The role of activated carbons and carbon xerogels as Pt-supports for the selective citral hydrogenation is compared. The influence of porosity and inorganic matter impurities in activated carbons determines the performance of their derivative catalysts. The presence of Pt-particles inside mesopores and acid mineral matter favors secondary reactions decreasing the unsaturated alcohols (UA) yield. Highly active and selective monometallic Pt-catalysts were obtained using pure carbon xerogels structured in microspheres as support.