Cetalox® (Firmenich) AC

A powerful scent with an elegant amber note. Cetalox gives warm, rich, elegant effects to a perfume and can be used from floral to modern and oriental perfumes. At low doses, a lot of warmth and depth is achieved.

 

Cetalox is one of the most widely used modern ambergris substitutes. It is used for:

• Fixation: extremely good tenacity, lasts for hours to days
• Body & warmth in amber, musk and wood accords
• Backbone in modern “clean amber” perfumes
• Diffusion without sharpness
• Unisex and skin-scent formulas
• Clean amber effect in contemporary niche and designer fragrances
• Stability in candles, detergents and home-fragrance

 

What does Cetalox smell like in a formula?

• Warm, ambergris-like
• Clean, modern, slightly musky
• Soft woody
• Creamy and skin-like (more than Ambroxan)
• Gives a “glow” to citrus, wood, musk and amber

 

Funny & fun facts

• Cetalox is racemic, while Ambroxan is enantiopure – which is why Cetalox smells rounder and softer
• It was made famous by Escentric Molecules 02, which uses almost pure Ambroxan/Cetalox-like material.
• Dior Sauvage made the whole “ambrox trend” mainstream
• It is synthetic but is made from sclareol from sage – so actually a plant-based ambergris.
• Many people recognize the fragrance as “the smell of modern perfumery.”
• In candles and detergents, it lasts a surprisingly long time.

Ambrox DL and Cetalox are closely related ambergris replacements from Firmenich, but they are not identical copies-rather brothers, each with its own character.

Feature	Ambrox DL (Firmenich)	Cetalox (Firmenich)
CAS number	3738-00-9	3738-00-9
Composition	~70% Cetalox + ~30% Cachalox (Firmenich captive)	Racemic Ambroxide (equal mix of enantiomers)
Fragrance profile	Dry, woody, musky, elegant amber	Creamy, musky, skin-like warm amber
Diffusion & fixation	Stronger diffusion due to Cachalox; excellent fixation	Softer projection; prolonged drydown
Eco-score	70-100% green chemistry	50-70% green chemistry
Shape/Consistency	Often solid or pasty; sometimes heating required	Typically crystalline or powdery

🧪 Main Differences:

Ambrox DL is a blend, not a pure molecule.
It combines Cetalox with Cachalox, increasing diffusion and fixation strength-ideal for enhancing the performance of complex fragrance formulations.

Cetalox is more linear and elegant, with a softer musk-amber character.
It is often chosen for minimalist or skin-like fragrance types (such as Not a Perfume by Juliette Has a Gun).

💡 F un fact: Both are extracted from sclareol, a natural substance from clary sage, making them sustainable alternatives to animal ambergris.