Koavone

What Koavone smells like

Koavone (IFF) is a woody-floral complex with amber and violet nuances, in IFF's words: highly diffusive, useful for boosting amber notes, and giving an aldehydic, pine-needle effect at high levels. Other descriptions add toffee, balsamic and ionone-like notes; one places it between two methyl ionone types, with pronounced orris facets and a woody-ambery character. Suppliers present it as a modern replacement for methyl ionones. On its own it can seem dull.

Leading note

Woody violet

Clear facets

Amber

Supporting facets

Orris

Faint facets

Toffee, pine needle

Character

Woody, diffusive, warm, powdery

• woody
• violet
• ionone
• ambery

What makes Koavone distinctive

A violet that leans amber: woodier and warmer than the methyl ionones, with a toffee facet and great diffusion.

Concentration and dilution

At high levels IFF notes an aldehydic, pine-needle effect.

How Koavone is used

Used to boost amber notes and as a modern alternative to methyl ionones in woody-violet and orris compositions.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend); blender (smooths the joins between other materials).

How Koavone differs from similar materials

alpha-Isomethyl Ionone*

Suppliers present Koavone as a methyl-ionone replacement; it is woodier and more ambery, with toffee, where the methyl ionone is velvety violet-orris. (compared directly by a cited source)

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.

Formulation considerations

Covered by an IFRA Standard; check the limit for your product category.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Woody / Powdery

Note position

Heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

(Z)-3,4,5,6,6-Pentamethylhept-3-en-2-one, Pentamethylheptenone

CAS number

81786-73-4

Molecular formula

C12H22O

Molecular weight

182.3 g/mol

IUPAC name

(Z)-3,4,5,6,6-pentamethylhept-3-en-2-one

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 20836197, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Koavone:

• "3,4,5,6,6-Pentamethylhept-3-en-2-one" — Restriction, 51st Amendment, published 2023-06

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 (1,558 reports): H411 toxic to aquatic life with long lasting effects (92.3% of reports); H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (91.6% of reports). 35 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

• alpha-Ionone

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fruity — violet, powdery, fruity, sweet

• beta-Ionone

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Woody — violet, woody, fruity, raspberry

• Iso E Super

  Aroma chemical · Woody / Amber — woody, velvety, amber, cedar

• Methyl Heptine Carbonate

  Aroma chemical · Green / Aquatic — green, violet leaf, cucumber, fatty

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 1 published formula

Koavone is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Verdigris Saddle

  RUŌOD House Creation

Further reading

• Powdery Notes in Perfumery: Iris, Orris and Ionones

  Orris and the ionones at the heart of powdery perfume, the rest of the powdery palette, how to build violet, iris and face-powder accords, and handling.

• Woody Notes in Perfumery: Naturals and Aroma Chemicals

  A map of woody materials — cedarwoods, sandalwood, vetiver, patchouli, smoky woods and woody aroma chemicals — and how to build a woody base.

Questions about Koavone

Sources

• PubChem — compound 20836197, 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.
• IFF — Koavone, via SpecialChem — manufacturer's description.
• The Good Scents Company — Koavone — odour database.
• Fraterworks — Koavone — 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.