A process for preparing 1-cyclopropyl-naphthalene derivatives of Formula (1) wherein R1-R7 are independently hydrogen, alkyl, alkoxy, cycloalkyl or aryl comprising the steps of a) contacting an acid salt of a 1-naphthyl-2-aminoethylketone with a base and a first solvent to obtain a solution wherein the molar ratio of base to 1-naphthyl-2-aminoethylketone acid salt is at least 0.7, b) addition of hydrazine to obtain a 3-(1-naphthyl)-1H-pyrazoline, c) optionally adding a second solvent and/or at least partially removing the first solvent, and d) heating the reaction mixture to a temperature above 190° C. to obtain the compound of Formula (1).