Aldehydes
Aldehydes are a chemical class, while aldehydic describes a scent effect. Explore soapy and waxy facets, and misleading names such as strawberry aldehyde.
Updated
Aldehydes are compounds containing an aldehyde group, conventionally written –CHO. In perfume descriptions, “aldehydic” usually points to a bright, waxy, soapy or sparkling effect. The chemical class is much broader than that particular smell.
The IUPAC definition is based on molecular structure, not odor or origin. Different aldehydes can smell very different. An aldehyde may occur in nature or be made synthetically; neither the chemical term nor the descriptor tells you how the whole perfume was produced.
Names can mislead. “Strawberry aldehyde” commonly means ethyl methylphenylglycidate, which has an ester and epoxide structure rather than an aldehyde group. FAO’s ingredient record records that traditional synonym. It helps to distinguish a supplier name, a chemical identity and the smell a note list is trying to convey.
- Aldehyde
- A compound with a carbonyl carbon bonded to hydrogen in an aldehyde group. This structural definition does not assign a single odor to the whole class.
- Aldehydic
- A sensory descriptor commonly used for a bright, waxy or soapy perfumery effect. It is narrower than the chemical category aldehydes.
- Fatty aldehydes
- A perfumery grouping of aliphatic aldehydes associated with effects ranging from citrus peel to wax and soap. The individual material and its concentration matter.
- C-number names
- Traditional material names such as C-10 or C-12. They are useful shorthand only with a clear chemical identity; the numbering system is not a reliable rule across every historically named material.
- Strawberry aldehyde
- A common name for ethyl methylphenylglycidate. Despite the name, its chemical structure is not an aldehyde, and it points toward sweet fruit rather than the classic soapy effect.
- Aldehydic floral
- A floral composition in which a bright, waxy or soapy effect is part of the recognizable style. This describes the finished smell without listing its full formula.