In short
Furaneol is a furanone found in strawberries and pineapple. It gives a sweet, jammy, cooked-strawberry note.
What Furaneol smells like
Furaneol gives strawberries and other fruits a caramel-like aroma. Wikipedia notes a strawberry aroma when dilute; Perflavory lists a strongly fruity odour that becomes strawberry and pineapple-like on dilution, with caramel, cotton-candy and jammy facets. Suppliers describe a shift with dose — fresh strawberry at low levels, caramel candy at moderate ones, jammy or roasted at high ones. It increases as strawberries ripen and when they are cooked.
- Leading note
- Caramelised strawberry
- Clear facets
- Caramel, candyfloss
- Supporting facets
- Jammy
- Faint facets
- Pineapple
- Character
- Sweet, ripe, cooked
What makes Furaneol distinctive
The cooked sweetness inside a ripe strawberry — fruit and caramel in one molecule.
Concentration and dilution
Strawberry and pineapple on dilution; caramel, then jammy and roasted, as the concentration rises.
How Furaneol is used
Used in strawberry, red-fruit and caramel accords and widely in flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Furaneol differs from similar materials
- Ethyl Methylphenylglycidate (Aldehyde C-16)
- Strawberry aldehyde is a candy-jam strawberry with waxy, honeyed notes; furaneol is ripe, caramelised strawberry and pineapple.
- Ethyl Maltol
- Ethyl maltol is candyfloss with a jammy edge; furaneol is more fruit, ripe strawberry and pineapple.
- Homofuraneol
- Homofuraneol, the ethyl homologue, is caramel with more butterscotch and bread and less cooked strawberry.
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; dissolve before use. Covered by an IFRA Standard.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Gourmand / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Solid
- Also known as
- Strawberry furanone
- CAS number
- 3658-77-3
- Molecular formula
- C6H8O3
- Molecular weight
- 128.13 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 19309, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Furaneol:
- "4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone" — Restriction, 49th Amendment, published 2020-01
Limits differ by product category and are set out in the Standard itself; this page does not reproduce them. The list above reflects the library as read on 19 October 2026.
Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (1,843 reports): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (80.1% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (71.7% of reports); H302 harmful if swallowed (28.5% of reports). 1 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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
-
Ethyl Maltol
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — candyfloss, caramel, sweet, jammy
-
Methyl Cinnamate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Amber — strawberry, fruity, balsamic, sweet
-
Ethyl Methylphenylglycidate (Aldehyde C-16)
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — strawberry, candy, fruity, sweet
Furaneol is also suggested as a partner on the pages for 2-Methyltetrahydrofuran-3-one, 5-Methylfurfural, Homofuraneol, Maltyl Isobutyrate, Sotolone and Sulfurol.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 12 published formulas
Furaneol is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas, 9 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Furaneol
Is Furaneol natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Furaneol 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 Furaneol?
3658-77-3. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Furaneol?
Furaneol is used in 12 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Burnt Sugar Smoke Accord, Chocolate Accord and Cookies & Cream Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Is Furaneol covered by an IFRA Standard?
Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 19309, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- IFRA — Standards Library, read 19 October 2026.
- Wikipedia — Furaneol — published perfumery reference.
- Perflavory (The Good Scents Company) — furaneol — odour database.
- Siegmund et al. (2008) — furaneol and mesifurane determination — published literature.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.