Flavor ingredient regulatory record
alpha-bisabolol
alpha-bisabolol is a terpene in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4666 (CAS 23089-26-1). Its odor is floral, sweet, herbal, woody.
- FEMA
- 4666
- CAS
- 23089-26-1
- JECFA
- 2031
- EU FL
- 02.129
- Formula
- C15H26O
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 24. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 515-69-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 3-Cyclohexene-1-methanol, α,4-dimethyl-α-(4-methyl-3-penten-1-yl)-, (αS,1S)-, 5-Hepten-2-ol, 6-methyl-2-(4-methyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-, (-)-, 3-Cyclohexene-1-methanol, α,4-dimethyl-α-(4-methyl-3-pentenyl)-, [S-(R*,R*)]-, 3-Cyclohexene-1-methanol, α,4-dimethyl-α-(4-methyl-3-pentenyl)-, (αS,1S)-, (αS,1S)-α,4-Dimethyl-α-(4-methyl-3-penten-1-yl)-3-cyclohexene-1-methanol, (-)-α-Bisabolol, Levomenol, l-α-Bisabolol, α-Bisabolol, (-)-, (-)-(1′S,2S)-α-Bisabolol, α-(-)-Bisabolol, (-)-(4S,8S)-α-Bisabolol.
Can alpha-bisabolol be labeled natural?
Since alpha-bisabolol is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when alpha-bisabolol is synthesized. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic alpha-bisabolol 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
alpha-bisabolol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4666. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.129, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
Purity. Sum of isomers at least 95%
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 2031.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
Odor and taste
Odor: Floral, sweet, herbal, woody.
Taste: Sweet, herbal, slightly bitter.
Where it is used
alpha-bisabolol is used in fragrance, cosmetics, beverage and food flavoring, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to alpha-bisabolol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| alpha -Bisabolene | 5067 | 83% | In nature |
| Bisabolene | 3331 | 80% | In nature |
More terpenes in this index
Tetrahydrolinalool · Bisabolene · alpha -Bisabolene · (-)-Sclareol · Nerolidol oxide · beta-Ionol
alpha-bisabolol FAQ
Does alpha-bisabolol have FEMA GRAS status?
alpha-bisabolol holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 4666. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite alpha-bisabolol by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite alpha-bisabolol as FEMA 4666 or CAS 23089-26-1; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the floral flavor category.
Can alpha-bisabolol be labeled a natural flavor?
alpha-bisabolol occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: alpha-bisabolol won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized alpha-bisabolol is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
Can alpha-bisabolol be used in the EU and UK?
alpha-bisabolol is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.129 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated alpha-bisabolol?
Yes. JECFA number 2031.
What does alpha-bisabolol smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of alpha-bisabolol is floral, sweet, herbal, woody. On the palate it is sweet, herbal, slightly bitter. Typical uses are fragrance, cosmetics, beverage and food flavoring.
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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 ALPHA-BISABOLOL under CAS 515-69-5 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavoring agent or adjuvant.
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.