Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal)

What Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) smells like

Dodecanal (aldehyde C-12 lauric) is a waxy, soapy aldehyde with a citrus-peel freshness and a violet-like floral note that appears in high dilution. The Good Scents Company lists soapy, waxy, aldehydic, citrus, green and floral; Givaudan describes it as aldehydic, intense, woody, fresh and clean, and Bedoukian as fresh citrus with a natural fattiness. A description attributed to Arctander calls it mild, sweet and waxy-floral, more creamy than metallic.

Leading note

Waxy, soapy aldehydic

Supporting facets

Citrus peel, violet, in high dilution

Faint facets

Creamy, woody

Character

Waxy, creamy, smooth, clean

• aldehydic
• waxy
• soapy
• violet

What makes Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) distinctive

Its creaminess and the violet. It is the smoothest of the straight-chain aldehydes here, waxier and softer than the C-10 and C-11, and the one that turns violet-like when highly diluted.

Concentration and dilution

Waxy and soapy in concentration; in extreme dilution it becomes violet-like.

How Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) is used

Used for aldehydic sparkle and clean waxiness in classic aldehydic florals, and in soap and laundry fragrance; also in citrus flavours.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); lift (adds diffusion and radiance, especially at the top).

How Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) differs from similar materials

Aldehyde C-11 Undecylic (Undecanal)

Undecanal is cleaner and more floral-soapy; dodecanal is waxier and creamier, with a violet note in high dilution.

Aldehyde C-11 Undecylenic (10-Undecenal)

Undecenal is greener and brighter, with a rosy, citrus-peel edge; dodecanal is smoother, waxier and violet-tinged.

Aldehyde C-12 MNA

Both are sold as aldehyde C-12. MNA is drier, with amber and incense undertones; lauric aldehyde is waxier and creamier, with citrus peel and violet.

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

Strong and oxidisable; dose from dilution.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Aldehydic / Floral

Note position

Top note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Dodecanal, Lauric aldehyde

CAS number

112-54-9

Molecular formula

C12H24O

Molecular weight

184.32 g/mol

IUPAC name

dodecanal

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 8194, 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 (2,223 reports): H315 causes skin irritation (99.7% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (77.7% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (77.7% of reports); H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (23% of reports). A skin sensitiser classification concerns handling the neat material and the dose in a finished product; the IFRA Standards, where they apply, set the limits. 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

• Aldehyde C-12 MNA

  Aroma chemical · Aldehydic / Woody — aldehydic, resinous, ambergris, incense

• Aldehyde C-11 Undecylic (Undecanal)

  Aroma chemical · Aldehydic / Floral — aldehydic, soapy, waxy, floral

• alpha-Isomethyl Ionone

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Floral — powdery, violet, orris, woody

• Rose Oil (Rosa damascena)

  Essential oil · Floral / Fruity — rose, honeyed, spicy, fresh

• trans-2-Dodecenal

  Aroma chemical · Aldehydic / Green — coriander leaf, waxy, mandarin, metallic

Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Aldehyde C-10 (Decanal), Aldehyde C-11 Undecylenic (10-Undecenal) and Tridecene-2-nitrile.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 26 published formulas

Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) is an ingredient in 17 perfume formulas, 7 accords and 2 bases in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Blood Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Laurie”

• Fougere Base

  Community Formula · Base · listed as “Aldehyde C12 Lauric”

• Mimosa Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 lauric”

• Neroli Bigarade Base

  Community Formula · Base · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric”

• Orchid Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 lauric”

• Solar Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 lauric”

• Violet Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C12 Lauric”

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Anise Ink

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Glass Rose Accord

  RUŌOD House Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Lemon Ledger

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Low Tide Library

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Mahogany Library

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Night Jasmine Foundry

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Nutmeg Snow

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Paper Light Accord

  RUŌOD House Accord · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Pink Pepper Chalk

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Rain on Linen

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Red Carnation Engine

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Rose Graphite

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Silver Amber

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Snowlight Amber

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Steam Razor

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Sunday Aldehyde

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Tuberose Under Neon

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Typewriter Ribbon

  RUŌOD House Creation · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Wool Fog

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal) 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

Further reading

• Aldehydes in Perfumery: The Aliphatic Aldehydes and How to Use Them

  What the aliphatic aldehydes smell like, what they do, how to dose them, which other aldehydes matter, and how to stop them oxidizing.

Questions about Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (Dodecanal)

Sources

• PubChem — compound 8194, 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 — dodecanal (with Givaudan and Bedoukian descriptions) — odour database.
• Scentspiracy — Aldehyde C12 (Dodecanal), quoting Arctander — distributor's description.
• ChemicalBook — dodecanal (CAS 112-54-9) — odour database.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.