Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Cinnamaldehyde
Cinnamaldehyde is an aldehyde in the spice family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2286 (CAS 104-55-2). Its odor is strong cinnamon, spicy, warm, sweet.
- FEMA
- 2286
- CAS
- 104-55-2
- JECFA
- 656
- EU FL
- 05.014
- Formula
- C9H8O
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 104-55-2.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Propenal, 3-phenyl-, 3-Phenyl-2-propenal, Cassia aldehyde, Cinnamal, Cinnamic aldehyde, Phenylacrolein, 3-Phenylpropenal, 3-Phenyl-2-propene-1-al, Cinnamyl aldehyde, 3-Phenylacrolein, Benzylideneacetaldehyde, 3-Phenyl-2-propenaldehyde.
Can Cinnamaldehyde be labeled natural?
Since cinnamaldehyde is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when cinnamaldehyde 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
Cinnamaldehyde is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2286. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 182.60.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 05.014, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 656, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. 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. Cinnamaldehyde appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 104-55-2, where EPA names it 2-Propenal, 3-phenyl-.
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: Strong cinnamon, spicy, warm, sweet.
Taste: Hot cinnamon, spicy, slightly sweet, warming.
Where it is used
Cinnamaldehyde is used in cinnamon, spice flavors, baked goods and confection, typically as a spice note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Cinnamaldehyde by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3-Phenylpropionaldehyde | 2887 | 92% | In nature |
| Benzyl formate | 2145 | 87% | In nature |
| Cinnamyl alcohol | 2294 | 86% | In nature |
| 4-Ethylbenzaldehyde | 3756 | 82% | In nature |
| Cinnamic acid | 2288 | 82% | In nature |
More aldehydes in this index
Cinnamaldehyde propyleneglycol acetal · alpha-Butylcinnamaldehyde · Cuminaldehyde · p-Methylcinnamaldehyde · Octadec-9-enal · (E,E)-2,4-Hexadienal
Cinnamaldehyde FAQ
Is cinnamaldehyde FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists cinnamaldehyde as GRAS under FEMA number 2286. It is also codified at 21 CFR 182.60.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for cinnamaldehyde?
Cinnamaldehyde is FEMA 2286, CAS 104-55-2. FEMA files it in the spice flavor category.
Does cinnamaldehyde count as natural in the US and the EU?
Cinnamaldehyde occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: cinnamaldehyde won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized cinnamaldehyde is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic cinnamaldehyde identical-to-natural.
Is cinnamaldehyde on the EU Union List?
Cinnamaldehyde is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 05.014 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated cinnamaldehyde?
Yes. JECFA number 656, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is cinnamaldehyde described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe cinnamaldehyde as strong cinnamon, spicy, warm, sweet. On the palate it is hot cinnamon, spicy, slightly sweet, warming. It is used in cinnamon, spice flavors, baked goods and confection.
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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 CINNAMALDEHYDE under CAS 104-55-2 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.