Massoia Lactone

What Massoia Lactone smells like

Massoia lactone is described consistently as a sweet, creamy, milky coconut: Wikipedia lists sweet, coconut meat, lactonic, creamy, milky and waxy, and its taste at 20 ppm is creamy and coconut-like with a slight fruitiness. One source notes that the (R)-form has the characteristic coconut fragrance and the (S)-form a buttery one. Massoia bark extracts add nuance; a forum reviewer found a CO2 extract creamy, lactonic and tropical with a slight celery tint.

Leading note

Sweet coconut meat

Clear facets

Milky

Supporting facets

Waxy

Faint facets

Fruity

Character

Creamy, sweet, powerful, milky

• coconut
• creamy
• sweet
• milky

What makes Massoia Lactone distinctive

Fresh coconut meat, sweet and milky — a natural lactone, from massoia bark, with an unusually direct coconut.

How Massoia Lactone is used

Used in coconut, creamy gourmand and tropical accords, as a lactonic boost in white florals, and in coconut and dairy flavours.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Massoia Lactone differs from similar materials

gamma-Nonalactone (Aldehyde C-18)

gamma-Nonalactone is oilier and more buttery; massoia lactone is sweeter and milkier coconut meat.

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

Potent; use sparingly. Massoia bark oil itself can be a skin irritant, so check the IFRA position for the natural if you use it.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Occurs in nature

Odour family

Gourmand / Fruity

Note position

Heart to base note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Massoilactone, 6-Pentyl-5,6-dihydro-2H-pyran-2-one

CAS number

51154-96-2

Molecular formula

C10H16O2

Molecular weight

168.23 g/mol

IUPAC name

(2R)-2-pentyl-2,3-dihydropyran-6-one

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 642793, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Massoia Lactone:

• "Massoia lactone" — Prohibition, 48th Amendment, published 2018-01

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 (1,650 reports): H315 causes skin irritation (100% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (99.8% of 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

• delta-Decalactone

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Fruity — creamy, milky, coconut, buttery

• Vanillin

  Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy

• Coumarin

  Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fougère — hay, sweet, almond, tobacco

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists Massoia Lactone here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Building a Gourmand Accord: Vanilla, Caramel and Beyond

  The materials of gourmand perfume — vanillin, ethyl maltol, coumarin, lactones, roasted notes — how to keep them wearable, and color and crystal problems.

Questions about Massoia Lactone

Sources

• PubChem — compound 642793, 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 — Massoia lactone — published perfumery reference.
• The Good Scents Company — massoia lactone — odour database.
• Basenotes — massoia bark (forum) — published perfumery reference.
• 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.