N/A (macrocyclic ketone; naturally from Viverra civetta)
Appearance
White to off-white crystalline powder or liquid
Odor Strength
Medium
Producing Countries
Synthetic production: China, Germany, Japan
Pyramid
Base
The warm, musky, faintly animalic molecule central to civet. Civettone is a macrocyclic ketone -- the clean, diffusive musk extracted from one of perfumery's most controversial natural sources.
Warm, musky, distinctly animalic with a faecal undertone that becomes pleasant at extreme dilution. At functional perfumery concentrations: a warm, diffusive, skin-like musk with a faintly sweet, almost honied quality. More animalic than muscone (from musk deer), less clean than synthetic white musks. The warmth is bodily and intimate.
Evolution over time
Immediately
Immediately
Warm animalic musk, faintly faecal, diffusive
After a few hours
After a few hours
Sweetens and softens, skin-like warmth, honied musk
After a few days
After a few days
Deep, tenacious, warm musk -- very persistent
The Full Story
Civettone (CAS 542-46-1, 9-cycloheptadecen-1-one) is a macrocyclic ketone and the primary odorant of civet absolute -- the secretion collected from the perineal glands of the African civet (Civettictis civetta). It is a 17-membered ring ketone with a warm, musky, distinctly animalic character that becomes pleasant and diffusive at low concentrations.
At high concentrations, civettone is powerfully animalic and faecal. At trace levels, it provides warmth, radiance, and a subtle skin-like sensuality. This concentration-dependent character is typical of macrocyclic musks. Natural civettone is now rarely used due to animal welfare concerns; the molecule is commercially synthesised.
In perfumery, civettone functions as a base-note musk with excellent tenacity and diffusi on. It provides warmth, animalic depth, and a tactile, skin-like quality. It is historically central to the animalic quality of chypre and amber compositions.
This note in Première Peau. Doppel Dänçers · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Leopold Ruzicka determined civettone's structure in 1926 as a 17-membered ring ketone -- a macrocyclic structure that chemists of the time thought impossible. This work contributed to his 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, which he shared with Adolf Butenandt.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Historically, civettone was obtained from civet absolute (solvent extraction of civet paste from the perineal glands of captive African civets). Due to animal welfare concerns, natural civet is now rarely used. Civettone is commercially manufactured by chemical synthesis.
Molecular Formula
C₁₇H₃₀O
CAS Number
542-46-1
Botanical Name
N/A (macrocyclic ketone; naturally from Viverra civetta)
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
civetone
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Appearance
White to off-white crystalline powder or liquid
Boiling Point
342.00 °C @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
> 230.00 °F. TCC ( > 110.00 °C. )
Specific Gravity
0.92000 @ 25.00 °C.
Melting Point
32.50 °C
In Perfumery
Civettone (CAS 542-46-1) is a macrocyclic musk ketone providing warm, animalic, diffusive base-note character. At trace levels, it reads as a warm, skin-like musk. Historically obtained from civet absolute (Civettict is civett a perineal gland secreti on), now primarily synthesised. Central to the animalic quality of chypre and amber families. Excellent tenacity and diffusi on.
