Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Acetone
Acetone is a ketone in the sweet family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3326 (CAS 67-64-1). Its odor is solvent, sweet, ethereal.
- FEMA
- 3326
- CAS
- 67-64-1
- JECFA
- 139
- EU FL
- 07.050
- Formula
- C3H6O
- EC
- 200-662-2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 6. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 67-64-1.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Propanone, Methyl ketone, Dimethyl ketone, β-Ketopropane, Pyroacetic ether, Propanone, Dimethylformaldehyde, NSC 135802, Taimax, A 1060, A 0140, MeSH ID: D000096.
Can Acetone be labeled natural?
Since acetone is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when acetone is synthesized. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
- United States
- Natural or artificial, by process
- European Union and UK
- Natural only from natural material
- Mercosur and Mexico
- Natural or identical-to-natural
How each market defines the classes: natural vs artificial flavor under 21 CFR 101.22.
Regulatory status, with citations
United States
Acetone is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3326. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 173.210.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 07.050, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 139, evaluated at the 51st meeting in 1998. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Acetone appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 67-64-1, where EPA names it 2-Propanone.
Active in US commerce
EPA designates this substance active, so no Notice of Activity Form B is required before manufacturing. What active and inactive mean.
EPA publishes no regulatory flags on this listing. What the flags mean.
From the EPA non-confidential TSCA Inventory, July 2026 release. EPA also maintains a confidential portion it does not publish. Search the Inventory by CAS number.
Odor and taste
Odor: Solvent, sweet, ethereal.
Taste: Sweet, solvent-like.
Where it is used
Acetone is used in sweet notes and fruit, typically as a sweet note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Acetone by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isopropyl alcohol | 2929 | 92% | In nature |
| Isopropylamine | 4238 | 88% | In nature |
| Trimethylamine | 3241 | 83% | In nature |
| Ethanol | 2419 | 77% | In nature |
| Acetic acid | 2006 | 76% | In nature |
More ketones in this index
1-(p-Methoxyphenyl)-1-penten-3-one · 2,3-Undecadione · beta-Isomethylionone · beta-Damascone · Methyl-beta- ionone · 4-Acetyl-2-methylpyrimidine
Acetone FAQ
Is acetone on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 3326 covers acetone. It is also codified at 21 CFR 173.210.
What is the FEMA number for acetone?
The FEMA number for acetone is 3326 and its CAS registry number is 67-64-1. FEMA files it in the sweet flavor category.
Is acetone natural or artificial?
Acetone occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: acetone won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized acetone is artificial. In the EU and UK the natural claim likewise needs the natural route, while Mercosur and Mexico keep a third class, identical-to-natural, for the synthetic material.
Is acetone approved in the EU?
Acetone is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 07.050 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated acetone?
Yes. JECFA number 139, evaluated at the 51st meeting in 1998. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What is acetone used for?
Acetone is described as solvent, sweet, ethereal. On the palate it is sweet, solvent-like. It shows up in sweet notes and fruit.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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Sources and attribution. The identity and regulatory facts on this page are taken from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, a US government record, which lists this substance as ACETONE under CAS 67-64-1 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant, solvent or vehicle, washing or surface removal agent.
A FEMA GRAS conclusion is reached by the Expert Panel of the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the United States, and the FEMA number names that conclusion. FEMA publishes its own entry for this substance in the FEMA Flavor Library, which is the authoritative record of what the Panel decided and is worth reading alongside this page.
Ambrose Compliance is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by FEMA. FEMA and FEMA GRAS are used here as identifiers for a published regulatory determination, not as marks of any relationship between FEMA and Ambrose.
About this page. Facts come from the FDA Substances Added to Food inventory, the Code of Federal Regulations, the EPA TSCA Inventory, the EU Union List, JECFA and the Ambrose database, with FEMA's published determination cited where it applies; parts of the text are written by Ambrose AI, which can make mistakes. Check the cited source before relying on anything here. This is not regulatory or legal advice.