Dihydro-beta-ionone

What Dihydro-beta-ionone smells like

Dihydro-beta-ionone is a woody, orris-like ionone with a dry, ambery edge. The Good Scents Company lists earthy, woody, mahogany, orris and dry amber; Givaudan woody, floral, orris, slightly ambery and fruity; suppliers add tea and dry tobacco. Takasago and IFF describe a more distinct violet. A forum comparison finds it calm and serene beside the more urgent, floral and tea-like beta-ionone. It occurs in osmanthus.

Leading note

Woody orris

Clear facets

Dry amber

Supporting facets

Tea, violet

Faint facets

Tobacco

Character

Dry, calm, woody, soft

• woody
• orris
• ambery
• tea

What makes Dihydro-beta-ionone distinctive

The calm ionone: drier, woodier and more orris-ambery than beta-ionone, with less violet floralcy.

Where the descriptions disagree: Some suppliers describe a distinct violet; others an earthy, woody orris with little violet.

How Dihydro-beta-ionone is used

Used to round florals and add soft woody elegance and good diffusion, and in osmanthus and tea accords.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).

How Dihydro-beta-ionone differs from similar materials

beta-Ionone*

A forum comparison finds beta-ionone more floral and tea-like, dihydro-beta-ionone calmer, woodier and more orris-ambery. (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.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Woody / Powdery

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

4-(2,6,6-Trimethylcyclohex-1-en-1-yl)butan-2-one

CAS number

17283-81-7

Molecular formula

C13H22O

Molecular weight

194.31 g/mol

IUPAC name

4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexen-1-yl)butan-2-one

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 519382, 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 (1,830 reports): H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (97.9% of 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

• beta-Ionone

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Woody — violet, woody, fruity, raspberry

• alpha-Ionone

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fruity — violet, powdery, fruity, sweet

• Osmanthus Absolute

  Absolute · Floral / Fruity — apricot, leathery, floral, tea-like

• Orris Butter (Orris Concrete)

  Concrete · Powdery / Woody — powdery, iris, woody, buttery

Dihydro-beta-ionone is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Dihydro Gamma Ionone.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 5 published formulas

Dihydro-beta-ionone is an ingredient in 4 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Apricot Dust

  RUŌOD House Original

• Champaca Tea Room

  RUŌOD House Original

• Ember Tea House

  RUŌOD House Original

• Osmanthus Suede

  RUŌOD House Creation

• Tea Ember Accord

  RUŌOD House 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.

• How to Build an Osmanthus Accord

  Osmanthus from ionones, apricot lactones and a leathery trace: the absolute, the building blocks, an illustrative accord, balancing, restrictions and records.

• Woody Notes in Perfumery: Naturals and Aroma Chemicals

  A map of woody materials — cedarwoods, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, smoky woods and woody aroma chemicals — and how to build a woody base.

Questions about Dihydro-beta-ionone

Sources

• PubChem — compound 519382, 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 — dihydro-beta-ionone (with Givaudan, Takasago and IFF descriptions) — odour database.
• Scentspiracy — Dihydro Ionone Beta — distributor's description.
• Basenotes — dihydro-beta-ionone vs beta-ionone (forum) — published perfumery reference.
• 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.