Aldehyde (perfumery)

An odorous molecule bearing a carbonyl group at the end of a chain, used in perfumery for its sparkling, waxy or soapy facets. Aldehydes bring brilliance and abstraction and act as fixatives by slowing the evaporation of floral materials. Markers of modernity since the 1920s, they confer a distinctive elegance sought in the refined compositions of fine perfumery.