Cachalox

Note Profile

Molecule

About

Cachalox is a Firmenich captive molecule in the ambroxan family. It smells warm, dry and ambery, with a woody depth and a mineral, crystalline edge. It is a synthetic stand-in for the warmth of natural ambergris, not for its full complexity.

Scent Profile

Amber_resinous leads and every source puts it first: 'warm, woody-ambery' (Premiere Peau), 'warm, musky, and ambery' (Agoratopia). Dry_woody is the one thing that separates Cachalox from the rest of this family. Premiere Peau calls it 'less aggressively radiant than ambroxan, more woody', and Fraterworks says the molecule 'adds distinctive woody depth to the standard ambergris profile'. Clean_musk carries the 'ambergris glow' both sources name: warm, persistent, skin-like, and 'musky' in Agoratopia's words. Mineral is the 'mineral-warm' and 'clean crystalline edge' Premiere Peau describes. Under those sit a small creamy_woody for the 'rich, smooth' quality and a small animalic for the skin-clinging ambergris reference. Sweet_vanillic and smoky are zero because Premiere Peau states the absence directly: 'not sweet, not smoky'.

ScentWheel

Breadthmedium

EnvelopeBase · ~40h lasting

Family Amber · Musk · Leather, Woody & Earthy

Read off the wheel, not a label applied to the note.

Origin

Cachalox is made by synthesis. Firmenich holds it as a captive, so it is not sold to third parties on its own. It reaches perfumers inside Ambrox DL, a Firmenich blend that the supplier Fraterworks describes as 70% racemic Cetalox and 30% Cachalox. No CAS number, structure or manufacturer olfactive sheet for the molecule itself could be found. The name points at the sperm whale (cachalot), the animal that produces natural ambergris, but nothing animal is used to make it.

Usage in Perfumery

Used as a base note for warmth and longevity. Agoratopia describes it as 'a strong, ambery foundation that enhances the complexity and longevity of a fragrance' and pairs it with resins, woods and florals. In practice a perfumer meets it as the woody-depth part of Ambrox DL rather than as a material weighed on its own.