In short
Violiff is IFF's cyclooctenyl methyl carbonate, a green violet-leaf note with a fruity banana facet.
What Violiff smells like
IFF, as quoted by The Good Scents Company, describes Violiff as floral, violet leaf, green and tagetes with fruity banana notes; Moellhausen lists floral, violet and banana. One supplier describes a dewy violet-floral with ionone-like powdery smoothness instead.
- Leading note
- Violet leaf
- Clear facets
- Green
- Supporting facets
- Banana, tagetes
- Character
- Fresh
What makes Violiff distinctive
Violet leaf with a banana in it, rather than the cucumber of the nonadienals.
Where the descriptions disagree: One supplier describes a powdery, ionone-like violet rather than the green, banana violet leaf IFF gives.
How Violiff is used
Used up to about 2% for a green violet-leaf effect in violet, floral and green accords.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Violiff differs from similar materials
- Violet Leaf Absolute
- Violet leaf absolute is the intense natural green of the leaves; Violiff is a synthetic violet-leaf note with tagetes and a fruity banana facet.
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
May form acidic compounds when heated; store cool.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Synthetic
- Odour family
- Green / Floral
- Note position
- Top to heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Violet methyl carbonate, (4Z)-Cyclooct-4-en-1-yl methyl carbonate
- CAS number
- 87731-18-8
- Molecular formula
- C10H16O3
- Molecular weight
- 184.23 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- [(4Z)-cyclooct-4-en-1-yl] methyl carbonate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 5463762, 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 (1,414 reports): H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction (100% of reports). 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
-
Violet Leaf Absolute
Absolute · Green / Aquatic — green, leafy, cucumber, watery
-
2,6-Nonadienal
Aroma chemical · Green / Aquatic — cucumber, green, violet leaf, watery
-
alpha-Ionone
Aroma chemical · Powdery / Fruity — violet, powdery, fruity, sweet
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 3 published formulas
Violiff is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas and 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Violiff
Is Violiff natural or synthetic?
Violiff is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Violiff?
87731-18-8. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Violiff?
Violiff is used in 3 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Blackcurrant Signal, Violet Accord and Ylang Rain Shelter. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 5463762, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- The Good Scents Company — Violiff — odour database.
- Fraterworks — Violiff — 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.