In short
delta-Decalactone is a lactone with a creamy, milky, coconut-like note found in dairy products and fruits.
What delta-Decalactone smells like
delta-Decalactone is a creamy, milky coconut lactone. Parchem lists sweet, creamy, lactonic, fatty, coconut and milky; Tilley butter, coconut, creamy, dairy, fruity, oily and peach; Fraterworks a powerful sweet creamy-coconut with milky, buttery richness and subtle nutty-peach notes. It occurs in dairy products and fruits. One distributor sums up delta-decalactone as fresh coconut cream and the dodecalactone as coconut butter.
- Leading note
- Coconut cream
- Clear facets
- Milky, dairy
- Supporting facets
- Buttery
- Faint facets
- Nutty peach
- Character
- Creamy, milky, soft, sweet
What makes delta-Decalactone distinctive
Cream rather than coconut flesh: milky and dairy-soft, the lactone for a milk or cream note.
How delta-Decalactone is used
Used in milky, creamy and gourmand accords, in sandalwood and white-floral bases for a lactonic softness, and in dairy and coconut flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How delta-Decalactone differs from similar materials
- delta-Dodecalactone
- One distributor calls the decalactone fresh coconut cream and the dodecalactone coconut butter — heavier and longer-lasting. (compared directly by a cited source)
- gamma-Nonalactone (Aldehyde C-18)
- gamma-Nonalactone is the fuller, oilier coconut flesh; delta-decalactone is milkier and softer.
- gamma-Octalactone
- gamma-Octalactone is lighter and more herbal; delta-decalactone is the milkier, creamier coconut.
- delta-Undecalactone
- delta-Undecalactone leans more towards peach; delta-decalactone is more coconut and milk.
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
Stable in most bases.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Gourmand / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- CAS number
- 705-86-2
- Molecular formula
- C10H18O2
- Molecular weight
- 170.25 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 6-pentyloxan-2-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 12810, 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 report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (1,647 of 1,728 reports). 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
-
gamma-Nonalactone (Aldehyde C-18)
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — coconut, creamy, sweet, fatty
-
Sandalore
Aroma chemical · Woody / Musky — sandalwood, warm, soft, woody
-
Vanillin
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy
delta-Decalactone is also suggested as a partner on the pages for 9-Decenoic Acid, Butyl Butyryllactate, delta-Dodecalactone, delta-Undecalactone, gamma-Octalactone and Massoia Lactone.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 13 published formulas
delta-Decalactone is an ingredient in 10 perfume formulas and 3 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about delta-Decalactone
Is delta-Decalactone natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial delta-Decalactone 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 delta-Decalactone?
705-86-2. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use delta-Decalactone?
delta-Decalactone is used in 13 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Cappuccino Accord, Cardamom Crema and Coconut Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 12810, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Parchem — delta decalactone — distributor's description.
- Tilley Distribution — decalactone delta — distributor's description.
- Fraterworks — delta decalactone — distributor's description.
- Fraterworks — delta dodecalactone — 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.