In short
Tabanon is Symrise's megastigmatrienone, a carotenoid-derived ketone found in tobacco. JECFA describes a fruity, floral, tobacco-like aroma.
What Tabanon smells like
JECFA, as published by PubChem, describes megastigmatrienone as a clear to pale yellowish liquid with a fruity, floral, tobacco-like aroma. PubChem links it to a natural-product database. Fraterworks describes a warm, sweet blond-tobacco character with prominent dried-fruit nuances of prune and apricot and rounded, acorn-like facets.
- Leading note
- Tobacco
- Clear facets
- Fruity
- Supporting facets
- Floral
- Character
- Warm
What makes Tabanon distinctive
A tobacco note with fruit and flowers in it, from the carotenoid family of the damascones and ionones.
Concentration and dilution
Fraterworks lists 10% as a common dilution and calls it one of perfumery's most potent materials: start with the smallest additions, since overdosing flattens a composition.
How Tabanon is used
Fraterworks uses it for radiant tobacco accords, warm balsamic depth in orientals and a clean tobacco character in masculine fragrances.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Tabanon differs from similar materials
- Tobacco Absolute
- Tobacco absolute is the whole cured leaf, hay, honey and dried fruit; Tabanon is a single molecule of the damascone-ionone family, tobacco with fruity and floral facets.
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
Commercial megastigmatrienone is a mixture of isomers; PubChem records this number as one structure without stereochemistry.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Leather / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Megastigmatrienone, 4-(2-Butenylidene)-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one
- CAS number
- 13215-88-8
- Molecular formula
- C13H18O
- Molecular weight
- 190.28 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 4-but-2-enylidene-3,5,5-trimethylcyclohex-2-en-1-one
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 107631, 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 (101 reports): H302 harmful if swallowed (100% 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
-
Tobacco Absolute
Absolute · Leather / Gourmand — tobacco, honey, hay, leathery
-
beta-Damascenone
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Floral — fruity, cooked apple, plum, rose
-
Hay Absolute
Absolute · Green / Gourmand — hay, coumarinic, tobacco, herbal
Tabanon is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Tobacco Flower Absolute.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 9 published formulas
Tabanon is an ingredient in 6 perfume formulas and 3 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Tabanon
Is Tabanon natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Tabanon 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 Tabanon?
13215-88-8. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Tabanon?
Tabanon is used in 9 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Apple Cellar, Cured Leaf and Dark Rum Cabinet. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 107631, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- PubChem — 4-(2-Butenylidene)-3,5,5-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-one (CID 107631): JECFA organoleptic description — odour database.
- Fraterworks — Tabanon — distributor's description.
- 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.