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Benzophenone

Q: Is Benzophenone natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Produced synthetically by Friedel-Crafts acylation of benzene with benzoyl chloride. Entirely industrial. Large-scale production for the cosmetics and plastics industries..

FUNCTIONAL / COSMETIC CHEMISTRY / floral · rosy · sweet

Benzophenone

Category	FUNCTIONAL / COSMETIC CHEMISTRY
Subcategory	floral · rosy · sweet
Origin
Volatility	Base Note
Botanical	N/A — synthetic molecule
Appearance	White crystalline solid with a rose-like odor
Producing Countries	China, India, United States
Pyramid	Base

Faint, sweet-rosy with a metallic, slightly geranium-like quality. Benzophenone is more sunscreen ingredient than perfume note — a UV absorber with a whisper of aroma.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Very faint, sweet-floral, with a metallic-geranium quality. Low volatility limits olfactory impact — the molecule is a solid at room temperature. Not used for its scent. Barely detectable under normal conditions.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Very faint sweet-floral if detectable at all.

After a few hours

Essentially odorless at normal concentrations.

After a few days

No olfactory evolution. Functional UV absorber.

The Full Story

CAS 119-61-9. Diphenyl ketone. A crystalline solid with a faint, sweet, slightly rosy-geranium aroma. Benzophenone is primarily known as a UV absorber — it and its derivatives (oxybenzone, etc.) are among the most common sunscreen actives.

The scent is faint — a mild, sweet-floral quality with a metallic-geranium edge. It is not used as a fragrance ingredient; its inclusion in perfumery glossaries is due to its ubiquity in cosmetic formulations and its status as an EU-listed allergen (some benzophenone derivatives require declaration).

In cosmetics, benzophenone absorbs UV radiation by converting it to heat — a photochemical process that protects other formula ingredients (including fragrances) from UV degradation. Many fragranced sunscreens contain both benzophenone derivatives and traditional perfume ingredients.

Explore all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Did You Know?

Did you know?

Benzophenone and its derivatives have come under environmental scrutiny — oxybenzone (benzophenone-3) was banned from sunscreens in Hawaii in 2021 and Palau in 2020 due to evidence of coral reef damage at concentrations as low as 62 parts per trillion.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Produced synthetically by Friedel-Crafts acylation of benzene with benzoyl chloride. Entirely industrial. Large-scale production for the cosmetics and plastics industries.

Molecular Formula	C13H10O
CAS Number	119-61-9
Botanical Name	N/A — synthetic molecule
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Diphenyl ketone, Benzoylbenzene
Physical Properties
Appearance	White crystalline solid with a rose-like odor
Boiling Point	305.00 to 307.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point	> 212.00 °F. TCC ( > 100.00 °C. )
Melting Point	47.00 to 51.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg

In Perfumery

Not a fragrance ingredient. Benzophenone's relevance to perfumery is functional — as a UV absorber in fragranced products, it protects photosensitive fragrance molecules from degradation. Some benzophenone derivatives appear on EU allergen lists. Perfumers encounter benzophenone as a formulation additive, not as an odorant.