Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Ethyl acrylate
Ethyl acrylate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2418 (CAS 140-88-5). Its odor is sweet, fruity, floral, estery, slightly pungent.
- FEMA
- 2418
- CAS
- 140-88-5
- JECFA
- 1351
- EU FL
- 09.037
- Formula
- C5H8O2
- EC
- 205-438-8
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 140-88-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Propenoic acid, ethyl ester, Acrylic acid ethyl ester, Ethyl propenoate, 2-Propenoic acid ethyl ester, Ethyl 2-propenoate, Ethyl acrylic ester, NSC 8263, A 0143, acrylic acid ethyl ester, ethyl propenoate, 2-propenoic acid, ethyl ester, ethyl 2-propenoate.
Can Ethyl acrylate be labeled natural?
Since ethyl acrylate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when ethyl acrylate 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
Ethyl acrylate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2418. 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 09.037, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1351, evaluated at the 63rd meeting in 2004. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Other US flags
Listed under California Proposition 65 for cancer since July 1, 1989; a warning may be required in California depending on exposure.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Ethyl acrylate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 140-88-5, where EPA names it 2-Propenoic acid, ethyl 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, estery, slightly pungent.
Where it is used
Ethyl acrylate is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, flavoring agents and food additives, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Ethyl acrylate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Hexen-3-one | 3352 | 88% | In nature |
| Ethyl pyruvate | 2457 | 88% | In nature |
| 1-Penten-3-one | 3382 | 83% | In nature |
| Propyl acetate | 2925 | 79% | In nature |
| Ethyl Acetate | 2414 | 76% | In nature |
More esters in this index
3-Oxotetradecanoic acid glyceride · l-Bornyl acetate · Phenethyl formate · Ethyl (E)-2-methyl-2-pentenoate · Allyl hexanoate · Methyl nicotinate
Ethyl acrylate FAQ
Is ethyl acrylate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists ethyl acrylate as GRAS under FEMA number 2418. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for ethyl acrylate?
Ethyl acrylate is FEMA 2418, CAS 140-88-5. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does ethyl acrylate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Ethyl acrylate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: ethyl acrylate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized ethyl acrylate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic ethyl acrylate identical-to-natural.
Is ethyl acrylate on the EU Union List?
Ethyl acrylate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.037 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated ethyl acrylate?
Yes. JECFA number 1351, evaluated at the 63rd meeting in 2004. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is ethyl acrylate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe ethyl acrylate as sweet, fruity, floral, estery, slightly pungent. It is used in beverage, confection, fruit flavors, flavoring agents and food additives.
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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 ETHYL ACRYLATE under CAS 140-88-5 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.