Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Propylene glycol stearate
Propylene glycol stearate is an ester in the sweet family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2942 (CAS 142-75-6). Its odor is sweet, creamy, fatty, mild.
- FEMA
- 2942
- CAS
- 142-75-6
- JECFA
- 926
- Formula
- C21H42O3
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 1323-39-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Octadecanoic acid, 2-hydroxypropyl ester, Stearic acid, 2-hydroxypropyl ester, 1,2-Propanediol, 1-stearate, 2-Hydroxypropyl octadecanoate, 1-Propylene glycol monostearate, 2-Hydroxypropyl stearate, propylene glycol monostearate, cerasynt pa, octadecanoic acid, monoester with 1,2-propanediol, propylene glycol palmitostearate, propylene glycol monopalmitostearate, 2-hydroxypropyl stearate.
Can Propylene glycol stearate be labeled natural?
Since propylene glycol stearate 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 stearate 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
Propylene glycol stearate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2942. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.856.
European Union and United Kingdom
No EU FL number is on file for Propylene glycol stearate. 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 926, 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.
TSCA Inventory status
A flavor ingredient is also an industrial chemical. Propylene glycol stearate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 142-75-6, where EPA names it Octadecanoic acid, 2-hydroxypropyl ester.
Inactive in US commerce
EPA designates this substance inactive, so a Notice of Activity Form B is required before anyone manufactures or processes it again. Being FEMA GRAS does not change that. 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: Sweet, creamy, fatty, mild.
Where it is used
Propylene glycol stearate is used in emulsifier, food additive, bakery and confectionery, typically as a sweet note.
More esters in this index
Propylene glycol mono- and diesters of fatty acids · Polyglycerol esters of fatty acids · Sucrose monopalmitate · 3-Hexenyl phenylacetate · Cinnamyl butyrate · Piperonyl acetate
Propylene glycol stearate FAQ
Is propylene glycol stearate on the FEMA GRAS list?
It is. FEMA number 2942 covers propylene glycol stearate. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.856.
What is the FEMA number for propylene glycol stearate?
The FEMA number for propylene glycol stearate is 2942 and its CAS registry number is 142-75-6. FEMA files it in the sweet flavor category.
Is propylene glycol stearate natural or artificial?
Propylene glycol stearate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: propylene glycol stearate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized propylene glycol stearate 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 propylene glycol stearate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for propylene glycol stearate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 926), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated propylene glycol stearate?
Yes. JECFA number 926, evaluated at the 59th meeting in 2002. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What is propylene glycol stearate used for?
Propylene glycol stearate is described as sweet, creamy, fatty, mild. It shows up in emulsifier, food additive, bakery and confectionery.
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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 STEARATE under CAS 1323-39-3 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 emulsifier or emulsifier salt, flavoring agent or adjuvant, stabilizer or thickener.
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.