RUŌOD Lab

Level 9 · Modern and Experimental Perfumery

Captive Molecules: Study Guide

Read our guide to captive molecules, then find out which materials on your wish list you can actually buy, and plan alternatives for those you cannot.

Advanced 15 min study By the RUŌOD Lab team Updated

In short

A captive molecule is one a fragrance company keeps largely for its own use, at least for a period. The reference guide explains why, and what that means for independent perfumers. This study guide turns that into a practical audit of the materials you have been wanting to try.

What you will learn

  • Check the availability of a material
  • Plan around a material you cannot buy

Before this lesson: Transparent Floral Structures

What to look for as you read

  • The difference between captive, specialty and commodity.
  • How to find out whether a material is open to you.
  • What to do when a formula names something you cannot buy.

Practical exercise: Audit your wish list

About 25 minutes · You will have: a wish list with availability, supplier documents and alternatives for each material

  1. List ten materials you would like to use. Include any from formulas or articles you have read.
  2. For each, find a supplier and the documents available, and whether a small quantity exists.
  3. Mark each as available, restricted, captive, or unknown.
  4. For any you cannot get, name the job it would do, and one candidate alternative, using the substitution method.

You have done this well if each entry has evidence for its status. "I couldn't find it" is an acceptable and useful answer.

Knowledge check

1. What is a captive molecule?
Show the answer

A material a company keeps largely for its own use. Companies may protect a new molecule commercially and keep it from general sale for a period.

2. What may happen to a captive over time?
Show the answer

It may later become available, sometimes as a different grade or name. Availability changes, so check supplier listings and the guide.

3. A small seller offers a so-called captive at a low price. What should you do?
Show the answer

Ask for documents, and be cautious about its identity. Check the CAS number and specification, and whether the claim makes sense.

Further reading and materials

Written and reviewed by the RUŌOD Lab team. This is general education, not legal, regulatory, medical or safety advice. Example dilutions and exercises are for learning, are not validated products, and have not been safety-assessed. Completing a lesson confers no qualification. How we check these lessons.