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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 useful base for compositions that need to feel weightless while still having enough substance to last on skin.

Explore 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.