LACTONE

Lactone names a chemical family, rather than one fragrance ingredient with a single smell. In perfumery, several members are associated with creamy fruit, coconut or milky softness. Others have a different character: some large-ring lactones are musk materials. The word alone therefore cannot identify an exact molecule or promise a coconut-and-cream effect in every perfume.

Chemically, lactones are cyclic esters, meaning their structure includes a ring. For a shopper, the useful distinction is between the material family and the creamy effect often called lactonic. Jasmolactone Delta, for example, connects jasmine-like flowers with peach, apricot and coconut-milk nuances, while Exaltolide has a musky profile. Perfumers select particular materials for the effect they want, and the surrounding composition determines whether fruit, flowers, creaminess or musk is most noticeable.