Z11

What Z11 smells like

Firmenich describes Z11 10 MIP as dry and woody with an ambery side and a strong trigeminal effect, emphasising its dryness, tenacity and sleek elegance, and notes a structure close to Ambrox. Fraterworks explains that Z11 (Ambraketal) was first sold only inside Firmenich's Fixobois base, later as a 10% dilution in IPM, and that an HD version is sold at 8.5% and pure.

Leading note

Dry amber

Clear facets

Woody

Supporting facets

Trigeminal

Character

Dry, tenacious

• ambery
• dry
• woody
• tenacious

What makes Z11 distinctive

A dry, sleek ambery wood with a strong trigeminal effect, close in structure to Ambrox.

Concentration and dilution

Firmenich supplies it as Z11 10 MIP, a 10% solution in isopropyl myristate; the HD version is offered at 8.5% in IPM.

How Z11 is used

Used in heart and base notes for dry ambery-woody effects and as a fixative, usually from its 10% solution.

Typical role: fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes); modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Z11 differs from similar materials

Cetalox

Cetalox is the warmer, more skin-like ambroxide; Z11 is drier and sleeker, with a marked trigeminal effect.

Trimofix O*

Fraterworks likens Trimofix to Z11 with a shorter lifespan and intensity; Z11 is the drier, more tenacious amber, Trimofix the earthier one, with vetiver and smoky tobacco. (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

Firmenich sells it diluted: Z11 10 MIP is 10% Z11 in isopropyl myristate ("MIP" is the French abbreviation), and Z11 HD is offered at 8.5% in IPM. A formula line naming one of these products contains a tenth (or less) of its weight as Z11.

Identity and classification

Type

Aroma chemical

Origin

Synthetic

Odour family

Amber / Woody

Note position

Base note

Physical form at room temperature

Solid

Also known as

Amberketal, Ambraketal, Amber oxepin

CAS number

57345-19-4

Molecular formula

C18H30O2

Molecular weight

278.4 g/mol

IUPAC name

5,5,9,13-tetramethyl-14,16-dioxatetracyclo[11.2.1.01,10.04,9]hexadecane

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 93639, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 25 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 report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (1,336 of 1,450 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

• Ambroxan

  Aroma chemical · Amber / Woody — amber, ambergris, woody, mineral

• Iso E Super

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

• Cedramber

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

Z11 is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Trimofix O.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 10 published formulas

Z11 is an ingredient in 8 perfume formulas and 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

• Aperol Spritz Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Z11 10 MIP”, at 10% in IPM (as supplied)

• Champagne Accord

  Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Z11 10 MIP”, at 10% in IPM (as supplied)

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Black Saddle

  RUŌOD House Original

• Cured Leaf

  RUŌOD House Original

• Harbour Rope

  RUŌOD House Original

• Ivy Wall

  RUŌOD House Original

• Sage Ash

  RUŌOD House Original

• Salt Lantern

  RUŌOD House Creation

• Silver Amber

  RUŌOD House Creation

• Snowlight Amber

  RUŌOD House Original

Further reading

• Building an Amber Accord: Labdanum, Balsams and Vanilla

  What amber means in perfumery (not ambergris, not fossil amber), its building blocks, an illustrative accord, and practical issues of color and sweetness.

Questions about Z11

Sources

• PubChem — compound 93639, checked 25 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• Firmenich — Z11 10 MIP (PE 992964) — manufacturer's description.
• Fraterworks — Z11 10 MIP — distributor's description.
• PubChem — dodecahydro-3,8,8,11a-tetramethyl-5H-3,5a-epoxynaphth[2,1-c]oxepin (CID 93639) — 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.