Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Propylene Glycol
Propylene Glycol is a polyol in the solvent family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2940 (CAS 57-55-6).
- FEMA
- 2940
- CAS
- 57-55-6
- JECFA
- 925
- Formula
- C3H8O2
- EC
- 200-338-0
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 57-55-6.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 1,2-propanediol, PG, propane-1,2-diol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,2-dihydroxypropane, 2-hydroxypropanol, isopropylene glycol, dowfrost, sirlene, methylethyl glycol, methylethylene glycol, monopropylene glycol.
Can Propylene Glycol be labeled natural?
Propylene Glycol occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: Propylene Glycol won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized Propylene Glycol is artificial. 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
Propylene Glycol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2940. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 184.1666.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Propylene Glycol. 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 925, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. ADI 0 to 25 mg/kg body weight.
Other US flags
Not on the California Proposition 65 list.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Propylene Glycol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 57-55-6, where EPA names it 1,2-Propanediol.
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
Taste: Slightly sweet, solvent carrier.
Where it is used
Propylene Glycol is used in all applications - carrier solvent, typically as a solvent note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Propylene Glycol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Amino-2-propanol | 3965 | 96% | In nature |
| Hydroxyacetone | 4462 | 96% | In nature |
| Propyl alcohol | 2928 | 96% | In nature |
| L-Alanine | 3818 | 92% | In nature |
| Acetoin | 2008 | 91% | In nature |
Propylene Glycol FAQ
Is Propylene Glycol FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists Propylene Glycol as GRAS under FEMA number 2940. It is also codified at 21 CFR 184.1666.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for Propylene Glycol?
Propylene Glycol is FEMA 2940, CAS 57-55-6. FEMA files it in the solvent flavor category.
Does Propylene Glycol count as natural in the US and the EU?
Since Propylene Glycol is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when Propylene Glycol is synthesized. The EU and UK grant the natural claim only to that natural route; Mercosur and Mexico call synthetic material identical-to-natural.
Is Propylene Glycol approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for Propylene Glycol. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 925), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated Propylene Glycol?
Yes. JECFA number 925, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001.
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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 PROPYLENE GLYCOL under CAS 57-55-6 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, antimicrobial agent, antioxidant, drying agent, emulsifier or emulsifier salt, flavor enhancer, flavoring agent or adjuvant, formulation aid, humectant, 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.