Delta-Decalactone (CAS 705-86-2) — Sweet Top Note Fragrance Ingredient
Delta-Decalactone
CAS 705-86-2
What Is Delta-Decalactone?
Delta-Decalactone is a creamy, peach-like aroma molecule found naturally in fruits like peaches and coconuts. You’ll encounter it in fruity perfumes, gourmand fragrances, and some dairy flavorings. This ingredient adds a rich, lactonic quality that bridges fruity and milky notes. It’s prized for its ability to create velvety textures in fragrance, making scents feel more luxurious and rounded. A little goes a long way in crafting that ‘just-ripe’ fruit character.
Safety Profile
GENERALLY SAFE
What Does Delta-Decalactone Smell Like?
Delta-Decalactone bursts with the juicy sweetness of sun-warmed peaches, evolving into a creamy coconut milk richness. The initial lactonic sharpness softens into a velvety embrace, like ripe fruit dipped in sweet cream. Unlike simpler fruity notes, it carries depth – imagine peach skin rubbed with vanilla bean and a drop of condensed milk. In drydown, it leaves a faintly waxy, coconut-husk impression that blends beautifully with woody bases.
Scent Profile
In Famous Fragrances
Fragrance associations may not reflect actual formulations.
Delta-Decalactone forms the luscious peach core here, balanced with osmanthus to avoid cloying sweetness. The lactonic quality makes the fruit note feel dewy and alive rather than candied.
Used sparingly to add a peachy roundness to the vanilla, preventing it from becoming too flat or powdery. The coconut facet emerges subtly in the drydown.
2D Molecular Structure
SMILES: CCCCCC1CCCC(=O)O1
Chemistry, Properties & Perfumer Guide
The Chemistry
Delta-Decalactone is a ten-carbon gamma-lactone with the molecular formula C10H18O2. Naturally occurring in many stone fruits and dairy products, it’s typically synthesized via cyclization of 10-hydroxydecanoic acid or through yeast fermentation. The delta isomer is particularly impactful olfactorily due to its specific ring strain and conformational stability. Unlike smaller lactones, its longer carbon chain provides both fruity and creamy characteristics.
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Boiling Point | 281 °C |
|---|---|
| Density | 0.95 g/cm³ |
| Flash Point | >110 °C |
| Refractive Index | 1.446-1.452 |
Perfumer Guide
| Application | Typical % | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Fragrance | 0.5-2% | Up to 5% | Adds fruity creaminess |
| Body Care | 0.1-0.5% | Up to 1% | Skin-safe fruity modifier |
| Candles | 0.5-3% | Up to 5% | Performs well in hot throw |
Classic Accords
+ Osmanthus + Sandalwood = Fruity Chypre
+ Coconut + Tuberose = Tropical
Tip: Use with ionones to create a more photorealistic peach effect.
Alternatives & Comparisons
More intensely peachy but less creamy. Better for fresh fruit effects where dairy notes would be unwanted.
Longer carbon chain provides more coconut character, useful when building tropical or suntan oil effects.
Safety, Regulatory & Sustainability
⚠ Regulatory Disclaimer
General reference only. IFRA, REACH, EU Cosmetics Regulation standards update periodically. Consult current IFRA Standards Library before formulating. Not legal or regulatory advice.
IFRA Status
No restrictions under IFRA 51st Amendment.
RIFM Assessment
RIFM assessment confirms safe use at current industry levels.
Sustainability
Most delta-decalactone is synthesized from plant-derived sebacic acid, making it more sustainable than extraction from natural sources. Fermentation routes using yeast are gaining traction as green chemistry alternatives. The molecule’s potency means small quantities suffice, reducing environmental load versus less powerful aroma chemicals.
Explore Delta-Decalactone
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Industry & Science Data
References
- Burdock, G.A. (2010). Fenaroli’s Handbook of Flavor Ingredients. CRC Press. ISBN 9781420090772
Data: PubChem (NIH), PubMed, RIFM, IFRA. Last reviewed: Mar 2026.
Ingredient Data Sheet
CAS 705-86-2Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 170.25 g/mol🔬 PubChem |
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 2.5🔬 PubChem |
| Boiling Point | 117 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Flash Point | 82 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| log Kp (skin permeability) | -1.964💻 Calculated |
| SMILES | CCCCCC1CCCC(=O)O1🔬 PubChem |
Volatility & Performance
| Fragrance Note | Top💻 Calculated |
Odor & Flavor
| Primary Descriptors | butterycreamymilkynuttypeachsweet• leffingwell |
| Functional Groups | esterether💻 RDKit |
| “Very powerful and very tenacious, sweet creamy, Nut-like odor with a heavy fruity undertone. The undiluted material displays a rather coumarinic sharpness in its topnote, but at concentrations of 0.1% or lower, it seems to grow in volume, sweetness and oily-creamy softness.”📖 Arctander | |
| d-Decalactone has an oily, peach odor and taste.📖 Fenaroli | |
Flavor Notes (Arctander)
| “The taste is creamy, sweet Coconut-Peach-Milk-like in concentrations below 2 ppm. Minimum perceptible is well below 0.1 ppm, which puts the subject material in the class of very powerful flavor chemicals. Blending the material with gamma-Decalactone and delta-Dodecalactone will often result in a dis”📖 Arctander |
Sensory Thresholds
| Odor Detection Threshold | 0.6543 ppm (n=26)📖 van Gemert |
Regulatory Status
| FEMA Number | FEMA 2361⚖️ FEMA GRAS |
| GRAS Status | Generally Recognized as Safe⚖️ FEMA GRAS |
| IOFI Classification | Nature Identical📖 Fenaroli |
Physical data: PubChem (NIH/NLM), U.S. EPA CompTox Dashboard, EPA OPERA models, RDKit. Odor & flavor: Arctander (Perfume & Flavor Chemicals), Fenaroli's Handbook of Flavor Ingredients, Leffingwell. Thresholds: van Gemert (Compilations of Odour Threshold Values). Regulatory: IFRA Standards 51st, FEMA GRAS. Trade names: Surburg (Common Fragrance & Flavor Materials). All data compiled and cross-referenced for perfumertools.com.
Physicochemical Properties
DTXSID: DTXSID0044496
Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 170.252 g/mol🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Density | 0.959 g/cm^3🔬 EPA CTX |
| Boiling Point | 281 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Melting Point | -27 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Flash Point | 94.15 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Refractive Index | 1.443 Dimensionless📊 OPERA |
| Molar Volume | 181.087 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
Partition & Solubility
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 95.135 Log10 unitless🔬 EPA CTX |
| LogD (pH 5.5) | 2.864 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogD (pH 7.4) | 2.864 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogKoa (Octanol-Air) | 5.83 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| Water Solubility | 0.023 mol/L🔬 EPA CTX |
| Henry's Law Constant | 0 atm-m3/mole📊 OPERA |
Transport Properties
| Vapor Pressure | 0.014 mmHg📊 OPERA |
| Viscosity | 3.081 cP📊 OPERA |
| Surface Tension | 30.183 dyn/cm📊 OPERA |
Molecular Descriptors
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 26.3 Ų💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Donors | 0 count💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Acceptors | 2 count💻 Computed |
| Rotatable Bonds | 4 count💻 Computed |
| Aromatic Rings | 0 count💻 Computed |
| Molar Refractivity | 48.02 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
| Polarizability | 19.037 Å^3📊 OPERA |
Data Sources:
🔬 EPA Experimental data from U.S. EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard & CTX APIs. 📊 OPERA Predicted using EPA's OPERA QSAR models. 💻 Computed Calculated from SMILES using RDKit.
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