Ingredient Guide
In 1861, a substance extracted from the bark of larch was discovered. In 1894, it was named maltol. Maltol had a caramel-like scent with the fruity nuances of jam.
By the 1940s, it was being produced commercially and used in flavorings. In 1962, Pfizer also registered it under the trademark Veltol. In perfumery, maltol was used because a small amount combined with jasmine was said to create an oriental sweetness.
In the late 1960s, Pfizer replaced maltol’s methyl group (−CH3) with an ethyl group (−CH2CH3), creating a material with approximately four to six times the flavor-enhancing power of maltol and more of the same cotton-candy and strawberry sweetness found in maltol: Veltol Plus (= ethyl maltol).
The first-ever gourmand fragrance, Thierry Mugler’s Angel (1992, Olivier Cresp), was created by combining an overdose of ethyl maltol (at a concentration of 0.5%) with a large amount of natural patchouli to balance it. Vanilia (1978, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Jean Laporte) is also said to have been the first fragrance to put ethyl maltol in the spotlight.
What Does It Smell Like in Perfume?
Ethyl maltol is a synthetic molecule with an intensely sweet scent reminiscent of cotton candy, caramel, and burnt sugar. A fragrance material based on maltol’s structure, it has a more powerful sweet scent and clearly reinforces impressions of fruit and sugar confectionery even in small amounts. In gourmand compositions, it adds fullness and an appetizing warmth, spreading the sweet theme throughout the fragrance. It is not an extract obtained from natural sugar or cotton candy, but a single compound used to design sweet fruity and confectionery-like scents.
Choosing a maltol or ethyl maltol fragrance
With confectionery-like fragrances, it helps to separate the sugary sweetness from the fruit, flowers and woods around it.
- Airy sugar or toasted caramel: Cotton candy and caramelized sugar have quite different characters. The aromas of sweets you enjoy can be a useful starting point.
- Sweetness with fruit: Berries or ripe fruit introduce a sweet-tart quality that differs from a vanilla-led fragrance.
- Woods and earth beneath the sweetness: Patchouli, woods and amber change its definition and depth.
Two expressions of ethyl maltol sweetness
Angel Eau de Parfum (Mugler)
Ethyl maltol brings praline and caramel sweetness, layered with patchouli and vanilla. Sweet confectionery contrasts with the earthy, woody depth of patchouli.
Baccarat Rouge 540 Eau de Parfum (Maison Francis Kurkdjian)
Ethyl maltol’s sweetness spreads through jasmine, saffron, an ambergris-like accord and dry woods. Unlike Angel’s patchouli, flowers and woody amber surround the sweetness here.
Find your next fragrance
In Fragrance Finder, choose “Favorite fragrances & notes” on the home screen, then look for notes you enjoy under “Favorite notes”. Select from the available suggestions and press “Next”.
