Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Isopropyl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol is an alcohol in the alcoholic family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2929 (CAS 67-63-0). Its odor is solvent, sharp, clean, slightly sweet.
- FEMA
- 2929
- CAS
- 67-63-0
- JECFA
- 277
- EU FL
- 02.079
- Formula
- C3H8O
- EC
- 200-661-7
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 67-63-0.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 2-Propanol, Avantine, Dimethylcarbinol, Isohol, Isopropanol, Lutosol, PRO, Petrohol, sec-Propyl alcohol, Alcosolve 2, iso-Propanol, 1-Methylethyl alcohol.
Can Isopropyl alcohol be labeled natural?
Nature makes isopropyl alcohol, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial isopropyl alcohol, same molecule. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material 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
Isopropyl alcohol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2929. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 173.240.
European Union and United Kingdom
Listed on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.079, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (JECFA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 277, 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. Isopropyl alcohol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 67-63-0, where EPA names it 2-Propanol.
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: Solvent, sharp, clean, slightly sweet.
Taste: Bitter, warming, alcoholic.
Where it is used
Isopropyl alcohol is used in beverage, flavoring agent, solvent, extraction and preservative, typically as a alcoholic note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Isopropyl alcohol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Isopropylamine | 4238 | 96% | In nature |
| Ethanol | 2419 | 92% | In nature |
| Acetone | 3326 | 92% | In nature |
| Ethylamine | 4236 | 91% | In nature |
| Trimethylamine | 3241 | 81% | In nature |
More alcohols in this index
Ethanol · Propyl alcohol · Amyl alcohol · Butyl alcohol · cis-3-Octen-1-ol · Furfuryl alcohol
Isopropyl alcohol FAQ
Does isopropyl alcohol have FEMA GRAS status?
Isopropyl alcohol holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2929. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 173.240.
How do I cite isopropyl alcohol by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite isopropyl alcohol as FEMA 2929 or CAS 67-63-0; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is alcoholic.
What does isopropyl alcohol smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of isopropyl alcohol is solvent, sharp, clean, slightly sweet. On the palate it is bitter, warming, alcoholic. Typical uses are beverage, flavoring agent, solvent, extraction and preservative.
What did JECFA conclude about isopropyl alcohol?
JECFA evaluated isopropyl alcohol at the 51st meeting in 1998 under JECFA number 277. The panel concluded: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
Can isopropyl alcohol be used in the EU and UK?
Yes. FL 02.079 is the Union List entry for isopropyl alcohol, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Can isopropyl alcohol be labeled a natural flavor?
The process decides for isopropyl alcohol. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic isopropyl alcohol is artificial. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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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 ISOPROPYL ALCOHOL under CAS 67-63-0 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 flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant, solvent or vehicle.
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.