Home › Glossary › Karmaflor®

Karmaflor®

Q: Is Karmaflor® natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Synthetic molecule. Manufactured through chemical synthesis. Not derived from natural lily of the valley, which produces no extractable essential oil despite its strong scent..

FLOWERS / floral · fresh · fruity

Karmaflor®

Category	FLOWERS
Subcategory	floral · fresh · fruity
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A — synthetic molecule
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Switzerland (a major aroma-chemical supplier — captive molecule)
Pyramid	Heart

Floral, green, and radiant. Karmaflor is a synthetic floral molecule with a muguet (lily of the valley) orientation — clean, dewy, and slightly green, with a radiant transparency.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Clean, dewy, and green-floral with a muguet character. Transparent rather than dense. The green quality distinguishes it from purely sweet floral molecules. Less waxy than hydroxycitronellal. Potentially less potent than Lilial (which is now restricted).

The overall impression is of wet flower stems in spring — cool, fresh, and slightly aqueous.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Dewy, green-floral — fresh muguet, wet stems

After a few hours

Softer, warmer floral — less green, more rounded

After a few days

Faint, clean, floral trace — gentle and transparent

The Full Story

Karmaflor is a synthetic floral ingredient designed to provide clean, transparent muguet-type (lily of the valley) character. Lily of the valley is a important floral notes in perfumery, yet the natural flower yields no extractable essential oil — every muguet note in perfumery is synthetic.

The key synthetic muguet molecules include hydroxycitronellal, Lyral (now restricted), Lilial (now restricted by EU), Bourgeonal, and Florol. Karmaflor enters this space as a contemporary alternative, offering the dewy, green-floral character of muguet with compliance-friendly chemistry.

Muguet molecules are among the highest-volume fragrance ingredients globally, appearing in a significant percentage of all commercial fragrances — from fine perfumery to laundry detergent. The ongoing restriction of older muguet molecules (Lilial banned in EU from 2022, Lyral restricted) has created strong demand for safe alternatives.

This note in Première Peau. Nuit Elastique · Rose Monotone. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.

—

Did You Know?

Did you know?

Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) is one of perfumery's great paradoxes: a recognizable floral scents in the world, yet impossible to extract from the actual flower. Every muguet note ever sold — in any perfume — is entirely synthetic.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Synthetic molecule. Manufactured through chemical synthesis. Not derived from natural lily of the valley, which produces no extractable essential oil despite its strong scent.

Molecular Formula	C₁₄H₁₈O₃
CAS Number	873888-84-7
Botanical Name	N/A — synthetic molecule
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	KARMAFLOR
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow liquid
Boiling Point	324.94 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg (est)
Flash Point	263.00 °F. TCC ( 128.40 °C. ) (est)

In Perfumery

Karmafl or functions as a heart note providing clean, transparent muguet florality. It is a modern alternative to restricted muguet molecules (Lilial, Lyral). Useful in floral, fresh, muguet, and green fragrance families. The ongoing EU restrictions on older muguet ingredients (Lilial banned 2022, Lyral restricted) make compliant alternatives commercially important.