In short
Calone is a synthetic benzodioxepinone that created the marine or "aquatic" note in perfumery. It smells of sea air and watermelon.
What Calone smells like
Calone is the defining 'sea breeze' molecule: intensely marine and ozonic, with a faint floral background and slight green and fruity aspects — melon and watermelon rind among them. At the low levels typical of modern fragrance it reads as crisp, ozonic freshness with a green, faintly fruity edge; at higher concentration a metallic, mineral facet emerges, compared to oyster shell or wet stone, and at high doses it can turn unpleasantly fishy. How much watermelon it carries is disputed between sources.
- Leading note
- Marine sea breeze
- Clear facets
- Ozonic
- Supporting facets
- Watermelon rind, mineral, oyster shell
- Faint facets
- Faint floral
- Character
- Fresh, airy, salty, diffusive
What makes Calone distinctive
It is the marine note itself — salt air and sea spray — rather than a watery green or a melon. Its oyster-shell mineral facet is what separates it from the ozonic florals.
Concentration and dilution
Crisp, ozonic freshness at low levels; a metallic, oyster-shell mineral facet appears at higher concentration, and at high doses it can become fishy.
Where the descriptions disagree: How much watermelon it carries: some describe crisp watermelon rind, others call the melon aspect negligible.
How Calone is used
Used for aquatic and marine accords, for diffusive freshness in florals, and in ambergris reconstructions; it is the material most associated with the aquatic style in fine fragrance.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Calone differs from similar materials
- Melonal
- Melonal is green melon and cucumber first; Calone is marine and sea breeze first, with watermelon in the background.
- Floralozone
- Floralozone is a cleaner, neutral fresh-air note with a soft floral side; Calone is saltier and more marine, with a mineral, oyster-shell facet.
- Precyclemone B
- Precyclemone B is an aldehydic, waxy 'fresh outdoors' ozone; Calone is distinctly marine and salty.
- Adoxal
- A distributor places Adoxal close to Calone but with more aldehydic complexity; Adoxal is waxier and more floral, Calone saltier and more mineral. (compared directly by a cited source)
- Cascalone
- dsm-firmenich presents Cascalone as a sweeter, more watery and floral version of Calone, without its metallic, mineral edge. (compared directly by a cited source)
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
A crystalline solid and very strong; dissolve and dose from dilution.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Synthetic
- Odour family
- Aquatic / Metallic
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Solid
- Also known as
- Watermelon ketone
- CAS number
- 28940-11-6
- Molecular formula
- C10H10O3
- Molecular weight
- 178.18 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 7-methyl-1,5-benzodioxepin-3-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 120101, 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 (1,833 reports): H302 harmful if swallowed (94.9% of reports). 3 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
-
Helional
Aroma chemical · Aquatic / Floral — ozonic, watery, green, floral
-
Floralozone
Aroma chemical · Aquatic / Floral — ozonic, marine, floral, airy
-
Dihydromyrcenol
Aroma chemical · Citrus / Aromatic — citrus, lime, fresh, clean
-
Melonal
Aroma chemical · Aquatic / Fruity — melon, watery, green, fresh
-
Methoxymelonal
Aroma chemical · Aquatic / Fruity — melon, watery, ozonic, floral
Calone is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Cascalone, cis-6-Nonenal, Maritima, Ozofleur, Scentenal and Ultrazur.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 43 published formulas
Calone is an ingredient in 31 perfume formulas and 12 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Calone
Is Calone natural or synthetic?
Calone is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Calone?
28940-11-6. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Calone?
Calone is used in 43 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Asphalt Peony, Bell Glass and Bitter Ferry. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 120101, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Scentspiracy — Calone — distributor's description.
- Premiere Peau — Calone — published perfumery reference.
- Perflavory (The Good Scents Company) — Calone — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.