Stone
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Dry, cold, mineral. The smell of lithic surfaces: wet flagstone, sun-baked limestone, the interior of a cave. Stone has no volatile compounds, yet everyone recognizes the smell.
Scent
The Full Story
Did You Know?
Geosmin, the molecule responsible for wet-stone smell, can be detected by the human nose at 5 parts per trillion. Humans are more sensitive to geosmin than sharks are to blood.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method
No extraction from stone. Geosmin is commercially available as a synthetic.
- Formula
- N/A — not a single compound
- CAS
- N/A — mineral olfactory accord
- Botanical
- N/A — mineral accord
- Appearance
- Colorless to pale yellow clear liquid
- Odour strength
- Medium
- Lasting power
- > 200 hours
- Synonyms
- MINERALS ROCKY NOTES
Not applicable: accord or concept, not a single material
- Note
- Stone is a mineral olfactory concept in perfumery, evoking petrichor, wet slate, and lithic facets. Achieved with geosmin (CAS 19700-21-1), ozonic molecules, and mineral accords.
In Perfumery
Textural base note providing mineral, architectural grounding. Built from geosmin, ambroxan, vetiver, Safraleine, and dry musks. Essential in mineral, urban, and ruins-themed compositions.