RUŌOD Lab

Ambrettolide

Aroma chemical · Musky / Fruity

musky, ambrette, fruity, pear, powdery — base note.

Aroma illustration for Ambrettolide: soft white clouds, pears and a powder puff and fine powder, for its musky, ambrette, pear and powdery notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Skeletal formula of Ambrettolide ((Z)-Oxacycloheptadec-8-en-2-one), C16H28O2, drawn from PubChem's 2D record. Stereochemistry is not shown.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Ambrettolide smells like (musky, ambrette, pear, powdery), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.Skeletal formula drawn by RUŌOD Lab from PubChem's 2D record (CID 5365703). Stereochemistry is not shown; the coloured background is decoration.
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By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Ambrettolide is a macrocyclic lactone musk and the main musk odorant of ambrette seed oil. It has a warm, fruity and slightly powdery musk character and is one of the most natural-smelling musks.

What Ambrettolide smells like

Ambrettolide is a sweet musk with ambrette and fruity facets: The Good Scents Company lists sweet, musk, ambrette, fruity, waxy and fatty; Givaudan emphasises musky, warm and ambrette-seed notes with a fruity quality; Symrise soft musk with woody, ambergris and floral shades; IFF a powerful, substantive musk with red-fruit sweetness and floral character. One supplier notes that much commercial 'ambrettolide' is more correctly iso-ambrettolide. No source found mentions pear.

Leading note
Fruity ambrette musk
Supporting facets
Red fruit, ambrette seed
Faint facets
Waxy, floral
Character
Warm, sweet, substantive
  • musky
  • ambrette
  • fruity
  • pear
  • powdery

What makes Ambrettolide distinctive

The ambrette-seed musk: sweet and fruity, the musk that natural ambrette smells of.

Where the descriptions disagree: Commercial 'ambrettolide' is often iso-ambrettolide, according to one supplier.

How Ambrettolide is used

Used as a warm, fruity musk in fine fragrance and floral compositions.

Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); backbone (used in large proportions as a structural material of an accord).

How Ambrettolide differs from similar materials

Isoambrettolide
A supplier notes much commercial ambrettolide is really iso-ambrettolide; no source separates their odours directly.
Ambrette Seed Oil
Ambrette seed oil is the natural source of the ambrettolide note, adding pear, wine and a fatty, waxy body.
Helvetolide
Firmenich places Helvetolide between ambrettolide and ethylene brassylate, with a fruity pear aspect.
Exaltolide
Exaltolide is the cleaner, finer skin musk; ambrettolide is fruitier, with ambrette.

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

Not to be confused with isoambrettolide, a related macrocyclic lactone with a different double-bond position and CAS number.

Identity and classification

Type
Aroma chemical
Origin
Occurs in nature
Odour family
Musky / Fruity
Note position
Base note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
Also known as
(Z)-Oxacycloheptadec-8-en-2-one, Ambrette lactone
CAS number
123-69-3
Molecular formula
C16H28O2
Molecular weight
252.39 g/mol
IUPAC name
(8Z)-1-oxacycloheptadec-8-en-2-one

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 5365703, 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. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (147 reports): H315 causes skin irritation (73.5% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (73.5% of reports); H335 may cause respiratory irritation (73.5% of reports). 28 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

Ambrettolide is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Cosmone.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 46 published formulas

Ambrettolide is an ingredient in 37 perfume formulas and 9 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

Further reading

Questions about Ambrettolide

Is Ambrettolide natural or synthetic?

The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Ambrettolide may be made by synthesis or obtained from natural sources, so check the supplier's specification if the distinction matters to you.

What is the CAS number of Ambrettolide?

123-69-3. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Ambrettolide?

Ambrettolide is used in 46 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Açaí Accord, Ambrette Halo and Aperol Spritz Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Ambrettolide — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

The material library All materials