Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Benzyl hexanoate
Benzyl hexanoate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4026 (CAS 6938-45-0). Its odor is sweet, fruity, floral, honey, waxy.
- FEMA
- 4026
- CAS
- 6938-45-0
- JECFA
- 2061
- EU FL
- 09.316
- Formula
- C13H18O2
- EC
- 230-068-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 21. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 6938-45-0.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Hexanoic acid, phenylmethyl ester, Hexanoic acid, benzyl ester, Benzyl caproate, NSC 53964, benzyl caproate, hexanoic acid, phenylmethyl ester, benzyl n-hexanoate, hexanoic acid, benzyl ester, ai3-06077, benzyl hexanoate [fhfi], benzyl hexanoic acid, benzylhexanoate.
Can Benzyl hexanoate be labeled natural?
Since benzyl hexanoate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when benzyl hexanoate 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 hexanoate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4026. 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 09.316, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 2061, evaluated at the 73rd meeting in 2010. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
Odor and taste
Odor: Sweet, fruity, floral, honey, waxy.
Where it is used
Benzyl hexanoate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, bakery and dairy, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Benzyl hexanoate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Hexenyl phenylacetate | 3633 | 88% | In nature |
| 2-Ethylhexyl benzoate | 4630 | 88% | Not determined |
| Butyl phenylacetate | 2209 | 87% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Ethyl decanoate · Ethyl benzoylacetate · Ethyl phenylacetate · Isoamyl acetoacetate · 2-Ethanethoic acid, S-(2-methyl-3-furanyl) ester · Menthyl propionate
Benzyl hexanoate FAQ
Is benzyl hexanoate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists benzyl hexanoate as GRAS under FEMA number 4026. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for benzyl hexanoate?
Benzyl hexanoate is FEMA 4026, CAS 6938-45-0. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does benzyl hexanoate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Benzyl hexanoate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: benzyl hexanoate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized benzyl hexanoate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic benzyl hexanoate identical-to-natural.
Is benzyl hexanoate on the EU Union List?
Benzyl hexanoate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.316 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated benzyl hexanoate?
Yes. JECFA number 2061, evaluated at the 73rd meeting in 2010. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is benzyl hexanoate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe benzyl hexanoate as sweet, fruity, floral, honey, waxy. It is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, bakery and dairy.
Ingredient lookup
Check an ingredient
Start typing to search the ingredient corpus.
Or browse every ingredient page, A to Z.
Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
Check Benzyl hexanoate in a formula
Screened against FEMA GRAS, 21 CFR and EU rules as you build. Free to start.
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 HEXANOATE under CAS 6938-45-0 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.