Wood Synthetics III

Isolongifolanone has a bright woody elegance that lightens fragrances and gives them lift and sheen. ABC (Arcadi Boix Camps) comments that it has “immense olfactory value” and points out its role in both top notes and bases notes. It’s a compound I keep returning to and working with because it smells so good on its own.

Timberol, also called norlimbanol, is very commonly used, especially in woody compounds containing musk, and amber notes. It is very persistent and harmonizes with a great number of other woody compounds and particularly with patchouli. It is used in accords containing labdanum and in sandalwood accords. Here’s a quote from Chandler Burr: “Norlimbanol is one of the most amazing scents around, a genius molecule…quite simply the smell of extreme dryness…a multi-sensory Disney ride.”

Perhaps most revolutionary is iso e super. It has a woody character, but it goes well with ionones, quinolines, amber compounds, castoreum, methyl ionones and countless other perfume ingredients. I appreciate its ability to harmonize with both violet ingredients and with woods. It occurs frequently in both feminine and masculine fragrances. It makes up part of the Grossman accord.

Sandela enters into almost all sandalwood accords as a fixative. Its aroma is delicate and can be difficult to tease out. I sniff it in the morning when I can smell the most subtle scents.

Santalol (of which there are more than one isomer), gives sandalwood its aroma. Unfortunately, it is almost as expensive as an excellent quality of sandalwood, but being more powerful, is sometimes used in sandalwood accords. It’s pretty beautiful stuff, even on its own. I use it rather abundantly in Green Iris.

Sandalore is effective in even trace quantities and lends a warm and natural sandalwood effect It can be combined with allyl ionone, isobutylquinoline, gamma-undecalactone, miraldile acetate, fixolide, vanillin and ethyl vanillin. Some have said that with ebanol, it forms a suitable sandalwood replacement. A bit of an exaggeration, maybe, but a hint as to its effectiveness.

Two important sandalwood chemicals, bacdanol and brahmanol, are sometimes used to replace santalol in a sandalwood formula, “…but they are more powerful and more musky, lacking the outstanding floral character of the natural chemical [santalol].” (ABC)

Oxyoctaline formate is delicate and has a particular floral radiance that makes it useful in any number of fine fragrances.