Phantolide

CAS 15323-35-0. Molecular formula C₁₇H₂₄O, MW 244.37. Phantolide is 6-acetyl-1,1,2,3,3,5-hexamethylindane (AHMI) — a polycyclic musk of the acetylindane family. It is one of five major polycyclic musks alongside Galaxolide (HHCB), Tonalide (AHTN), Celestolide (ADBI), and Traseolide (ATII). Of these, Galaxolide and Tonalide account for roughly 95% of the European market and 90% of the US market. Phantolide, Celestolide, and Traseolide split the remaining fraction.

The odor is sweet-musky with a faintly animal, slightly sour-sweaty undertone and notable tenacity. It is less sweet than Galaxolide, less floral than Tonalide, less powdery than musk ketone. The character reads as 'clean' in the industrial sense — detergent-adjacent, not skin-adjacent. On blotter it is stable and largely unevolving; there is no real arc. It develops a sour note during prolonged storage in closed containers.

Phantolide melts at approximately 35–58°C, presenting as an off-white crystalline mass at room temperature. It is soluble in ethanol and standard perfumery solvents. Effective musky character appears above 100 ppm, but concentrations beyond 4–5% create imbalance unless supported by materials of comparable evaporation rate. It works with ionones, sandalwood bases, and non-floral high-boiling materials.

Like all polycyclic musks, phantolide is lipophilic (logP ≈ 4.5) and environmentally persistent. It survives conventional wastewater treatment largely intact and has been detected in surface waters, sewage sludge, and aquatic organisms. This environmental profile has driven regulatory pressure and a broader industry shift toward macrocyclic and alicyclic musk alternatives.

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Related: Celestolide · Cheese · Nirvanolide · Sclareol · Tires · Tolu Balsam · Traseolide