Flavor ingredient regulatory record
delta-Damascone
delta-Damascone is a ketone in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3622 (CAS 57378-68-4). Its odor is floral, sweet, rosy, fruity, delicate.
- FEMA
- 3622
- CAS
- 57378-68-4
- JECFA
- 386
- Formula
- C13H20O
- EC
- 260-709-8
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 12. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 57378-68-4.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Buten-1-one, 1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-, 1-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one, δ-Damascone, 1-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-3-cyclohexenyl)-2-buten-1-one, 8-damascone, delta damascone, .delta.-damascone, trans-delta-damascone, 2-buten-1-one, 1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-, 1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-2-buten-1-one, damascone, .delta.-, (2e)-1-(2,6,6-trimethylcyclohex-3-en-1-yl)but-2-en-1-one.
Can delta-Damascone be labeled natural?
Since delta-Damascone is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when delta-Damascone is synthesized. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic delta-Damascone 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
delta-Damascone is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3622. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
delta-Damascone was on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 07.130 when Regulation (EU) 872/2012 adopted the list, and the entry has since been withdrawn. It does not appear in the current consolidated text of Regulation (EC) 1334/2008. Check the amending regulations for the conditions that applied to existing stock, and treat EU or UK use as closed unless another route covers it.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 386, evaluated at the 51st meeting in 1998. 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. delta-Damascone appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 57378-68-4, where EPA names it 2-Buten-1-one, 1-(2,6,6-trimethyl-3-cyclohexen-1-yl)-.
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: Floral, sweet, rosy, fruity, delicate.
Taste: Sweet, floral, subtle.
Where it is used
delta-Damascone is used in fragrance, beverage, confection, flavoring and cosmetics, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to delta-Damascone by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| trans-alpha-Damascone | 4088 | 98% | In nature |
| cis-1-(2,6,6-Trimethyl-2-cyclohexenyl)-2-butenone | 3659 | 98% | In nature |
| Damascenone | 3420 | 96% | In nature |
| beta-Damascone | 3243 | 96% | In nature |
| alpha-Ionone | 2594 | 80% | In nature |
More ketones in this index
Isojasmone · 2-Aminoacetophenone · beta-Isomethylionone · alpha-Ionone · Methyl-beta- ionone · Ionone
delta-Damascone FAQ
Does delta-Damascone have FEMA GRAS status?
delta-Damascone holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3622. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite delta-Damascone by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite delta-Damascone as FEMA 3622 or CAS 57378-68-4; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the floral flavor category.
Can delta-Damascone be labeled a natural flavor?
delta-Damascone occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: delta-Damascone won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized delta-Damascone is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
Is delta-Damascone approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for delta-Damascone. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 386), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated delta-Damascone?
Yes. JECFA number 386, evaluated at the 51st meeting in 1998. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does delta-Damascone smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of delta-Damascone is floral, sweet, rosy, fruity, delicate. On the palate it is sweet, floral, subtle. Typical uses are fragrance, beverage, confection, flavoring and cosmetics.
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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 DELTA-DAMASCONE under CAS 57378-68-4 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. 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.