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Copper

Q: Is Copper natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: No extraction. Copper is an element (Cu, atomic number 29). The metallic smell associated with copper on skin is caused by 1-octen-3-one, produced when copper ions catalyze the decomposition of skin lipids..

NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD / metallic · fresh · warm

Copper

Category	NATURAL AND SYNTHETIC, POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategory	metallic · fresh · warm
Origin
Volatility	Top Note
Botanical	N/A (metallic element)
Appearance	dark grey to black powder
Producing Countries	Chile, Peru, China, Democratic Republic of the Congo, United States
Pyramid	Top

Metallic, slightly bloody, warm-mineral. The smell of a handful of old pennies or tap water running through copper pipes on a hot day.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Sharp, cold metallic tang with a faint blood-like warmth underneath. Like holding old coins in a sweaty palm. Drier and less sweet than iron or rust notes. Slightly ozonic.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Sharp metallic tang, cold and slightly bloody

After a few hours

Mineral warmth develops, less sharp, more skin-like

After a few days

Faint metallic residue, barely perceptible

The Full Story

Copper is not a perfumery raw material in any traditional sense. It is an olfactory concept: the specific metallic, slightly sanguine smell produced when copper ions interact with skin oils and sweat. The key molecule responsible is 1-octen-3-one, generated when copper catalyzes the oxidation of lipids on human skin.

In fragrance, a copper accord is reconstructed using metallic-mineral notes, often built around Safraleine, metallic musks, and blood-orange aldehyde qualities.

The note functions as a modifier that adds an industrial, urban, or avant-garde quality to compositions. It is inherently cold and slightly unsettling, which makes it useful for tension and contrast.

This note in Première Peau. Simili Mirage · Gravitas Capitale. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

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Related: Alder · Alpha Humulene · Amaranth · Amberever · Ambramone · Amburana Bark · Antillone · Apple Tree

Did You Know?

Did you know?

The metallic smell of copper on skin is not copper itself. A 2006 study in Angewandte Chemie identified 1-octen-3-one as the volatile responsible, produced by copper-catalyzed oxidation of human skin oils.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: No extraction. Copper is an element (Cu, atomic number 29). The metallic smell associated with copper on skin is caused by 1-octen-3-one, produced when copper ions catalyze the decomposition of skin lipids.

Molecular Formula	Cu
CAS Number	7440-50-8
Botanical Name	N/A (metallic element)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	CUPRUM
Physical Properties
Lasting Power	24 hours
Appearance	dark grey to black powder
Boiling Point	117.10 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg (est)
Flash Point	32.00 °F. TCC ( 0.00 °C. ) (est)
Specific Gravity	4.71000 @ 25.00 °C.
Melting Point	200.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg

In Perfumery

Conceptual modifier used to inject metallic coldness and mineral tension into compositions. Not a raw material but a reconstructed accord. Typical building blocks include Safraleine, metallic aldehydes, and mineral-ozonic molecules. Compatible with leather, dark florals, wet-stone accords, and aquatic-mineral themes.