol rather than instead of it.
- Is Menthol bigger than Camphor?
- Menthol is the heavier molecule, 156.26 g/mol against 152.23 g/mol for Camphor. Menthol is C10H20O and Camphor is C10H16O.
- Which has the lower reported LD50, Menthol or Camphor?
- Camphor, at 1,310 mg/kg (oral, mouse), against 3,300 mg/kg (oral, rat) for Menthol. An LD50 is one acute animal measurement, and the two here were not necessarily measured in the same species, so it is a data point rather than a ranking of how dangerous either is to a person.