Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Phenol
Phenol is a phenol in the earthy family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3223 (CAS 108-95-2). Its odor is medicinal, phenolic, smoky, sweet.
- FEMA
- 3223
- CAS
- 108-95-2
- JECFA
- 690
- EU FL
- 04.041
- Formula
- C6H6O
- EC
- 203-632-7
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 4. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 108-95-2.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Carbolic acid, Hydroxybenzene, Monohydroxybenzene, Oxybenzene, Phenic acid, Phenyl hydrate, Phenyl hydroxide, Phenylic acid, Phenylic alcohol, Benzenol, Monophenol, Phenyl alcohol.
Can Phenol be labeled natural?
The process decides for phenol. It occurs in nature, so a natural-source, natural-process material is natural flavor in the US and synthetic phenol 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.
- 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
Phenol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3223. 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 04.041, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 690.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Phenol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 108-95-2, where EPA names it Phenol.
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: Medicinal, phenolic, smoky, sweet.
Taste: Bitter, astringent, medicinal.
Where it is used
Phenol is used in beverage, flavoring agent, food preservative and cosmetics, typically as a earthy note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Phenol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| o-Cresol | 3480 | 92% | In nature |
| m-Cresol | 3530 | 88% | In nature |
| Benzyl alcohol | 2137 | 79% | In nature |
| Benzenethiol | 3616 | 77% | In nature |
| 2-Pyridine | 2966 | 73% | In nature |
More phenols in this index
p-Cresol · Skatole · Resorcinol · m-Cresol · p-Ethylphenol · Anisole
Phenol FAQ
Does phenol have FEMA GRAS status?
Phenol holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3223. The Code of Federal Regulations lists it at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite phenol by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite phenol as FEMA 3223 or CAS 108-95-2; both point to the same entry. Its flavor category is earthy.
What does phenol smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of phenol is medicinal, phenolic, smoky, sweet. On the palate it is bitter, astringent, medicinal. Typical uses are beverage, flavoring agent, food preservative and cosmetics.
What did JECFA conclude about phenol?
JECFA evaluated phenol under JECFA number 690.
Can phenol be used in the EU and UK?
Yes. FL 04.041 is the Union List entry for phenol, annex I Part A, under Regulation 1334/2008, and the UK keeps the same list.
Can phenol be labeled a natural flavor?
Nature makes phenol, which is why the US label turns on process. A natural route gives natural flavor; synthesis gives artificial phenol, same molecule. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic phenol identical-to-natural.
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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 PHENOL under CAS 108-95-2 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.