Woody · Aroma molecule · Heart notes, Base notes
Iso E Super
Iso E Super is a synthetic woody molecule created in the IFF laboratories in 1973. It smells soft, dry and slightly ambery, with a smooth, velvety feel. Perfumers use it in the heart and base notes to make a blend feel fuller and more diffuse around the skin.
· Written by the FRAG team
What does Iso E Super smell like?
Iso E Super smells like smoothed-out cedar: dry, clean and slightly ambery. IFF, the company that makes it, describes its feel as velvety. Iso E Super is neither sharp nor sweet, so it comes across as quiet.
Inside a perfume, Iso E Super often works in the background. Blends that use Iso E Super usually feel smoother and more seamless, with a woody impression that spreads around the skin.
A short history of Iso E Super
Iso E Super is a synthetic molecule with the chemical name OTNE. It was created by John B. Hall and James M. Sanders at IFF in 1973, then patented and first used in perfume in 1975. The commercial product is actually a mix of more than twenty isomers, and its signature scent comes from a small share of them.
Research on similar woody molecules had been going on since the 1950s at several fragrance companies. Iso E Super went on to be used very widely because it is soft and easy to blend. Since 2009, IFRA has set limits for its use in consumer products.
How Iso E Super works in a perfume
Iso E Super works in the heart and base notes. Perfumers use it to smooth the transitions between notes, add a soft woody feel and make a blend seem fuller. In some perfumes it is a small part of the formula, while in others Iso E Super can be the main ingredient.
Iso E Super often appears with cedar, vetiver, iris and bergamot. Together with Ambroxan and musk, Iso E Super creates the clean woody feel found in many modern perfumes. How long you can smell it still depends on your skin, the weather and the concentration.
Who will like an Iso E Super perfume?
Iso E Super is neither sweet nor heavy, so it is comfortable in hot, humid weather, for work or downtime. A perfume that puts Iso E Super forward suits you if you like a woody scent that stays close to the skin and never feels loud.
