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Serenolide

Q: Is Serenolide natural or synthetic?

. Extraction: Fully synthetic. Proprietary production process. Manufactured as a specialty aroma chemical..

POPULAR AND WEIRD / musky · floral · powdery

Serenolide

Category	POPULAR AND WEIRD
Subcategory	musky · floral · powdery
Origin
Volatility	Heart Note
Botanical	N/A - synthetic musk (a major aroma-chemical supplier)
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Odor Strength	Medium
Producing Countries	Switzerland
Pyramid	Heart

Soft, watery-floral, transparent. A synthetic musk with a lily-of-the-valley freshness — clean without being soapy, watery without being ozonic.

Scent
The Full Story
Fun Fact
Extraction & Chemistry
In Perfumery

Scent

Watery-floral musk with a lily-of-the-valley freshness and a transparent, dewy quality. Less dense than Habanolide, less powdery than Galaxolide. The musky element is present but subordinate to the watery-floral impression. On skin, it reads as clean dew on petals — minimal, sheer, and quiet.

Evolution over time

Immediately

Soft watery-floral freshness, muguet-like

After a few hours

Gentle musky warmth, transparent and close to skin

After a few days

Barely-there musk residue, clean and quiet

The Full Story

Serenolide is a proprietary synthetic molecule with a musky-floral, watery character. It belongs to the family of modern musks that bridge the gap between traditional musk warmth and transparent freshness — neither purely clean nor purely animalic.

The scent profile is soft and dewy: a watery-floral quality similar to of lily-of-the-valley, paired with a gentle musky base. It is less powdery than Galaxolide, less sweet than Ethylene Brassylate, and more transparent than most macrocyclic musks. The effect is of clean skin after rain — fresh, alive, unadorned.

Serenolide finds particular use in sheer floral compositions, skin scents, and modern feminines where heaviness is unwanted. Its transparency makes it a useful base for compositions that need to feel weightless while still having enough substance to last on skin.

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?

The 'serenity' in the name reflects the molecule's olfactory character — it is one of the quietest, most transparent musks available to perfumers, designed to provide presence without personality.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method: Fully synthetic. Proprietary production process. Manufactured as a specialty aroma chemical.

Molecular Formula	C18 H32 O3
CAS Number	477218-42-1
Botanical Name	N/A - synthetic musk (a major aroma-chemical supplier)
IFRA Status	No known restrictions
Synonyms	Serenolide, 1,4-Dimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-carboxaldehyde
Physical Properties
Odor Strength	Medium
Appearance	Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
Boiling Point	367.72 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg (est)
Flash Point	309.00 °F. TCC ( 153.90 °C. ) (est)

In Perfumery

Serenolide is a base-note musk that provides transparent, watery-floral support. It functions as a sheer foundation for compositions that need lightness — modern florals, skin scents, and clean fragrances. Its watery-muguet character makes it a bridge between floral heart notes and musky bases, ensuring a smooth transition rather than a sharp drop-off. Pairs with Hedione, Iso E Super, and other modern diffusive materials.