Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Butyl salicylate
Butyl salicylate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3650 (CAS 2052-14-4). Its odor is sweet, fruity, floral, apple, berry.
- FEMA
- 3650
- CAS
- 2052-14-4
- JECFA
- 901
- EU FL
- 09.763
- Formula
- C11H14O3
- EC
- 218-142-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 12. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 2052-14-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, butyl ester, Salicylic acid, butyl ester, Butyl 2-hydroxybenzoate, Butyl o-hydroxybenzoate, n-Butyl salicylate, NSC 1511, NSC 403676, butyl 2-hydroxybenzoate, n-butyl salicylate, benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, butyl ester, butyl o-hydroxybenzoate, salicylic acid, butyl ester.
Can Butyl salicylate be labeled natural?
Since butyl salicylate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when butyl salicylate 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
Butyl salicylate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3650. 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 09.763, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 901, 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. Butyl salicylate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 2052-14-4, where EPA names it Benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, 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, floral, apple, berry.
Where it is used
Butyl salicylate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, cosmetics and perfume, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Butyl salicylate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isoamyl salicylate | 2084 | 91% | In nature |
| (Z)-Hex-3-enyl salicylate | 4750 | 84% | In nature |
| Isobutyl salicylate | 2213 | 79% | In nature |
| Butyl anthranilate | 2181 | 74% | In nature |
| Benzyl salicylate | 2151 | 71% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Ethyl alpha-acetylcinnamate · Ethyl formate · 2-Ethylhexyl benzoate · 3-Oxotetradecanoic acid glyceride · Bornyl butyrate · Butyl beta-(methylthio)acrylate
Butyl salicylate FAQ
Is butyl salicylate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 3650 covers butyl salicylate. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What is the FEMA number for butyl salicylate?
The FEMA number for butyl salicylate is 3650 and its CAS registry number is 2052-14-4. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Is butyl salicylate natural or artificial?
Butyl salicylate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: butyl salicylate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized butyl salicylate 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 butyl salicylate approved in the EU?
Butyl salicylate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.763 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated butyl salicylate?
Yes. JECFA number 901, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What is butyl salicylate used for?
Butyl salicylate is described as sweet, fruity, floral, apple, berry. It shows up in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, cosmetics and perfume.
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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 SALICYLATE under CAS 2052-14-4 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as flavor enhancer, 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.