Fragrance Family & Note Placement

Fragrance Family: Gourmand / Sweet
Note Classification: Base Note

Ethyl Maltol is a powerful gourmand aroma chemical widely used by modern perfumers to create sweet, addictive, dessert-like fragrance accords. It is commonly found in gourmand, oriental, fruity, berry, and vanilla-based perfume compositions, where it adds intense sweetness and a warm confectionery character.

Ethyl Maltol is a renowned aroma chemical known for its intensely sweet cotton-candy aroma with caramelized sugar nuances and subtle fruity undertones. It appears as a white crystalline powder and is considered an essential ingredient in modern gourmand perfumery.

This material gained worldwide recognition after its use in the iconic perfume Angel launched in 1992 by perfumers Olivier Cresp and Yves de Chirin. Even at a small concentration of about 0.5%, it helped shape the sweet gourmand style that became extremely influential in fragrance creation.

Today, Ethyl Maltol is often used at slightly higher levels in modern compositions. For example, sweet gourmand fragrances like Baccarat Rouge 540 are known for using generous amounts of sweet aroma enhancers to create their distinctive addictive character.

Perfumers value Ethyl Maltol because it can transform fragrance blends with a magnetic sweetness and irresistible appeal, making it a powerful tool for building modern gourmand accords.

It blends beautifully with vanilla materials such as vanillin and warm sweet notes like sotolone, helping to create rich dessert-like fragrances.

Key Characteristics

• Intensely sweet cotton-candy aroma
• Caramellic sugar sweetness with soft fruity nuances
• Warm confectionery gourmand character
• Stronger and more persistent than regular maltol
• Enhances sweetness and depth in fragrance compositions

Odour Profile

Ethyl Maltol presents a powerful cotton-candy sweetness with caramelized sugar facets, subtle fruity tones, and a warm dessert-like character, making it ideal for gourmand fragrance creation.

Technical Information

CAS Number: 4940-11-8
IUPAC Name: 3-Hydroxy-2-ethyl-4H-pyran-4-one
Classification: Base Note
Odour Family: Gourmand
Appearance: White crystalline powder

Average Use Level: ~0.45% in a perfume compound

Longevity:
Can remain detectable on a smelling strip for more than one month.

Typical Uses in Perfumery

Ethyl Maltol is commonly used to:

• Enhance fruity and floral fragrance notes
• Add powerful sweetness to gourmand perfumes
• Build dessert-like accords such as caramel, cotton candy, and sugar notes
• Strengthen oriental and berry fragrance blends

General Information

Like many fragrance raw materials, this product may not be filtered by suppliers before distribution. This helps preserve the full aromatic character of the material but may occasionally result in small particles or slight cloudiness.

When used in alcoholic fragrance formulations, it is standard industry practice to allow perfumes to macerate for several weeks and then chill them briefly before fine filtration. This process helps remove any cloudiness and ensures a clear final perfume.

IFRA Standards

Permitted amounts in finished products:

IFRA 51: 100%
IFRA 49: 100%

These values are derived from calculated concentrations and do not replace chromatographic testing of individual batches.

Important Notice

For Trade Use Only

These materials are intended to serve as building blocks in the perfume creation process and should not be applied directly to the skin without proper dilution.

They are supplied specifically for professional fragrance formulation and perfumery applications.

Marketed by Sarochem™

Sarochem™ is strictly a reseller of this material, sourcing it directly from manufacturers across the globe and is not the producer of this product.