Dihydrocoumarin has a sweet, creamy aroma with woody and vanilla-like nuances. It’s often described as having a "lactonic" or milky quality that contributes a warm, creamy scent to a fragrance blend. It is much softer and creamier than coumarin, its parent compound, and lacks the hay-like or herbal aspects that coumarin often exhibits. In terms of taste, dihydrocoumarin is also characterized by its sweet and creamy qualities, somewhat resembling the taste of vanilla or coconut cream.
Though it is primarily used as a fragrance ingredient, when used in flavor applications, it can add a smooth, creamy, and slightly woody sweetness. When it is used as a flavour, it’s typically in trace amounts to enhance or round out sweet, creamy, or woody notes.