beta-Ionone

Say itBAY-tuh-EYE-uh-nohn

Woody violet with red berries, cedar and a dry powdery warmth.

What it is: A molecule made in a lab, first made by Haarmann & Reimer (Tiemann and Krüger) in 1893.
Where it comes from: occurs in boronia and osmanthus
When you smell it: Heart: the first hours.
What perfumers do with it: Woodier ionone for violet, berry and tea accords; a smooth binder in woods and lipstick notes.
Worth knowing: Many people barely smell beta-ionone; a variant in a single smell-receptor gene, OR5A1, largely decides who can.
Known in: Vera Violetta (Roger & Gallet, 1893)
Also called: (E)-4-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-1-enyl)but-3-en-2-one

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

Sources