SMELLBOOK REFERENCE · SB-0181
Brown Sugar
Permanent ID: smellbook: · updated 2026-10-06, revision 4
Character EDITORIAL
Brown sugar smells soft, warm and sweet, with a deep, slightly treacly richness that is rounder than white sugar.
Words: sweet, warm, soft, molasses. Families: Temperature and texture, Sweet, fruity and floral.
Met in: Kitchen.
Evidence
Scientific evidence
- Aroma-active compounds of brown sugar (CLM-BROWNSUGAR-001). Jie Liu, Peng Wan, Caifeng Xie & De-Wei Chen, Key aroma-active compounds in brown sugar and their influence on sweetness, Food Chemistry, 2021.
- Aroma-active compounds linked to sweetness in brown sugar (CLM-BROWNSUGAR-002). Jie Liu, Peng Wan, Caifeng Xie & De-Wei Chen, Key aroma-active compounds in brown sugar and their influence on sweetness, Food Chemistry, 2021.
Molecules named in these claims: (E)-β-damascenone, 2-furanmethanol, 2,3-butanedione, butyrolactone, dihydro-2-methyl-3(2H)-furanone, furfural, guaiacol, phenylacetaldehyde. A molecule listed here is named in a VERIFIED claim about this smell. It is not presented as the cause of the smell; each claim says what its source supports.
Cite
SmellBook. (2026). Brown Sugar (revision 4, 2026-10-06). SmellBook Public Atlas. smellbook:smell:brown-sugar. https://smellbook.com/smells/brown-sugar
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