Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Ethyl benzoate
Ethyl benzoate is an ester in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2422 (CAS 93-89-0). Its odor is fruity, floral, medicinal, mint.
- FEMA
- 2422
- CAS
- 93-89-0
- JECFA
- 852
- EU FL
- 09.726
- Formula
- C9H10O2
- EC
- 202-284-3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 93-89-0.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzoic acid, ethyl ester, Ethyl benzenecarboxylate, Benzoyl ethyl ether, NSC 8884, benzoic ether, ethyl benzenecarboxylate, benzoic acid ethyl ester, benzoyl ethyl ether, ethylester kyseliny benzoove, ethyl benzoate (natural), ai3-01352, hydrous benzoyl peroxide impurity c (ep impurity).
Can Ethyl benzoate be labeled natural?
Since ethyl benzoate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when ethyl benzoate is synthesized. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic ethyl benzoate 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
Ethyl benzoate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2422. 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 09.726, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 852, 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. Ethyl benzoate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 93-89-0, where EPA names it Benzoic 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: Fruity, floral, medicinal, mint.
Taste: Fruity, slightly minty.
Where it is used
Ethyl benzoate is used in fruit flavors, wintergreen and berry, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Ethyl benzoate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Methyl benzoate | 2683 | 77% | In nature |
| Phenyl butyrate | 4621 | 76% | In nature |
| Propiophenone | 3469 | 70% | In nature |
| Ethyl phenylacetate | 2452 | 69% | In nature |
| 1-Phenyl-1,2-propanedione | 3226 | 66% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Propyleneglycol mono-2-methylbutyrate · Isoamyl isovalerate · Benzyl 2-methoxyethyl acetal · Butyl phenylacetate · Ethyl 5-(methylthio)pentanoate · 6-Hydroxydihydrotheaspirane
Ethyl benzoate FAQ
Does ethyl benzoate have FEMA GRAS status?
Ethyl benzoate holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2422. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite ethyl benzoate by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite ethyl benzoate as FEMA 2422 or CAS 93-89-0; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Can ethyl benzoate be labeled a natural flavor?
Ethyl benzoate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: ethyl benzoate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized ethyl benzoate 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 ethyl benzoate be used in the EU and UK?
Ethyl benzoate is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.726 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated ethyl benzoate?
Yes. JECFA number 852, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does ethyl benzoate smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of ethyl benzoate is fruity, floral, medicinal, mint. On the palate it is fruity, slightly minty. Typical uses are fruit flavors, wintergreen and berry.
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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 BENZOATE under CAS 93-89-0 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.