In short
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a furan aldehyde formed when sugars are heated. It has a buttery, caramel, fatty and musty odour.
What 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural smells like
Sigma-Aldrich lists the food-grade material's organoleptic profile as butter, caramel, fatty, musty and waxy, and ChemicalBook gives the same descriptors with fatty as the odour type. PubChem's hazardous-substances record describes an odour of chamomile flowers and a buttery, caramel, musty taste.
- Leading note
- Caramel
- Clear facets
- Buttery
- Supporting facets
- Fatty, musty
- Faint facets
- Waxy
- Character
- Warm
What makes 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural distinctive
A buttery, caramel and musty note with a chamomile-flower side, as its database descriptions give it.
Where the descriptions disagree: The flavour suppliers describe butter and caramel; the hazardous-substances record compares the odour to chamomile flowers.
How 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural is used
Used in traces in caramel, toasted and baked gourmand notes.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural differs from similar materials
- 5-Methylfurfural
- 5-Methylfurfural is the sweeter, spicier caramel; hydroxymethylfurfural is buttery, fatty and musty.
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 low-melting solid that darkens with age.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Gourmand
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Solid
- Also known as
- 5-HMF, Hydroxymethylfurfural
- CAS number
- 67-47-0
- Molecular formula
- C6H6O3
- Molecular weight
- 126.11 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 5-(hydroxymethyl)furan-2-carbaldehyde
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 237332, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 24 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 (344 reports): H412 harmful to aquatic life with long lasting effects (70.9% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (65.1% of reports); H335 may cause respiratory irritation (64.2% of reports); H315 causes skin irritation (60.2% of reports). 4 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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
-
5-Methylfurfural
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Spicy — caramel, sweet, spicy, warm
-
Maltol
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — caramel, sweet, bready, cooked fruit
-
Sotolone
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Spicy — fenugreek, maple, curry, caramel
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 2 published formulas
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural
Is 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural 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 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural?
67-47-0. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural?
5-Hydroxymethylfurfural is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Chocolate Accord and Popcorn Sky. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 237332, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- ChemicalBook — 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (67-47-0) — odour database.
- PubChem — 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HSDB description) (CID 237332) — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.