Ultrazur™ – Marine Base of Azurone & Calone
Ultrazur™ by Givaudan – The Complete Reference
Ultrazur™ unites in one bottle two of the most consequential discoveries in the perfumery history of the 20th century – a molecule that emerged from the search for a sedative, and another that redefined the entire men's perfumery of the 1980s. This reference tells how the two together founded an entire fragrance genre.
Contents
- What is Ultrazur™?
- Role in the formula
- Azurone – the molecule story behind Ultrazur™
- The Calone story – a chance find from pharmaceutical research
- Dihydromyrcenol – the molecule revolution of 1982
- Quick reference: chemistry and safety
- Further questions
1. What is Ultrazur™?
Ultrazur™ is a specialty perfumery base by Givaudan – not a single substance, but a ready-composed mixture of several aroma materials that together create a marine, ozonic and aldehydic overall impression. At the center of the mixture stands the Givaudan captive molecule Azurone, complemented by dihydromyrcenol as the largest component by quantity, as well as several aldehydes.
2. Role in the formula
Ultrazur™ is used extremely versatilely – from pure trace dosing to a defining base:
- In traces: imperceptibly changes the overall impression of a formula and gives it an airy, transparent freshness
- In the middle range: gives laundry and men's fragrances a fresh, ozonic, slightly ambery aspect
- As a heart note: stable in most applications, including soap bases
Ultrazur™ also brings volume and diffusion into a composition and rounds off floral accords without altering them. A synergy officially documented by Givaudan is the combination of 80% Ultrazur™ with 20% Dupical, which yields a clear, watery-floral citrus note. In practice, Ultrazur™ also combines well with fresh floral notes, citrus and green accords, and with woody, mossy and spicy-fresh materials.
3. Azurone – the molecule story behind Ultrazur™
The heart of Ultrazur™ is a Givaudan-owned captive molecule called Azurone (chemically: 7-(3-methylbutyl)-1,5-benzodioxepin-3-one) – the same compound that is listed in the Ultrazur™ safety data sheet under its CAS number 362467-67-2 as a component at a concentration of 1–3%. Azurone was invented in 2004 by the aroma chemist Philip Kraft, who worked as group leader for the discovery of new aroma materials at Givaudan and today lectures on aroma chemistry at the Universities of Bern and Zurich as well as at ETH Zurich. The trademark was officially filed on 12 May 2004.
Unlike many other captives, Azurone is not sold as a single substance, but is made accessible exclusively in the form of the finished base Ultrazur™. According to Hervé Fretay, Global Director of Naturals and Fragrance Ingredient Marketing at Givaudan, Azurone is distinguished by a particularly powerful marine and ozonic freshness and proves exceptionally substantive above all on textiles. In finished perfumes it is typically used at only 0.025% to 0.06% – evidence of the extraordinary potency of the molecule.
The use of Azurone is documented in two very different compositions: first in Oscar Marina Spirit (Oscar de la Renta, 2005), later in the considerably more provocative Sécrétions Magnifiques (Etat Libre d'Orange, 2007) – one of the most-discussed niche fragrances of the 2000s, known for its deliberately borderline, bodily-fluid-suggestive composition.
4. The Calone story – a chance find from pharmaceutical research
One of the components contained in Ultrazur™ belongs to the family of the benzodioxepinones – that molecule class made famous by the legendary Calone (7-methyl-3,4-dihydro-2H-1,5-benzodioxepin-3-one). In the aroma-materials industry, this substance is also known under the names Watermelon Ketone and Oceanone – designations that aptly describe its dual character: at once salty-marine and delicately fruity-melony. After the original patent expired, the substance became available under numerous other trade names, including Aquamore, Ozonor and Ozeone. Physically, Calone is at room temperature a white crystalline solid (melting point 35–41 °C) – a difference from most liquid aroma molecules.
Calone itself was discovered purely by chance in 1966: chemists at Camilli, Albert & Laloue, a Grasse aroma house founded in 1830 that had been acquired by the pharmaceutical group Pfizer in 1963, were actually researching benzodiazepine sedatives – the same class of active substances from which Valium later emerged. Calone was an unexpected by-product of this research and was initially patented but barely used.
According to a later Givaudan patent (US 9,708,570), launches such as "New West for Her" (Aramis, 1990) and "Escape" (Calvin Klein, 1991) triggered the first wave of the marine fragrance direction. Milestones such as Issey Miyake's L'Eau d'Issey (1992) and Giorgio Armani's Acqua di Gio (1996) followed, which finally turned the "ozonic" scent image into a mass phenomenon. The intensive use in the 1990s later led to a saturation effect on the market, occasionally referred to as "Calone fatigue" – one reason why newer formulas like Ultrazur™ use, in Azurone, a related but independently further-developed benzodioxepinone compound instead of the original Calone itself.
5. Dihydromyrcenol – the molecule revolution of 1982
The largest component of Ultrazur™ by quantity (30–50%) is dihydromyrcenol – a synthetic terpene alcohol developed at IFF in the early 1970s. It was first used in 1973 in Paco Rabanne Pour Homme, there still dosed at around 4%. Dihydromyrcenol achieved its real breakthrough in 1982, when the perfumer Pierre Wargnye used it at a concentration of around 10%, sensational for the time, in Drakkar Noir (Guy Laroche). The fragrance became the best-selling prestige men's fragrance in the world and shaped, over years, the image of an entire generation of fresh, "clean" men's fragrances.
In 1988, Davidoff Cool Water followed as another icon, combining dihydromyrcenol with aquatic facets – that "pure seawater" freshness still often associated with dihydromyrcenol today, in contrast to the fruity-floral "watermelon" freshness of Calone. Ultrazur™ combines both traditional lines through its formulation: the textile, laundry-fresh coolness of dihydromyrcenol and the ozonic-marine character of the benzodioxepinone family.
6. Quick reference: chemistry and safety
You will find the complete physico-chemical data as well as the safety information (GHS classification, declared components) on the product page. In summary: a perfumery mixture by Givaudan with the sensory profile "citrus-like, marine, aldehydic," signal word "Danger" under GHS, main component dihydromyrcenol (30–50%).
Further questions about Ultrazur™
What is Azurone?
Azurone (7-(3-methylbutyl)-1,5-benzodioxepin-3-one) is a captive molecule by Givaudan invented in 2004 by the aroma chemist Philip Kraft. It is not sold individually but is accessible only as a component of the finished base Ultrazur™, where it is contained at 1–3% according to the safety data sheet.
What is the difference between Calone and dihydromyrcenol?
Calone – also known as Watermelon Ketone or Oceanone – creates a fruity-floral, watermelon-reminiscent aquatic effect. Dihydromyrcenol, by contrast, delivers a clearer, "pure seawater" freshness, as dominates for instance in Davidoff Cool Water. Ultrazur™ contains dihydromyrcenol as the main component, and in Azurone a structurally related but independent further development of the Calone family.
In which perfumes has Azurone already been used?
Two very different examples are documented: Oscar Marina Spirit (Oscar de la Renta, 2005) and the provocative niche perfume Sécrétions Magnifiques (Etat Libre d'Orange, 2007), each at a dosage of 0.025% to 0.06%.
What does Ultrazur™ combine particularly well with?
Officially documented is the combination of 80% Ultrazur™ with 20% Dupical for a clear, watery-floral citrus note. Fresh floral notes, citrus and green accords, as well as woody and mossy notes also harmonize well.