Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Eucalyptol
Eucalyptol is an ether in the herbal family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2465 (CAS 470-82-6). Its odor is eucalyptus, camphoraceous, fresh, minty, cooling.
- FEMA
- 2465
- CAS
- 470-82-6
- JECFA
- 1234
- EU FL
- 03.001
- Formula
- C10H18O
- EC
- 207-431-5
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 470-82-6.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, 1,3,3-trimethyl-, p-Menthane, 1,8-epoxy-, 1,3,3-Trimethyl-2-oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, Cajeputol, Cineol, Cineole, 1,8-Cineole, 1,8-Epoxy-p-menthane, Eucalyptole, 1,8-Cineol, p-Cineole, 2-Oxa-1,3,3-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.2]octane.
Can Eucalyptol be labeled natural?
Nature makes eucalyptol, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial eucalyptol, same molecule. 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
Eucalyptol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2465. 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 03.001, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1234, evaluated at the 61st meeting in 2003. 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. Eucalyptol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 470-82-6, where EPA names it 2-Oxabicyclo[2.2.2]octane, 1,3,3-trimethyl-.
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: Eucalyptus, camphoraceous, fresh, minty, cooling.
Taste: Cooling, eucalyptus, camphor, medicinal.
Where it is used
Eucalyptol is used in mint flavors, eucalyptus, medicinal and oral care, typically as a herbal note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Eucalyptol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,4-Cineole | 3658 | 81% | In nature |
| Fenchyl alcohol | 2480 | 67% | In nature |
| d-Fenchone | 2479 | 67% | In nature |
| l-fenchone | 4519 | 67% | In nature |
| 3,3,5-Trimethyl cyclohexanol | 3962 | 65% | In nature |
More ethers in this index
Methyl phenethyl ether · Isoeugenyl methyl ether · Isoeugenyl benzyl ether · Benzyl butyl ether · Difurfuryl ether · sec-Butyl ethyl ether
Eucalyptol FAQ
Is eucalyptol on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2465 covers eucalyptol. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
What is the FEMA number for eucalyptol?
The FEMA number for eucalyptol is 2465 and its CAS registry number is 470-82-6. Its flavor category is herbal.
What is eucalyptol used for?
Eucalyptol is described as eucalyptus, camphoraceous, fresh, minty, cooling. On the palate it is cooling, eucalyptus, camphor, medicinal. It shows up in mint flavors, eucalyptus, medicinal and oral care.
What did JECFA conclude about eucalyptol?
JECFA evaluated eucalyptol at the 61st meeting in 2003 under JECFA number 1234. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Is eucalyptol approved in the EU?
Yes. FL 03.001 is the Union List entry for eucalyptol, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Is eucalyptol natural or artificial?
The process decides for eucalyptol. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic eucalyptol 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.
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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 EUCALYPTOL under CAS 470-82-6 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.