Geraniol is produced by the scent glands of honeybees to mark nectar-bearing flowers and locate the entrances to their hives.

[9] In acidic solutions, geraniol is converted to the cyclic terpene α-terpineol.

Geranyl chloride also arises by the Appel reaction by treating geraniol with triphenylphosphine and carbon tetrachloride.

[15] Geraniol was first isolated in pure form in 1871 by the German chemist Oscar Jacobsen (1840–1889).

[19] The chemical structure of geraniol was determined in 1919 by the French chemist Albert Verley (1867–1959).