Floral · Aroma molecule · Heart notes
Hedione
Hedione is the trade name of methyl dihydrojasmonate, a synthetic molecule that smells like light jasmine with a hint of citrus. It was developed by the fragrance materials company Firmenich and first used in perfume in 1966. In perfume, hedione usually sits in the heart notes and makes a blend feel brighter and airier.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does hedione smell like?
Hedione smells like very light jasmine, almost transparent, with a hint of citrus and dew. It is far from dense, sweet jasmine. Smelled on its own, hedione is faint and clean, like a flower noticed from a distance.
Hedione shows its effect in a blend. Inside a perfume, it makes other materials feel more diffusive and brighter, so the perfume feels airy around the skin. Hedione can be noticed even at very small amounts.
Where hedione comes from
Hedione was developed by Edouard Demole, a chemist at the fragrance materials company Firmenich, and was characterised and synthesised between 1957 and 1962. The molecule is a synthetic relative of methyl jasmonate, a natural compound found in jasmine, tuberose and magnolia.
Early hedione was made from methyl jasmonate extracted from jasmine oil. Jasmine oil contains less than 0.8 percent of it, so other production routes were developed. Hedione was first used in a perfume in 1966, a citrus fragrance where it added a dewy jasmine freshness.
Hedione in a perfume
Hedione is usually counted as a heart note, but its effect runs from start to finish. It is used in citrus, floral, fresh and woody perfumes to give a blend space and light. Many modern perfumes use hedione, even though it is rarely named on note lists.
Common partners for hedione are bergamot and lemon in the opening, jasmine and rose in the heart, then Iso E Super and musk in the base. Hedione with Iso E Super gives a clean, modern transparency, and both help a perfume feel diffused around the skin.
When to wear a perfume with hedione
Hedione suits daytime and hot weather, because it is light and not sweet. Perfumes with hedione feel comfortable in offices and closed rooms, since they come across as bright without weight. In the evening, hedione usually works alongside warmer woods or musk.
