In short
gamma-Dodecalactone is a lactone with a fatty, buttery peach odour. It is longer-lasting and fattier than gamma-undecalactone (aldehyde C-14).
What gamma-Dodecalactone smells like
gamma-Dodecalactone is a fatty, peachy lactone with a buttery, creamy edge. The Good Scents Company lists fatty, peach, sweet, metallic and fruity; ChemicalBook fatty, peachy and somewhat musky, with a buttery, peach-like flavour; Bedoukian waxy, fatty and sweet with green, rind-like undertones that add warmth and creaminess. Arctander, as quoted, recommends it for fruity-fatty top notes and long tenacity in heavy florals and powdery types.
- Leading note
- Fatty peach
- Clear facets
- Buttery, creamy
- Supporting facets
- Waxy
- Faint facets
- Musky, metallic
- Character
- Rich, fatty, tenacious, warm
What makes gamma-Dodecalactone distinctive
The heaviest of the gamma peach lactones: more butter and wax than fruit, and the longest-lasting.
How gamma-Dodecalactone is used
Used for a lasting, fatty-fruity warmth in heavy florals and powdery compositions, and in peach, apricot and creamy accords and dairy flavours.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).
How gamma-Dodecalactone differs from similar materials
- gamma-Decalactone
- gamma-Decalactone is the brighter, fresher peach-apricot; the dodecalactone is richer, fattier and longer-lasting. (compared directly by a cited source)
- gamma-Undecalactone (Aldehyde C-14)
- Aldehyde C-14 is the more fruity, classic peach; the dodecalactone is fattier and more buttery.
- delta-Dodecalactone
- delta-Dodecalactone is creamier and more coconut-butter; the gamma isomer is a fatty peach.
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
- Fruity / Gourmand
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 4-Dodecanolide
- CAS number
- 2305-05-7
- Molecular formula
- C12H22O2
- Molecular weight
- 198.3 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 5-octyloxolan-2-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 16821, 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 (1,615 of 1,683 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
-
gamma-Undecalactone (Aldehyde C-14)
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — peach, apricot, creamy, fruity
-
gamma-Decalactone
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — peach, fruity, creamy
-
delta-Dodecalactone
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — creamy, buttery, coconut, peach
-
Osmanthus Absolute
Absolute · Floral / Fruity — apricot, leathery, floral, tea-like
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
gamma-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 gamma-Dodecalactone
Is gamma-Dodecalactone natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial gamma-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 gamma-Dodecalactone?
2305-05-7. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use gamma-Dodecalactone?
gamma-Dodecalactone is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Gardenia Milk and Osmanthus Suede. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 16821, 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) — gamma-dodecalactone (with Arctander) — odour database.
- ChemicalBook — gamma-dodecalactone — odour database.
- Fraterworks — gamma 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.