Cashmir wood

Group: Woods and Mosses

Among the many popular synthetic ingredients in the perfumer's palette today some are used more frequently than others. Be it thanks to their pliability, which fits like a glove many diverse compositions of different fragrance families, or thanks to their diffusiveness and tenacity, they form the core of many a modern perfume formula. Cashmeran is definitely among them; a synthetic not found in nature but copiously used in products we use every day.

NAME, IMPRESSIONS & REALITY

The proper name of Cashmeran is 1,2,3,5,6,7-hexahydro-1,2,3,3-pentamethyl-4h-inden-4-one. Though commonly refered to as "blond woods" in perfume speak, the reality is that the ingredient Cashmeran (an International Flavors and Fragrances appelation) is actually a musk component with a yellow, trickly texture. Its scent profile takes over a vast sea between woods and ambers, abstract and indefinable.

The name Cashmeran derives from its tactile feel which recalls the smoothness and softness of cashmere wool; it was first used in heaps in modern best-seller Cashmere Mist by Donna Karan, where it helped floralize the jasmine note and give a powdery, super soft effect to the overall character of the fragrance composition.

CASHMERAN IN PERFUME COMPOSITION

Insoluble in water and hydrophobic, it's therefore a prime target for use in functional perfumery too, since it won't rinse out: detergents, fabric softener, alcoholic lotions, deodorants, shampoos, you name it... But fine perfumery has profited of its advantages as well.

The diffusive, musky-woody scent is reminiscent of concrete (especially the abstract woody scent that concrete gives when hit upon by rain, a cityscape in the rain), also lightly spicy, lightly powdery. Though perfumers sometimes describe it to also have apple and pine facets I admit I haven't detected these myself. It is however used as a powerful floralizer as it aids the expansion and diffusion of floral notes, especially accords of jasmine, as in Thierry Mugler's Alien or the lighter Flora Nerolia by Guerlain (where it's married to neroli and frankincense as well). In Histoires de Parfums' Tuberose Trilogy, Gislain chose to include the note in the Tubereuse Virginal offering, where blond woods coexist with naturally cohabitating, heady white flowers on a base of patchouli and vanilla.

Blending well with other modern ingredients (ambroxan, allyl amyl glycolate, damascones, ethyl maltol...) as well as natural ingredients (frankincense, clary sage, citrus, geraniol, linalool, patchouli, tonka bean, vetiver, etc.), Cashmeran presents a vista of options for the creative perfumer. It can serve woody or warm musk compositions (see Miami Glow by JLo), formulae resting on rose and saffron, tobacco or oud masculine blends (see Nomaoud by Comptoir Sud Pacifique or Byredo's Accord Oud), even perfumes with jonquil or cassie. It can even aid aqueous olfactory scapes, such as in Armani's Acqua di Gioia Essenza.

Another one of the advantages of this fairly inexpensive musky component is that it has a medium potency in volume projection, but a long trail that surpasses a full day's length. Being a mild sensitiser, its ratio is currently restricted to no more than 2% of the compound. It's clear we will be seeing it more and more admitted as such in official perfume press releases in the years to come.

Author: Elena Vosnaki is a historian & perfume writer from Greece and a Writer to Fragrantica. She is the founder and editor of Perfume Shrine, one of the most respected independent online publications on perfume containing fragrance reviews, industry interviews, essays on raw materials and perfume history, a winner in Fragrantica Blog Awards and a finalist in numerous blog awards contests. Her writing was recognised at the Fifi Awards for Editorial Excellence in 2009 and she has been contributing to publications around the world.