Product Name

BENZOPHENONE

Chemical Name: Diphenylmethanone / Diphenyl Ketone
CAS No.: 119-61-9

🟢 Difficulty: Intermediate

⏳ Lasting: High

🌸 Note: Base

Description

Benzophenone is a crystalline aromatic ketone with a faint sweet, powdery, rosy and slightly floral odor. Its olfactory character can also show soft geranium-like, woody and subtly metallic nuances. Because its odor is relatively mild, Benzophenone is valued more for its functional contribution and subtle background character than as a dominant perfume note.

In perfumery, Benzophenone is used primarily as a fixative and fragrance enhancer, helping provide persistence and support to floral, woody and oriental compositions. It can be particularly useful in rose, geranium, powdery floral, fruity and soap-type accords. Historical technical references also identify its use as a perfume fixative and fragrance enhancer.

Its low olfactory impact makes it useful when a perfumer wants to improve the overall character of a composition without introducing another strong odor. It can contribute a subtle powdery-rosy background while supporting the longevity of more volatile fragrance materials.

Odor Profile

• Sweet

• Powdery

• Rosy

• Floral

• Geranium-like

• Woody

• Slightly metallic

• Faintly balsamic

Recommended Formulation Level (Educational guideline only)

• Trace: 0.05–0.20%

• General use: 0.20–1.00%

• High-impact accords: 1.00–3.00%

These are formulation guidelines for perfumers and are not IFRA limits.

Works Well With

• Rose materials

• Geranium materials

• Phenethyl Alcohol

• Phenethyl Acetate

• Benzyl Acetate

• Alpha Ionone

• Methyl Ionone

• Benzyl Benzoate

• Vanillin

• Coumarin

• Patchouli

• Woody materials

Common Applications

• Fine Fragrance

• Attars

• Rose Fragrance

• Geranium Accords

• Woody Fragrance

• Soap

• Body Care

• Home Fragrance

• Incense

• Fragrance Fixative Systems

Perfumers' Tip

Benzophenone is best treated as a supporting fixative and background modifier, rather than a primary odor driver. Its subtle powdery-rosy character can help round out floral and woody compositions.

Try combining it with rose, geranium and ionone materials for a soft floral effect, or with woody and balsamic materials when greater drydown support is desired.