alpha-Damascone

Say itAL-fuh-DAM-uh-skohn

Rosy apple and blackcurrant with fruity, slightly minty-woody sweetness.

What it is: A molecule made in a lab, first made by Firmenich in 1968.
Where it comes from: traces in rose and tea
When you smell it: Heart: the first hours.
What perfumers do with it: Trace amounts add fruity-rose radiance and diffusion to florals, fruity chypres and orientals.
Worth knowing: Guerlain's Nahema was the first perfume to use synthetic alpha-damascone in large amounts.
Known in: Nahema (Guerlain, 1979); Poison (Dior, 1985); Sun (Jil Sander, 1989)
Rules: Limited. IFRA 'rose ketones' limit; EU caps at 0.02% and labels
Also called: Rose ketone-1; (E)-1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-2-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one

Not on the label of any of the 232 perfumes read so far.

Sources