An off-white crystals or olive to light purple waxy solid. 

Forms monohydrate (melting point: 102-106°F). 

Olivetol is a member of the class of resorcinols that is resorcinol in which the hydrogen at position 5 is replaced by a pentyl group. It has a role as a lichen metabolite.

A precursor in various syntheses of tetrahydrocannabinol.

Used as a template molecule in the synthesis of molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). It was also used as an inhibitor of (S)-mephenytoin 4'-hydroxylase activity of recombinant CYP2C19.