Musk Ketone (CAS 81-14-1) — Musky Base Note Fragrance Ingredient
Musk Ketone
CAS 81-14-1
What Is Musk Ketone?
Musk Ketone is a classic synthetic musk found in perfumes and personal care products. It provides the warm, animalic foundation in many fragrances. This ingredient matters because it mimics natural musk without harming animals, offering long-lasting scent retention and enhancing other fragrance notes.
Safety Profile
USE WITH AWARENESS
What Does Musk Ketone Smell Like?
Musk Ketone delivers a potent, powdery-sweet muskiness with animalic undertones reminiscent of warm skin. Unlike sharp synthetic musks, it unfolds as a velvety blanket of scent – initially slightly medicinal, then softening into a creamy, intimate aura. The dry-down lingers for days as a skin-like whisper, blending seamlessly with florals and woods. Its tenacity makes it ideal for anchoring compositions, though some detect a faint soapy nuance in high concentrations.
Scent Profile
In Famous Fragrances
Fragrance associations may not reflect actual formulations.
Provides the iconic musky foundation that balances the floral bouquet, creating the perfume’s legendary skin-hugging trail.
Blends with vanilla and civet to create the perfume’s sensual oriental base that evolves over hours.
Amplifies the spicy-oriental character while adding diffusion and longevity to this bold composition.
2D Molecular Structure
SMILES: CC(=O)C1=C(C)C(=C(C(=C1C)[N+]([O-])=O)C(C)(C)C)[N+]([O-])=O
Chemistry, Properties & Perfumer Guide
The Chemistry
Musk Ketone (3-methylcyclopentadecanone) belongs to the macrocyclic ketone class. Originally developed as a nitro-musk alternative, its structure features a 15-membered carbon ring with a ketone group. Synthesis typically involves cyclization of appropriate diesters via acyloin condensation. The molecule’s conformational rigidity contributes to its exceptional tenacity. Unlike earlier nitro musks, it lacks benzene rings, reducing phototoxicity concerns.
Physical & Chemical Properties
| Melting Point | 135°C |
|---|---|
| Molecular Weight | 238.37 g/mol |
Perfumer Guide
| Application | Typical % | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fine Fragrance | 1-3% | Up to 5% | IFRA restriction applies |
| Detergents | 0.1-0.5% | Up to 1% | For subtle fabric lingering |
Classic Accords
+ Rose + Patchouli = Classic Chypre
Tip: Use at 0.5% or below to avoid masking delicate top notes.
Alternatives & Comparisons
Polycyclic musk with cleaner profile when ketone’s powderiness is undesirable.
More animalic macrocyclic ketone for naturalistic musk 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
IFRA 49 restricts to 1.4% in leave-on products due to potential sensitization.
RIFM Assessment
RIFM assessment confirms safe use at IFRA-restricted levels.
Sustainability
Synthetic production avoids wildlife harvesting but requires petrochemical feedstocks. Not readily biodegradable – wastewater treatment needed. Some concerns about persistence in aquatic environments at high concentrations.
Explore Musk Ketone
Browse essential oils and aroma compounds.
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Industry & Science Data
References
- IFRA Standards (2021). Amendment 49 – Musk Ketone. IFRA Standard
Data: PubChem (NIH), PubMed, RIFM, IFRA. Last reviewed: Mar 2026.
Ingredient Data Sheet
CAS 81-14-1Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 294.3 g/mol🔬 PubChem |
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 3.7🔬 PubChem |
| Boiling Point | 351 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Vapor Pressure | 3 mmHg @ 25°C📊 OPERA |
| Flash Point | 75.6 °C🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Involatility Index | 0.1885💻 Calculated |
| log Kp (skin permeability) | -1.868💻 Calculated |
| SMILES | CC1=C(C(=C(C(=C1[N+](=O)[O-])C(C)(C)C)[N+](=O)[O-])C)C(=O)C🔬 PubChem |
Volatility & Performance
| Fragrance Note | Heart💻 Calculated |
| Volatility Class | Moderate💻 Calculated |
| Persistence Score | 0.5 / 5💻 Calculated |
Odor & Flavor
| Primary Descriptors | musky• leffingwell |
| Functional Groups | ketonearomatic💻 RDKit |
| “Sweet and very tenacious musky odor with discrete animal note, less floral than Musk Ambrette. The characteristic note is the warm and mildly animal note.”📖 Arctander | |
Flavor Notes (Arctander)
| “Sweet and mildly musky taste in concentrations lower than 40 ppm. Musk Ketone has less tendency of producing a bitter note than Musk Ambrette. Yet, Musk Ketone is not listed as G.R.A.S. by the American Federal Register. The title material has been used in flavor compositions at concentrations up to ”📖 Arctander |
Sensory Thresholds
| Odor Detection Threshold | 0.0114 ppm (n=5)📖 van Gemert |
Regulatory Status
| IFRA Listed | Yes — see IFRA Standards for category limits⚖️ IFRA 51 |
| GRAS Status | Generally Recognized as Safe⚖️ FEMA GRAS |
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: DTXSID6025690
Physical Properties
| Molecular Weight | 294.307 g/mol🔬 EPA CompTox |
| Density | 0.999 g/cm^3🔬 EPA CTX |
| Boiling Point | 366.123 °C📊 OPERA |
| Melting Point | 135.55 °C🔬 EPA CTX |
| Flash Point | 158.365 °C📊 OPERA |
| Refractive Index | 1.548 Dimensionless📊 OPERA |
| Molar Volume | 243.885 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
Partition & Solubility
| LogP (Octanol-Water) | 4.29 Log10 unitless🔬 EPA CTX |
| LogD (pH 5.5) | 4.197 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogD (pH 7.4) | 4.022 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| LogKoa (Octanol-Air) | 8.64 Log10 unitless📊 OPERA |
| Water Solubility | 0 mol/L🔬 EPA CTX |
| Henry's Law Constant | 0 atm-m3/mole🔬 EPA CTX |
Transport Properties
| Vapor Pressure | 0 mmHg🔬 EPA CTX |
| Viscosity | 3.548 cP📊 OPERA |
| Surface Tension | 43.615 dyn/cm📊 OPERA |
| Thermal Conductivity | 136.614 mW/(m*K)📊 OPERA |
Molecular Descriptors
| Topological Polar Surface Area | 103.35 Ų💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Donors | 0 count💻 Computed |
| H-Bond Acceptors | 5 count💻 Computed |
| Rotatable Bonds | 3 count💻 Computed |
| Aromatic Rings | 1 count💻 Computed |
| Molar Refractivity | 77.409 cm^3/mol📊 OPERA |
| Polarizability | 30.687 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.
