Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Phenethyl alcohol
Phenethyl alcohol is an alcohol in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2858 (CAS 60-12-8). Its odor is rose, floral, honey, slightly spicy.
- FEMA
- 2858
- CAS
- 60-12-8
- JECFA
- 987
- EU FL
- 02.019
- Formula
- C8H10O
- EC
- 200-456-2
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 60-12-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzeneethanol, Benzyl carbinol, Ethanol, 2-phenyl-, β-(Hydroxyethyl)benzene, PEA, β-PEA, Phenethanol, 2-Phenylethanol, Phenylethyl alcohol, β-Phenylethyl alcohol, β-Phenethyl alcohol, β-Phenylethanol.
Can Phenethyl alcohol be labeled natural?
Since phenethyl alcohol is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when phenethyl alcohol is synthesized. 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
Phenethyl alcohol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2858. 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 02.019, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 987, evaluated at the 59th meeting in 2002. No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
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. Phenethyl alcohol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 60-12-8, where EPA names it Benzeneethanol.
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: Rose, floral, honey, slightly spicy.
Taste: Floral, rose, slightly bitter.
Where it is used
Phenethyl alcohol is used in rose, floral and honey, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Phenethyl alcohol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phenethylamine | 3220 | 89% | In nature |
| 3-Phenyl-1-propanol | 2885 | 86% | In nature |
| 1-Phenyl-1-propanol | 2884 | 83% | In nature |
| o-Propylphenol | 3522 | 82% | In nature |
| 2-Phenoxyethanol | 4620 | 81% | In nature |
More alcohols in this index
Rhodinol · alpha-Propylphenethyl alcohol · Hydroxycitronellol · Fenchyl alcohol · Benzyl alcohol · Anisyl alcohol
Phenethyl alcohol FAQ
Is phenethyl alcohol on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2858 covers phenethyl alcohol. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What is the FEMA number for phenethyl alcohol?
The FEMA number for phenethyl alcohol is 2858 and its CAS registry number is 60-12-8. FEMA files it in the floral flavor category.
Is phenethyl alcohol natural or artificial?
Phenethyl alcohol occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: phenethyl alcohol won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized phenethyl alcohol 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.
Is phenethyl alcohol approved in the EU?
Phenethyl alcohol is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.019 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated phenethyl alcohol?
Yes. JECFA number 987, evaluated at the 59th meeting in 2002. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What is phenethyl alcohol used for?
Phenethyl alcohol is described as rose, floral, honey, slightly spicy. On the palate it is floral, rose, slightly bitter. It shows up in rose, floral and honey.
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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 PHENETHYL ALCOHOL under CAS 60-12-8 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.