In short
Dimethyl hydroquinone, 1,4-dimethoxybenzene, is an aromatic ether with a sweet, hay-like floral odour. It occurs in some flowers and is used for hyacinth and hay effects.
What Dimethyl Hydroquinone smells like
Dimethyl hydroquinone (1,4-dimethoxybenzene) is a white solid with an intensely sweet floral odour, according to Wikipedia; ChemicalBook describes an intensely sweet, somewhat herbal, nut-like odour, and Parchem a sweet-clover odour. Database profiles rank sweet and nutty highest, with new-mown hay in its flavour profile, and note its use for warm, powdery notes in perfumes, soaps and deodorants.
- Leading note
- Intense sweet floral
- Clear facets
- Nutty
- Supporting facets
- Sweet clover, hay, herbal
- Faint facets
- Phenolic
- Character
- Sweet, intense, warm, powdery
What makes Dimethyl Hydroquinone distinctive
Sweet clover with a nutty, herbal edge — a meadow-hay sweetness rather than the almond or anise of its neighbours.
How Dimethyl Hydroquinone is used
Used for warm, sweet, powdery notes in perfumes, soaps and deodorants.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Dimethyl Hydroquinone differs from similar materials
- Coumarin
- Coumarin is sweet hay with almond and tonka; dimethyl hydroquinone is an intensely sweet floral with nutty and sweet-clover notes, hay only in its flavour.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
A solid that must be dissolved.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Floral / Green
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Solid
- Also known as
- 1,4-Dimethoxybenzene, Hydroquinone dimethyl ether
- CAS number
- 150-78-7
- Molecular formula
- C8H10O2
- Molecular weight
- 138.16 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 1,4-dimethoxybenzene
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 9016, 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 (1,792 of 1,838 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
-
Coumarin
Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fougère — hay, sweet, almond, tobacco
-
Hydrocinnamaldehyde
Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — hyacinth, green, balsamic, floral
-
Phenylethyl Alcohol
Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — rose, honeyed, soft, floral
-
Hay Absolute
Absolute · Green / Gourmand — hay, coumarinic, tobacco, herbal
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 5 published formulas
Dimethyl Hydroquinone is an ingredient in 5 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Dimethyl Hydroquinone
Is Dimethyl Hydroquinone natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Dimethyl Hydroquinone 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 Dimethyl Hydroquinone?
150-78-7. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Dimethyl Hydroquinone?
Dimethyl Hydroquinone is used in 5 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Bracken Moon, Linden Afternoon and Mate Field. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 9016, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Wikipedia — 1,4-Dimethoxybenzene — published perfumery reference.
- ChemicalBook — 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (CAS 150-78-7) — odour database.
- Parchem — 1,4-dimethoxybenzene — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.