**CAS Number:** 4940-11-8 **Synonyms:** 2-ethyl-3-hydroxypyran-4-one **IFRA Limit:** None **Hierarchy:** Base **Fragrance Family:** [Sweet] **Sub Families:** [Candy], [Fruity] ## More Info: **Where I Purchased This From:** https://fraterworks.com/products/ethyl-maltol **Cost per Gram(AUD):** $1.50 ## Description: **Ethyl Maltol** is a widely used synthetic flavor and fragrance enhancer that has carved out a beloved role in the world of modern perfumery and flavor creation. A derivative of the naturally occurring maltol, Ethyl Maltol is prized for its potent sweet, caramel-like aroma that evokes the warm, comforting scent of cotton candy or freshly baked goods. Its rich, mouthwatering profile has made it a staple in both fine fragrances and countless edible products. Olfactorily, **Ethyl Maltol** is best described as intensely sweet, with a creamy, jammy warmth that conjures images of golden toffee and sun-drenched sugarcane. Unlike some of the more nuanced gourmand materials, its profile is straightforwardly sweet and indulgent, delivering a deliciously recognizable signature. This unique scent character allows it to amplify and smooth out sweetness in compositions, making it invaluable in gourmand perfumes, sweet fruity blends, and even tobacco-forward or oriental bases. One of the most appealing aspects of **Ethyl Maltol** is its versatility. Whether paired with fruits, woods, florals, or resins, it seamlessly ties together disparate notes with a velvety sweetness that rounds out and polishes the overall composition. Its powerful character allows it to add volume and warmth to blends at remarkably low concentrations, making it an efficient and cost-effective choice for perfumers and flavorists alike. Technically, **Ethyl Maltol** is highly stable and tenacious, allowing it to endure in challenging applications from fine fragrances to scented candles and even culinary creations. Its potent sweet note lingers for hours, anchoring more volatile components and leaving a comforting, gourmand trail long after application. However, as a synthetic aroma chemical, **Ethyl Maltol** has been met with some caution in recent years due to evolving regulatory scrutiny around food-grade and fragrance ingredients. Despite these concerns, its usage remains widespread, especially in gourmand compositions where its creamy, caramelized magic is simply irreplaceable. For those who’ve worked with **Ethyl Maltol**, it’s clear why it has become such a beloved and enduring part of the perfumer’s toolkit. Its ability to deliver a sweet, comforting signature without overshadowing a fragrance’s complexity speaks to its unique value in the world of scent design. While future regulations may continue to shape its usage, there’s no denying the profound impact **Ethyl Maltol** has had on modern perfumery and its sweet, evocative charm. ## Analysis: Percentage: 10% | Time | Thoughts | Strength | Tenacity | | -------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------- | -------- | | 1 min | Extremely powerful, opening with an intense sweet, burnt sugar and cotton candy-like aroma | 8 | 9 | | 5 min | No changes detected; still radiating that bold, sweet profile. | 8 | 9 | | 10 min | Remains unchanged, continuing to project a strong sweet presence. | 8 | 9 | | 15 min | Still holding steady with no noticeable shift in scent profile. | 8 | 9 | | 30 min | No evolution in the scent, maintaining its powerful sweet character. | 8 | 9 | | 1 hour | Slightly less diffusive, but the sweet aroma continues to radiate strongly. | 8 | 8 | | 2 hours | Gradually losing some intensity; the sweetness remains but is not as forceful. | 7 | 7 | | 4 hours | Still quite present, though the initial punch has mellowed a bit. The core scent remains unchanged. | 6 | 6 | | 6 hours | A sweet, sugary vibe still lingers, now accented by a subtle red berry nuance that’s beginning to emerge. | 6 | 6 | | 12 hours | The scent’s power is slowly fading on the strip, but a delicate, sweet red berry note is still detectable. | 5 | 5 | | 1 day | Remarkably, the scent is still faintly present after 24 hours. It’s not as forceful, but the sweet, sugary red berry character persists in the background. | 3 | 3 | ## Final Thoughts I absolutely love this material! It has a delicious, warm sweetness that can make a fragrance instantly appealing. However, it’s also incredibly potent and can easily overpower a formula if not used with restraint, risking the overall balance. This is one of those ingredients that, even if you’re not sure you’ve smelled it on its own, you’ve definitely encountered it in modern fragrances. It’s so ubiquitous in today’s perfumery that many scents end up with a similar sweet, comforting vibe. So while it’s a fantastic tool in the perfumer’s palette, it’s also a bit of a double-edged sword: overuse can lead to a lack of uniqueness and a generic feel that’s become all too common.