Clean, transparent, skin-warm musk with a fruity-pear quality. Sylkolide is a macrocyclic lactone that smells like freshly laundered sheets left in sunlight with a bowl of ripe pears near by.
Clean, transparent, faintly fruity-pear, skin-warm. Less powdery than Habanolide, less animalic than Exaltolide, less sweet than Galaxolide. A quiet, modern musk with a fresh-laundry quality and a subtle fruitiness that prevents it from feeling sterile. Like warm clean skin with a whisper of pear.
Sylkolide is a synthetic macrocyclic musk lactone used in contemporary use for its clean, transparent, slightly fruity-musky character. It belongs to the family of macrocyclic musks — large-ring molecules (typically 15-17 atoms) that are considered a standard of musk chemistry due to their naturalness of odor and excellent biodegradability.
The molecule delivers a clean, white-musk character with a particular pear-like fruity quality that sets it apart from other macrocyclics like Exaltolide (more animalic) or Habanolide (more powdery). It has moderate substantivity and good diffusi on.
Macrocyclic musks as a class were inspired by natural muscone (from musk deer) and civetone (from civet cat). Sylkolide represents the industry's movement toward cleaner, more skin-like musks with better environmental profiles than the polycyclic musks (Galaxolide, Tonalide) that dominated the late 20th century.
In formulation, Sylkolide provides a modern, transparent musky base that supports rather than dominates.
This note in Première Peau. Doppel Dänçers · Albâtre Sépia. Sample all seven extraits in the Discovery Set.
Macrocyclic musks like Sylkolide have molecular rings of 15-17 atoms — this specific ring size is critical because rings slightly smaller or larger lose the musk character entirely. The relationship between ring size and musk odor was one of early fragrance chemistry's most puzzling structure-activity relationships.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Fully synthetic — produced via macrolactonization chemistry. No natural source. The manufacturing process involves ring-closure reactions to form the characteristic large-ring lactone structure. Part of the macrocyclic musk family modeled on natural muscone.
Molecular Formula
C₁₆H₂₈O₃
CAS Number
676532-44-8
Botanical Name
N/A - synthetic molecule
IFRA Status
No known restrictions
Synonyms
Synthetis musk, musk ketone
Physical Properties
Odor Strength
Medium
Lasting Power
> 200 hours
Appearance
White to off-white crystalline powder or liquid
Boiling Point
330.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Flash Point
> 230.00 °F. TCC (> 110.00 °C.)
Specific Gravity
0.93700 to 0.94300 @ 25.00 °C.
In Perfumery
Sylkolide is a macrocyclic musk lactone functioning as a transparent, clean base note. Its fruity-pear quality distinguishes it from other macrocyclics. Used in clean, sheer, and contemporary compositions where musk must be present but not assertive. Excellent as a base-note blender — it supports floral, fruity, and woody hearts without competing. Part of the industry shift from polycyclic musks (environmental concerns) to macrocyclic musks (biodegradable, more natural odor).
