Clean, musky-sweet with a warm, animalic undertone. Cyclopentadecanolide smells like warm skin after a bath — soft, musky, slightly powdery, effortlessly natural.
Clean, soft, warm musk. Slightly animalic — closer to natural musk than polycyclic musks. Sweet-powdery with a woody undertone. More natural-smelling than Galaxolide, less aggressive than musk ketone, warmer than Helvetolide. The skin-musk quality is its defining character. Persistent and substantive — excellent tenacity on skin and fabric.
Sweet-powdery heart. Woody undertone develops. Natural musk character deepens.
After a few days
After a few days
Persistent warm-musk base. Skin-intimate. Excellent longevity on fabric.
The Full Story
CAS 106-02-5. A macrocyclic musk lactone — a 15-membered ring lactone that is one of the closest synthetic analogues to natural muscone in olfactory character. Also known as Exaltolide (a trade name).
The scent is clean, musky, and natural-smelling, with a warm, slightly animalic quality that distinguishes it from polycyclic musks (Galaxolide, Tonalide). There is a sweet, powdery quality and a faint woody undertone. The molecule reads as 'skin' — the warm, clean musk of freshly bathed skin. It is a natural-smelling musks available.
Cyclopentadecanolide belongs to the macrocyclic musk family — large-ring lactones and ketones that biodegradable and environmentally preferable to polycyclic and nitro musks. Their superior environmental profile has driven increased adoption in 'clean' and 'green' formulation trends.
Cyclopentadecanolide was one of the first macrocyclic musks synthesized — in the 1920s by Leopold Ružička, who won the 1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry partly for this work on macrocyclic compounds and terpenes.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Produced synthetically by lactonization of 15-hydroxypentadecanoic acid. The synthesis of macrocyclic musks is technically challenging — forming large rings is inherently difficult in organic chemistry — which makes them more expensive than polycyclic musks. However, improved synthetic routes have reduced costs over the past two decades.
Molecular Formula
C15H28O2
CAS Number
106-02-5
Botanical Name
N/A - synthetic macrocyclic musk (Exaltolide)
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Exaltolide, Macrolide C15, Pentalide
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
> 400 hours at 10.00%
Appearance
Colorless solid
Boiling Point
137.00 °C. @ 2.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
> 220.00 °F. TCC ( > 104.44 °C. )
Melting Point
34.00 to 38.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
In Perfumery
Base note and fixative in skin-scent, musky, and clean compositions. Cyclopentadecanolide provides natural-smelling musk character with excellent longevity. It is used in skin-scent compositions, clean-musky bases, and as a fixative that adds warm, intimate depth. As a macrocyclic musk, it is biodegradable and increasingly specified by brands committed to environmental responsibility. Pairs with ambroxan, white musks, sandalwood, and transparent florals.
