Sclareolide (Scl)

Sclareolide is a sesquiterpene lactone natural product derived from various plant sources including Salvia sclarea, Salvia yosgadensis, and cigar tobacco. It is a close analog of sclareol, a plant antifungal compound. It is used as a fragrance in cosmetics and has been more recently marketed as a weight loss supplement, though there is no clinical evidence to support this effect. The company WILD believes and presumably tries to use sclareolide to hypothetically block the perception of "off" flavors in potassium chloride when used as a table salt substitute. Sclareolide is not generally known for its bioactive properties. Instead, it is mostly used as a fixative or base in the perfume industry, replacing the expensive ambergris believed to originate in the intestines of the sperm whale, an endangered and rapidly vanishing species.