Database/Fragrance/Damascenone
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Damascenone natural?

It depends. A rose-ketone odorant whose value follows the citral it is built from; the acetone-derived part is petrochemical either way.

INCI nameDamascenone
CAS23696-85-7
FormulaC13H18O · 190.28 Da
FunctionFragrance · Perfuming
FeedstockCitral (natural or petrochemical) and petrochemical acetone.

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
natural-citral synthesiscitral from lemongrass or Litsea cubeba oil condensed with acetone (petrochemical) and cyclised/rearranged0.71natural-fragrance gradesthe C10 terpene fragment (about 71% of the mass) is natural; the acetone-derived carbons are petrochemical
petrochemical synthesiscitral or pseudoionone built from petrochemical isobutene/acetone chemistry0.00bulk gradesno natural-origin atoms
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Damascenone C13H20O 192.3 Da is built from a citral-type C10 terpene fragment (natural or petrochemical) and acetone (petrochemical), like the ionones and delta-damascone on this site. Natural-citral route about 136/192 = 0.71; petrochemical route 0.0.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

Where it comes from

Citral (natural or petrochemical) and petrochemical acetone.

In plain English

A powerful fruity-rose fragrance ingredient used in perfumes at very low doses. Though related compounds occur naturally in roses, the commercial ingredient is produced by chemical synthesis.

CosIng definition: Damascenone is the organic compound that conforms to the formula below. (Rose Ketones is the term identified in Annex III to EC Regulation No.1223/2009 for labeling this ingredient in the EU)

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Structure

2D structure of Damascenone

1-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohexa-1,3-dien-1-yl)but-2-en-1-one

PubChem CID 62775 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Damascenone. PubChem CID 62775. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3DAMASCENONE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4DAMASCENONE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=DAMASCENONE