Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Benzyl cinnamate
Benzyl cinnamate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2142 (CAS 103-41-3). Its odor is sweet, fruity, floral, balsamic, cinnamon.
- FEMA
- 2142
- CAS
- 103-41-3
- JECFA
- 670
- EU FL
- 09.738
- Formula
- C16H14O2
- EC
- 203-109-3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 103-41-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Propenoic acid, 3-phenyl-, phenylmethyl ester, Cinnamic acid, benzyl ester, Benzyl γ-phenylacrylate, Cinnamein, Benzyl 3-phenylpropenoate, 3-Phenyl-2-propenoic acid benzyl ester, NSC 11780, NSC 44403, NCCF 1500, NCCF 300, NCCF 100, NCCF 4000.
Can Benzyl cinnamate be labeled natural?
Since benzyl cinnamate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when benzyl cinnamate is synthesized. 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.
- 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 cinnamate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2142. 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 09.738, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 670, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. 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. Benzyl cinnamate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 103-41-3, where EPA names it 2-Propenoic acid, 3-phenyl-, 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: Sweet, fruity, floral, balsamic, cinnamon.
Where it is used
Benzyl cinnamate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, baked goods and cosmetics, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Benzyl cinnamate 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 | 93% | In nature |
| Phenethyl cinnamate | 2863 | 93% | In nature |
| Cinnamyl cinnamate | 2298 | 91% | In nature |
| Cyclohexyl cinnamate | 2352 | 86% | In nature |
| Benzyl benzoate | 2138 | 86% | In nature |
More esters in this index
trans-2-Octen-1-yl butanoate · 2,4-Hexadienyl propionate · Yuzunone · Neryl isovalerate · Isoamyl laurate · Glyceryl monooleate
Benzyl cinnamate FAQ
Is benzyl cinnamate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists benzyl cinnamate as GRAS under FEMA number 2142. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for benzyl cinnamate?
Benzyl cinnamate is FEMA 2142, CAS 103-41-3. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does benzyl cinnamate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Benzyl cinnamate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: benzyl cinnamate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized benzyl cinnamate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic benzyl cinnamate identical-to-natural.
Is benzyl cinnamate on the EU Union List?
Benzyl cinnamate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.738 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated benzyl cinnamate?
Yes. JECFA number 670, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is benzyl cinnamate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe benzyl cinnamate as sweet, fruity, floral, balsamic, cinnamon. It is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, baked goods and cosmetics.
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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 BENZYL CINNAMATE under CAS 103-41-3 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.
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.