In short
gamma-Octalactone is a lactone with a sweet, creamy coconut odour and a herbal, slightly fruity edge. It is the shorter-chain relative of gamma-nonalactone and is found in many fruits and dairy foods.
What gamma-Octalactone smells like
gamma-Octalactone is a coconut lactone with creamy, coumarin-like and herbal facets. Supplier listings put coconut first: sweet, waxy and creamy with a tonka tinge; or sweet, creamy, coconut, milky, soapy, coumarinic, with peach and apricot. Alfrebro's natural grade adds a herbaceous note. One perfumery source calls it a modifier for coumarin in herbaceous fragrances, and notes that it can smell dull or even unpleasant on its own. Descriptions differ by grade and enantiomer.
- Leading note
- Creamy coconut
- Supporting facets
- Coumarin, tonka, herbaceous
- Faint facets
- Peach, apricot, waxy, soapy
- Character
- Creamy, light, herbal
What makes gamma-Octalactone distinctive
The lightest of the coconut lactones, and the most herbal and coumarinic — a coconut that leans towards tonka and hay.
Where the descriptions disagree: The Good Scents Company gives a spicy, green coconut-almond profile for the (R)-enantiomer, while most grades are described as creamy coconut.
How gamma-Octalactone is used
Used as a modifier: in coconut and tropical accords, with coumarin in herbaceous and tonka-like compositions, and in gardenia, tuberose, fig, peach and apricot accords. It is used blended rather than as a note on its own.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How gamma-Octalactone differs from similar materials
- gamma-Nonalactone (Aldehyde C-18)
- gamma-Nonalactone is the full, oily, buttery coconut; the octalactone is lighter, with a herbal, coumarin-like side.
- delta-Decalactone
- delta-Decalactone is a milkier, creamier coconut; gamma-octalactone is lighter and more herbal.
- gamma-Hexalactone
- gamma-Hexalactone, two carbons shorter, is described as herbaceous and sweet rather than coconut.
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.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Gourmand / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 4-Octanolide
- CAS number
- 104-50-7
- Molecular formula
- C8H14O2
- Molecular weight
- 142.2 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 5-butyloxolan-2-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7704, 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 (1,616 of 1,742 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-Nonalactone (Aldehyde C-18)
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — coconut, creamy, sweet, fatty
-
gamma-Decalactone
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — peach, fruity, creamy
-
delta-Decalactone
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — creamy, milky, coconut, buttery
-
Vanillin
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy
gamma-Octalactone is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Butyl Butyryllactate, Figuene 3597, gamma-Heptalactone and gamma-Hexalactone.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 4 published formulas
gamma-Octalactone is an ingredient in 3 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about gamma-Octalactone
Is gamma-Octalactone natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial gamma-Octalactone 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-Octalactone?
104-50-7. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use gamma-Octalactone?
gamma-Octalactone is used in 4 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Coconut Accord, Coconut Concrete and Green Fig Shade. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 7704, 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-octalactone — odour database.
- Parchem — gamma-octalactone — distributor's description.
- De Hekserij — gamma-octalactone — distributor's description.
- 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.