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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.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample 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.