Fragrance Note
Aldehydes
Used in 160+ fragrances on FragranVerse
What it smells like
Aldehydes in perfumery refers principally to a small group of fatty long-chain aliphatic aldehydes. C-8 (octanal, CAS 124-13-0), C-9 (nonanal), C-10 (decanal, CAS 112-31-2), C-11 (undecanal), C-12 (dodecanal lauric, CAS 112-54-9) and C-12 MNA (methyl nonyl acetaldehyde). That introduced a particular metallic-soapy-fatty-waxy character to twentieth-century perfumery. The 'aldehydic' note that defines Chanel No 5 (1921) is principally this family. Chemically, aldehyde simply means R-CHO (an aldehyde functional group), and many other perfumery materials are aldehydes by chemistry: vanillin, cinnamaldehyde, citral, hydroxycitronellal, benzaldehyde. But 'aldehydic' as a perfumery note refers specifically to the fatty C-8 to C-12 family.
How it's used in perfumery
Top-note amplifiers, diffusion boosters, and transparency agents. Aliphatic aldehydes (C-8 through C-13) function as scent highlighters. They project the heart outward and make surrounding materials brighter and more radiant. Key members and their CAS numbers: octanal (C-8, 124-13-0, orange-peel sharpness), nonanal (C-9, 124-19-6, waxy-citrus-rose), decanal (C-10, 112-31-2, sweet waxy orange-rind), undecanal (C-11, 112-44-7, fresh linen clarity), dodecanal (C-12 lauric, 112-54-9, soapy-waxy-fatty diffusion), and 2-methylundecanal (C-12 MNA, 110-41-8, metallic amber sparkle).
Fun fact
The naming convention for perfumery aldehydes is notoriously confusing. Aldehyde C-12 MNA (2-methylundecanal) has only 11 carbon atoms in its main chain. The C-12 designation counts the total carbons including the methyl branch. Meanwhile, Aldehyde C-12 Lauric (dodecanal) is a completely different molecule with a straight 12-carbon chain.
Perfumes with Aldehydes(80 of 160)
Middle East
(2)Designer
(28)
Niche
(50)