Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Butyl alcohol
Butyl alcohol is an alcohol in the alcoholic family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2178 (CAS 71-36-3). Its odor is sweet, solvent, fruity, pungent.
- FEMA
- 2178
- CAS
- 71-36-3
- JECFA
- 85
- EU FL
- 02.004
- Formula
- C4H10O
- EC
- 200-751-6
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 71-36-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 1-Butanol, Butanol, n-Butanol, n-Butyl alcohol, Butyl hydroxide, CCS 203, Methylolpropane, Propylcarbinol, Hemostyp, 1-Butyl alcohol, NSC 62782, MeSH ID: D020001.
Can Butyl alcohol be labeled natural?
Since butyl alcohol is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when butyl alcohol 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
Butyl alcohol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2178. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515 and 21 CFR 172.560.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.004, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 85, evaluated at the 49th meeting in 1997. 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. Butyl alcohol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 71-36-3, where EPA names it 1-Butanol.
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, solvent, fruity, pungent.
Taste: Bitter, alcoholic, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Butyl alcohol is used in beverage, flavoring agent and solvent, typically as a alcoholic note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Butyl alcohol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| (+/-)-2-Methyl-1-butanol | 3998 | 95% | In nature |
| 2-Pentanol | 3316 | 95% | In nature |
| Butylamine | 3130 | 94% | In nature |
| Propyl alcohol | 2928 | 88% | In nature |
| Butyraldehyde | 2219 | 87% | In nature |
More alcohols in this index
Amyl alcohol · Ethanol · Isopropyl alcohol · Propyl alcohol · Fenchyl alcohol · alpha-Propylphenethyl alcohol
Butyl alcohol FAQ
Is butyl alcohol FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists butyl alcohol as GRAS under FEMA number 2178. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515 and 21 CFR 172.560.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for butyl alcohol?
Butyl alcohol is FEMA 2178, CAS 71-36-3. FEMA files it in the alcoholic flavor category.
Does butyl alcohol count as natural in the US and the EU?
Butyl alcohol occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: butyl alcohol won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized butyl alcohol is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic butyl alcohol identical-to-natural.
Is butyl alcohol on the EU Union List?
Butyl alcohol is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.004 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated butyl alcohol?
Yes. JECFA number 85, evaluated at the 49th meeting in 1997. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is butyl alcohol described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe butyl alcohol as sweet, solvent, fruity, pungent. On the palate it is bitter, alcoholic, slightly sweet. It is used in beverage, flavoring agent and solvent.
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 Butyl alcohol 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 BUTYL ALCOHOL under CAS 71-36-3 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, 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.