Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Phenylacetaldehyde
Phenylacetaldehyde is an aldehyde in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2874 (CAS 122-78-1). Its odor is floral, rose, honey, sweet.
- FEMA
- 2874
- CAS
- 122-78-1
- JECFA
- 1002
- EU FL
- 05.030
- Formula
- C8H8O
- EC
- 204-574-5
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 122-78-1.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzeneacetaldehyde, Acetaldehyde, phenyl-, Phenylacetic aldehyde, α-Tolualdehyde, α-Toluic aldehyde, 2-Phenylethanal, Phenylethanal, α-Phenylacetaldehyde, Phenacetaldehyde, NSC 406309, Hyacinthin, Benzylcarboxaldehyde.
Can Phenylacetaldehyde be labeled natural?
Since phenylacetaldehyde is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when phenylacetaldehyde is synthesized. 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
Phenylacetaldehyde is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2874. 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 05.030, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1002, 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. Phenylacetaldehyde appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 122-78-1, where EPA names it Benzeneacetaldehyde.
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: Floral, rose, honey, sweet.
Taste: Floral, honey, slightly chocolate.
Where it is used
Phenylacetaldehyde is used in rose, honey and chocolate, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Phenylacetaldehyde by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Phenylpropionaldehyde | 2886 | 86% | In nature |
| 2-Hexenal | 2560 | 79% | In nature |
| (E,E)-2,4-Hexadienal | 3429 | 79% | In nature |
| Phenethyl alcohol | 2858 | 79% | In nature |
| 3-Hexenal | 3923 | 78% | In nature |
More aldehydes in this index
4-Hydroxybenzaldehyde · o-Anisaldehyde · 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde · Hydroxycitronellal · Anisaldehyde propyleneglycol acetal · 4-Hydroxy-3,5-dimethoxybenzaldehyde
Phenylacetaldehyde FAQ
Is phenylacetaldehyde FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists phenylacetaldehyde as GRAS under FEMA number 2874. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for phenylacetaldehyde?
Phenylacetaldehyde is FEMA 2874, CAS 122-78-1. FEMA files it in the floral flavor category.
Does phenylacetaldehyde count as natural in the US and the EU?
Phenylacetaldehyde occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: phenylacetaldehyde won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized phenylacetaldehyde is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic phenylacetaldehyde identical-to-natural.
Is phenylacetaldehyde on the EU Union List?
Phenylacetaldehyde is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 05.030 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated phenylacetaldehyde?
Yes. JECFA number 1002, evaluated at the 59th meeting in 2002. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is phenylacetaldehyde described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe phenylacetaldehyde as floral, rose, honey, sweet. On the palate it is floral, honey, slightly chocolate. It is used in rose, honey and chocolate.
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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 PHENYLACETALDEHYDE under CAS 122-78-1 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.
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.