In short
delta-Dodecalactone is a six-membered lactone with a rich, creamy and buttery odour. It occurs in butter, cream and some fruits and gives a milky, coconut-peach softness.
What delta-Dodecalactone smells like
delta-Dodecalactone smells creamy, fruity and buttery, with peach and coconut notes. One chemical reference gives a powerful fruity, peach-like, oily odour that turns butter-like on dilution; another a powerful, fresh, coconut-fruity, oily odour. Bedoukian lists creamy, coconut and peach-like with celery undertones; Alfrebro fatty, sweet, creamy, dairy, fruity, peach, apricot, milky and buttery. It occurs in butter and cream.
- Leading note
- Creamy butter
- Clear facets
- Coconut
- Supporting facets
- Peach, apricot, oily
- Faint facets
- Celery
- Character
- Rich, buttery, tenacious, smooth
What makes delta-Dodecalactone distinctive
Coconut butter rather than coconut cream: the heaviest, most buttery delta lactone, and the most tenacious.
Concentration and dilution
Powerful, fruity and oily at strength; butter-like on dilution.
How delta-Dodecalactone is used
Used in creamy gourmand, milky and tropical accords, in white florals for a lactonic skin, and in peach, apricot and butter flavours.
Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).
How delta-Dodecalactone differs from similar materials
- delta-Decalactone
- One distributor calls the decalactone fresh coconut cream and the dodecalactone coconut butter — heavier, oilier and more tenacious. (compared directly by a cited source)
- delta-Undecalactone
- delta-Undecalactone is lighter and more peach-like; the dodecalactone is heavier and more buttery.
- gamma-Dodecalactone
- The gamma isomer is a fatty peach; delta-dodecalactone is creamier, more coconut and butter.
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.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Gourmand / Fruity
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 5-Dodecanolide
- CAS number
- 713-95-1
- Molecular formula
- C12H22O2
- Molecular weight
- 198.3 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 6-heptyloxan-2-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 12844, 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 (1,649 of 1,730 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
-
delta-Decalactone
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — creamy, milky, coconut, buttery
-
gamma-Undecalactone (Aldehyde C-14)
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — peach, apricot, creamy, fruity
-
Vanillin
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy
-
Tuberose Absolute
Absolute · Floral / Gourmand — white floral, creamy, narcotic, buttery
delta-Dodecalactone is also suggested as a partner on the pages for delta-Undecalactone, gamma-Dodecalactone and Milk Lactone.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
delta-Dodecalactone is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about delta-Dodecalactone
Is delta-Dodecalactone natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial delta-Dodecalactone 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-Dodecalactone?
713-95-1. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use delta-Dodecalactone?
delta-Dodecalactone is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Gardenia Milk and Sandal Milk Script. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 12844, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Perflavory (The Good Scents Company) — delta-dodecalactone — odour database.
- ChemicalBook — delta-dodecalactone (CAS 713-95-1) — odour database.
- 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.