Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Benzyl benzoate
Benzyl benzoate is an ester in the balsamic family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2138 (CAS 120-51-4). Its odor is faint balsamic, sweet, almond.
- FEMA
- 2138
- CAS
- 120-51-4
- JECFA
- 24
- EU FL
- 09.727
- Formula
- C14H12O2
- EC
- 204-402-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 120-51-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzoic acid, phenylmethyl ester, Benzoic acid, benzyl ester, Ascabin, Ascabiol, Benylate, Benzyl benzenecarboxylate, Benzylets, Benzyl phenylformate, Colebenz, Novoscabin, Peruscabin, Venzonate.
Can Benzyl benzoate be labeled natural?
Since benzyl benzoate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when benzyl benzoate 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
Benzyl benzoate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2138. 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 09.727, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 24, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. no safety concern at current levels of intake.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Benzyl benzoate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 120-51-4, where EPA names it Benzoic acid, phenylmethyl ester.
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: Faint balsamic, sweet, almond.
Taste: Mild, balsamic, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Benzyl benzoate is used in balsamic notes and fixative, typically as a balsamic note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Benzyl benzoate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinnamyl benzoate | 4703 | 87% | In nature |
| Benzyl cinnamate | 2142 | 86% | In nature |
| Benzyl salicylate | 2151 | 83% | In nature |
| Benzoin | 2132 | 83% | In nature |
| Phenethyl phenylacetate | 2866 | 82% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Benzyl propionate · Methyl cinnamate · Octyl octanoate · Isoamyl 3-(2-furan)propionate · Propyl acetate · 3-Oxotetradecanoic acid glyceride
Benzyl benzoate FAQ
Is benzyl benzoate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2138 covers benzyl benzoate. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What is the FEMA number for benzyl benzoate?
The FEMA number for benzyl benzoate is 2138 and its CAS registry number is 120-51-4. FEMA files it in the balsamic flavor category.
Is benzyl benzoate natural or artificial?
Benzyl benzoate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: benzyl benzoate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized benzyl benzoate 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 benzyl benzoate approved in the EU?
Benzyl benzoate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.727 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated benzyl benzoate?
Yes. JECFA number 24, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. Conclusion: no safety concern at current levels of intake.
What is benzyl benzoate used for?
Benzyl benzoate is described as faint balsamic, sweet, almond. On the palate it is mild, balsamic, slightly sweet. It shows up in balsamic notes and fixative.
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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 BENZYL BENZOATE under CAS 120-51-4 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 flavoring agent or adjuvant, solvent or vehicle.
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.