Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Glycerin
Glycerin is an alcohol in the sweet family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2525 (CAS 56-81-5). Its odor is sweet, syrupy, viscous, mild.
- FEMA
- 2525
- CAS
- 56-81-5
- JECFA
- 909
- Formula
- C3H8O3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 56-81-5.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 1,2,3-Propanetriol, Propanetriol, 2-Propanol, 1,3-dihydroxy-, Glycerin, Glycerine, Glyceritol, Glycyl alcohol, Trihydroxypropane, Glyrol, Glysanin, Osmoglyn, 1,2,3-Trihydroxypropane.
Can Glycerin be labeled natural?
Nature makes glycerin, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial glycerin, 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
Glycerin is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2525. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 182.1320.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Glycerin. That is not a finding either way. The Union List covers defined flavouring substances, so natural complex materials are handled as flavouring preparations under Parts B to F and never receive a number, and substances used as additives sit under Regulation 1333/2008 instead. Confirm the position before EU or UK use.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 909, evaluated at the 20th meeting in 1976. ADI not specified.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list. Listed on the EPA TSCA inventory.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Glycerin appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 56-81-5, where EPA names it 1,2,3-Propanetriol.
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, syrupy, viscous, mild.
Taste: Sweet, smooth, neutral.
Where it is used
Glycerin is used in beverage, confection, dairy, baked goods and sauces, typically as a sweet note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Glycerin by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dihydroxyacetone dimer | 4033 | 96% | Not determined |
| 1,3-Propanediol | 4753 | 94% | In nature |
| Propylene Glycol | 2940 | 77% | In nature |
| Erythritol | 4819 | 75% | In nature |
| 3-Hydroxy-2-oxopropionic acid | 3843 | 70% | In nature |
More alcohols in this index
1-Amino-2-propanol · Erythritol · 1,3-Propanediol · Cinnamyl alcohol · (Z,Z)-3,6-Nonadien-1-ol · Hexyl alcohol
Glycerin FAQ
Is glycerin on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2525 covers glycerin. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 182.1320.
What is the FEMA number for glycerin?
The FEMA number for glycerin is 2525 and its CAS registry number is 56-81-5. Its flavor category is sweet.
What is glycerin used for?
Glycerin is described as sweet, syrupy, viscous, mild. On the palate it is sweet, smooth, neutral. It shows up in beverage, confection, dairy, baked goods and sauces.
What did JECFA conclude about glycerin?
JECFA evaluated glycerin at the 20th meeting in 1976 under JECFA number 909. The panel concluded: ADI not specified.
Is glycerin approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for glycerin. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 909), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Is glycerin natural or artificial?
The process decides for glycerin. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic glycerin 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 GLYCERIN under CAS 56-81-5 and carries its FEMA number and its 21 CFR citations. The inventory is searchable at FDA. FDA records its technical effect as anticaking agent or free-flow agent, drying agent, emulsifier or emulsifier salt, humectant, masticatory substance, nutritive sweetener, solvent or vehicle, stabilizer or thickener, texturizer.
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.