Acetophenone

What Acetophenone smells like

Acetophenone is sweet, penetrating and floral, with almond and hawthorn at its core. The Good Scents Company lists sweet, pungent, hawthorn, mimosa, almond and acacia; other references add balsamic, narcissus, cherry pit and hints of orange blossom or jasmine. At full strength a perfume supplier finds a leathery, nutty almond character, while dilution brings out heliotrope, vanilla and blossom tones such as hawthorn and acacia.

Leading note

Sweet almond-hawthorn

Clear facets

Mimosa, acacia

Supporting facets

Orange blossom, balsamic

Faint facets

Leathery

Character

Sweet, pungent, sharp, floral

• sweet
• almond
• hawthorn
• pungent

What makes Acetophenone distinctive

Its pungency. It is the harsher, more penetrating hawthorn material — almond and leather in concentration, mimosa and blossom in dilution.

Concentration and dilution

Harsh, leathery and nutty neat; on dilution it turns to heliotrope, vanilla and blossom notes such as hawthorn and acacia.

How Acetophenone is used

Used in traces in hawthorn, mimosa, orange-blossom and heliotrope compositions, usually from a dilution.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Acetophenone differs from similar materials

4-Methylacetophenone*

Methyl acetophenone is described as milder than acetophenone, with a fruity, cherry-like sweetness; acetophenone is sharper and more pungent. (compared directly by a cited source)

Anisaldehyde

Anisaldehyde is sweeter and more powdery-floral; acetophenone is sharper, more pungent and almond-like.

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

Freezes at around room temperature, so it may need warming before weighing.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Floral / Fruity

Note position

Top to heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid. Freezes at about 20 °C, so it may be crystalline in a cool room (melting point 19–20 °C in PubChem's records).

Also known as

1-Phenylethanone, Methyl phenyl ketone

CAS number

98-86-2

Molecular formula

C8H8O

Molecular weight

120.15 g/mol

IUPAC name

1-phenylethanone

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7410, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. It has a harmonised EU classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex VI): H302 harmful if swallowed; H319 causes serious eye irritation. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (2,981 reports): H319 causes serious eye irritation (99.9% of reports). 2 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. Unless it is harmonised, this is the notifiers' own classification, not a binding one.

This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.

Materials it works with

• 4-Methylacetophenone

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity — sweet, floral, hawthorn, fruity

• Anisaldehyde

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Floral — anisic, hawthorn, floral, sweet

• Heliotropin

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Gourmand — powdery, almond, vanilla, floral

• Mimosa Absolute

  Absolute · Floral / Powdery — powdery, honeyed, green, floral

Acetophenone is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Methyl Anisate.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 1 published formula

Acetophenone is an ingredient in 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.

• Cherry Accord

  Community Formula · Accord

Further reading

• Powdery Notes in Perfumery: Iris, Orris and Ionones

  Orris and the ionones at the heart of powdery perfume, the rest of the powdery palette, how to build violet, iris and face-powder accords, and handling.

• Perfume Materials by Odor Family: A Formulator's Palette Map

  Which materials build each odor family — citrus, floral, woody, amber, musk and more — their usual roles, what to watch for, and links to each in depth.

Questions about Acetophenone

Sources

• PubChem — compound 7410, checked 19 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• The Good Scents Company — acetophenone — odour database.
• Scentspiracy — Acetophenone — distributor's description.
• De Hekserij — Acetophenone — distributor's description.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.