Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Butyl laurate
Butyl laurate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2206 (CAS 106-18-3). Its odor is sweet, fruity, tropical, creamy, buttery.
- FEMA
- 2206
- CAS
- 106-18-3
- JECFA
- 181
- EU FL
- 09.100
- Formula
- C16H32O2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 106-18-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Dodecanoic acid, butyl ester, Lauric acid, butyl ester, Butyl dodecanoate, NSC 3920, butyl dodecanoate, dodecanoic acid, butyl ester, n-butyl laurate, lauric acid butyl ester, lauric acid, butyl ester, bytyl laurate, butyl dodecylate, lauric acid n-butyl ester.
Can Butyl laurate be labeled natural?
Since butyl laurate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when butyl laurate is synthesized. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic butyl laurate 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
Butyl laurate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2206. 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 09.100, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 181, 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 laurate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 106-18-3, where EPA names it Dodecanoic acid, butyl 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, tropical, creamy, buttery.
Where it is used
Butyl laurate is used in beverage, confection, dairy, bakery and desserts, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Butyl laurate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dodecyl butyrate | 4340 | 99% | In nature |
| Octyl octanoate | 2811 | 99% | In nature |
| Ethyl hexadecanoate | 2451 | 98% | In nature |
| Isoamyl laurate | 2077 | 97% | In nature |
| Methyl myristate | 2722 | 97% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Ethyl trans-2-cis-4-decadienoate · Furfuryl pentanoate · Ethyl 3-octenoate · Butan-3-one-2-yl butanoate · Isobutyl cinnamate · Isobutyl salicylate
Butyl laurate FAQ
Does butyl laurate have FEMA GRAS status?
Butyl laurate holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2206. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite butyl laurate by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite butyl laurate as FEMA 2206 or CAS 106-18-3; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Can butyl laurate be labeled a natural flavor?
Butyl laurate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: butyl laurate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized butyl laurate is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
Can butyl laurate be used in the EU and UK?
Butyl laurate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.100 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated butyl laurate?
Yes. JECFA number 181, evaluated at the 49th meeting in 1997. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does butyl laurate smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of butyl laurate is sweet, fruity, tropical, creamy, buttery. Typical uses are beverage, confection, dairy, bakery and desserts.
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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 BUTYL LAURATE under CAS 106-18-3 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.