beta-Damascone

Say itBAY-tuh-DAM-uh-skohn

Plummy blackcurrant, rose and dried fruit with honey-tobacco warmth.

What it is: A molecule made in a lab, first made by Firmenich in 1967.
Where it comes from: found in rose oil, made synthetically
When you smell it: Heart: as it settles.
What perfumers do with it: Adds dried-fruit, plum and rose richness; key to 1980s 'jammy' fruity-floral roses.
Worth knowing: It was the first rose ketone ever smelled, made as a stepping stone toward damascenone.
Known in: Poison (Dior, 1985); Ce Soir ou Jamais (Annick Goutal, 1999)
Rules: Limited. IFRA 'rose ketones' limit; EU caps at 0.02% and labels
Also called: Rose ketone-2; (E)-1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-1-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one