Is Velvet Woods natural or synthetic?

A fantasy or concept note, not a single material.

Velvet Woods

AccordWOODS & MOSSESwoody · warm · powdery

BasePyramid

—Strength

—Tenacity

—Origins

Editorial noteWe own no rights to this material, its name or its trademark. This entry is independent editorial journalism, published under freedom of expression.

Specimen

Fantasy/Concept

Definition

In the 2010 version of the fragrance wheel, the Woody family has three subfamilies: Woods, Mossy Woods and Dry Woods.

WARM DRY CREAMY

Type: Accord
Olfactive family: Woods
Subfamily: Dry woods
Cluster: Cedar-like dry woods

Instruments

Pyramid

TTop

HHeart

BBase

Scent

The synthetic woody odorant OTNE has a smooth, woody, amber scent with unique aspects that give a velvet-like sensation. A supplier describes Iso E Super, the same material, as a velvety, transparent dry woody aroma with hints of cedar, ambergris and violet leaf.

In PREMIEREPEAU

DISCOVERY SET7 × 2 ml →EXTRAIT DE PARFUMThe seven extraits →

The Full Story

The woody family

In the 2010 version of the fragrance wheel, the Woody family has three subfamilies: Woods, Mossy Woods and Dry Woods. The examples given are aromatic woods and vetiver for Woods, oakmoss and amber for Mossy Woods, and dry woods and leather for Dry Woods. Commonly used woods in perfumery include sandalwood, rosewood, agarwood, birch, cedar, juniper and pine.

Velvet in woody materials

Iso Velvetone is one of several trade names of OTNE, a synthetic ketone fragrance that is also sold as Iso E Super. OTNE is a synthetic woody odorant and is used as a fragrance ingredient in perfumes, laundry products and cosmetics.

Chemistry and production

OTNE has the formula C₁₆H₂₆O and a molar mass of 234.38 g/mol. The commercial material is a mixture of more than twenty isomeric ketones, and it is made by a Diels-Alder reaction. It is a colourless to pale yellow liquid that boils at about 290 °C and melts below -20 °C.

Origin

Two chemists at a fragrance house created the compound in 1973, and the patent, granted in 1975, also described an enriched single-isomer version. The producer later shifted commercial production toward that isolated isomer.

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Related: Almond Tree · Ambrox Super · Amburana Wood · Amyris · Blonde Woods · Caoutchouc · Cashalox · Cashmir Wood

Did You Know?

The dominant isomer of OTNE, which makes up most of the commercial mixture, is nearly odourless. The characteristic scent comes from a minor constituent, the gamma isomer known as Arborone, which is only a few percent of the mixture.

Extraction & Chemistry

Extraction method

Woods used in perfumery are prepared as macerations or in dry-distilled (rectified) forms.

IFRA status

See note

No IFRA Standard for the material itself (51st Amendment)

In Perfumery

Wood oils and distillates are highly important in providing the base notes to a perfume. Woody perfumes are fragrances dominated by woody notes, typically agarwood, sandalwood, cedarwood, and vetiver. Many resins, wood scents (usually Iso E Super), and amber bases are used as fixatives.

Role in the formula

01modifier

02backbone

03blender

04volume builder

Available as

fragrance accord