Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Benzyl propionate
Benzyl propionate is an ester in the balsamic family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2150 (CAS 122-63-4). Its odor is balsamic, fruity, sweet, slightly floral.
- FEMA
- 2150
- CAS
- 122-63-4
- JECFA
- 842
- EU FL
- 09.132
- Formula
- C10H12O2
- EC
- 204-559-3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 122-63-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Propanoic acid, phenylmethyl ester, Propionic acid, benzyl ester, Benzyl propanoate, Phenylmethyl propanoate, NSC 46100, benzyl propanoate, propanoic acid, phenylmethyl ester, propionic acid, benzyl ester, phenylmethyl propanoate, phenylmethyl propionate, benzyl propionate (natrual), benzyl n-propionate.
Can Benzyl propionate be labeled natural?
Since benzyl propionate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when benzyl propionate 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 propionate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2150. 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 09.132, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 842, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. 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 propionate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 122-63-4, where EPA names it Propanoic 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: Balsamic, fruity, sweet, slightly floral.
Taste: Balsamic, fruity.
Where it is used
Benzyl propionate is used in balsam, fruit and floral, typically as a balsamic note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Benzyl propionate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ethyl phenylacetate | 2452 | 79% | In nature |
| Phenethyl acetate | 2857 | 77% | In nature |
| Phenethyl propionate | 2867 | 76% | In nature |
| cis-3-Hexenyl benzoate | 3688 | 75% | In nature |
| Benzyl acetate | 2135 | 72% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Methyl cinnamate · Benzyl benzoate · 2,4-Hexadienyl propionate · Methyl (E)-2-(Z)-4-decadienoate · n-Amyl heptanoate · 3-Octyl butyrate
Benzyl propionate FAQ
Is benzyl propionate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2150 covers benzyl propionate. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What is the FEMA number for benzyl propionate?
The FEMA number for benzyl propionate is 2150 and its CAS registry number is 122-63-4. FEMA files it in the balsamic flavor category.
Is benzyl propionate natural or artificial?
Benzyl propionate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: benzyl propionate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized benzyl propionate 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 propionate approved in the EU?
Benzyl propionate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.132 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated benzyl propionate?
Yes. JECFA number 842, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What is benzyl propionate used for?
Benzyl propionate is described as balsamic, fruity, sweet, slightly floral. On the palate it is balsamic, fruity. It shows up in balsam, fruit and floral.
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 propionate 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 PROPIONATE under CAS 122-63-4 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.
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.