Muscenone (CAS 63314-79-4) — Musky Heart Note Fragrance Ingredient
Muscenone
CAS 63314-79-4
What Is Muscenone?
Muscenone is a synthetic musk compound used in modern perfumery to create clean, animalic, and long-lasting scent profiles. You’ll encounter it in high-end fragrances, especially those aiming for a sophisticated musk base. This ingredient matters because it provides the warmth and sensuality of traditional animal musks without ethical concerns, making it a staple in cruelty-free luxury perfumes.
Safety Profile
GENERALLY SAFEWhat Does Muscenone Smell Like?
Muscenone unfolds with an initial crispness reminiscent of freshly laundered linen drying in alpine air, quickly revealing a velvety core of warm skin and clean animalic tones. Unlike crude musks, it maintains an airy transparency while developing into a radiant base that hugs the skin for hours. The dry-down is a masterclass in subtlety – a whisper of salted caramel wrapped in white musk, with just enough animalic growl to prevent sterility.
Scent Profile
In Famous Fragrances
Fragrance associations may not reflect actual formulations.
Muscenone provides the luminous backbone to this provocative musk, tempering the cinnamon and vanilla with its clean animalic glow.
Used as a modern musk counterpoint to the floral bouquet, adding sensuality without overwhelming the delicate jasmine.
Muscenone creates the signature ‘skin-but-better’ effect, blending with ambroxan for a warm, personal scent trail.
Provides subtle muskiness that bridges the gap between the sharp violet and woody sandalwood notes.
Muscenone adds weightless persistence to the amber accord, helping create the fragrance’s legendary sillage.
2D Molecular Structure
SMILES: CC1CC=CCCCCCCCCCC(=O)C1
Chemistry, Properties & Perfumer Guide
The Chemistry
Muscenone belongs to the macrocyclic ketone class of musks, structurally related to natural muscone but with superior stability and diffusion properties. The molecule features a 15-membered carbon ring with a ketone group, optimized through computer modeling to maximize olfactory performance while minimizing environmental persistence. Modern synthesis typically involves ring-closing metathesis of long-chain dienes followed by selective oxidation. Unlike earlier nitro musks, Muscenone demonstrates excellent biodegradability while maintaining the coveted ‘white musk’ character prized in contemporary perfumery.
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Appearance | Colorless to pale yellow liquid |
|---|---|
| Boiling Point | >250 °C (estimated) |
| Flash Point | >100 °C |
| Vapor Pressure | 0.001 mmHg at 25°C (estimated) |
| Solubility | Soluble in alcohol, insoluble in water |
Perfumer Guide
| Application | Typical % | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Fragrance | 1-3% | Up to 5% | Provides musk foundation |
| Body Care | 0.1-0.5% | Up to 1% | Skin-scent effect |
| Laundry | 0.01-0.1% | Up to 0.2% | Fabric substantivity |
| Candles | 0.5-2% | Up to 3% | Heat-stable musk |
Classic Accords
Tip: Use Muscenone to ‘lift’ heavy base notes – it prevents ambers and woods from becoming flat or muddy.
Alternatives & Comparisons
When a softer, more powdery musk is needed. Has less animalic character but superior stability in soap formulations.
For more budget-conscious formulations requiring a clean musk, though with less diffusion and more environmental concerns.
When authentic animalic tonality is required, though with significant cost and sustainability tradeoffs.
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
Not currently restricted under IFRA standards. Included in the 49th Amendment as an approved synthetic musk.
RIFM Assessment
RIFM assessment completed in 2018 – deemed safe for current use levels in fragrance applications.
Sustainability
As a synthetic musk, Muscenone represents a more sustainable alternative to animal-derived muscone, requiring no wildlife harvesting. The production process has been optimized to minimize hazardous byproducts, though like all synthetic musks, there are ongoing studies about environmental persistence. Major manufacturers have implemented green chemistry principles in its synthesis, reducing solvent use and energy consumption by 40% compared to earlier production methods.
Explore Muscenone
Browse essential oils and aroma compounds.
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References
- IFRA Standards Library, 49th Amendment IFRA 49
- Environmental Science & Technology (2019) Musk metabolite study DOI:10.1021/acs.est.8b06447
- Perfumer & Flavorist (2020) Macrocyclic Musk Review P&F Vol.45
Data: PubChem (NIH), PubMed, RIFM, IFRA. Last reviewed: Mar 2026.
Report a data errorIngredient Data Sheet
CAS 63314-79-4Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 236.39 g/mol🔬 PubChem |
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 5.5🔬 PubChem |
| Boiling Point | 313 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Vapor Pressure | 0 mmHg @ 25°C📊 OPERA |
| Flash Point | 137.2 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| log Kp (skin permeability) | -0.237💻 Calculated |
| SMILES | CC1CC=CCCCCCCCCCC(=O)C1🔬 PubChem |
Volatility & Performance
| Fragrance Note | Base💻 Calculated |
| Volatility Class | Very slow💻 Calculated |
| Persistence Score | 12.6 / 5💻 Calculated |
Odor & Flavor
| Functional Groups | ketonealkene💻 RDKit |
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: DTXSID8051386
Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 236.399 g/mol🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Density | 0.86 g/cm^3📊 OPERA |
| Boiling Point | 326.395 °C📊 OPERA |
| Melting Point | 31.762 °C📊 OPERA |
| Flash Point | 141.273 °C📊 OPERA |
| Refractive Index | 1.446 Dimensionless📊 OPERA |
| Molar Volume | 275.88 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
Partition & Solubility
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 5.3 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogD (pH 5.5) | 5.3 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogD (pH 7.4) | 5.3 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogKoa (Octanol-Air) | 8.49 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| Water Solubility | 0 mol/L📊 OPERA |
| Henry's Law Constant | 0 atm-m3/mole📊 OPERA |
Transport Properties
| Vapor Pressure | 0 mmHg📊 OPERA |
| Viscosity | 5.393 cP📊 OPERA |
| Surface Tension | 29.456 dyn/cm📊 OPERA |
| Thermal Conductivity | 141.288 mW/(m*K)📊 OPERA |
Molecular Descriptors
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 17.07 Ų💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Donors | 0 count💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Acceptors | 1 count💻 Computed |
| Rotatable Bonds | 0 count💻 Computed |
| Aromatic Rings | 0 count💻 Computed |
| Molar Refractivity | 73.618 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
| Polarizability | 29.185 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.
