Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Rhodinol
Rhodinol is an alcohol in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2980 (CAS 6812-78-8). Its odor is floral, sweet, rose, herbal.
- FEMA
- 2980
- CAS
- 6812-78-8
- JECFA
- 1222
- EU FL
- 02.027
- Formula
- C10H20O
- EC
- 229-887-4
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 141-25-3.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 7-Octen-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (3S)-, 7-Octen-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (S)-, (3S)-3,7-Dimethyl-7-octen-1-ol, α-Citronellol, (-)-, (-)-Rhodinol, (-)-α-Citronellol, (S)-α-Citronellol, (3S)-3,7-Dimethyloct-7-en-1-ol, (-)-rhodinol, (-)-alpha-citronellol, 7-octen-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (3s)-, (s)-alpha-citronellol.
Can Rhodinol be labeled natural?
Rhodinol occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: rhodinol won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized rhodinol 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
Rhodinol is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 2980. 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 02.027, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 1222, evaluated at the 61st meeting in 2003. 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. Rhodinol appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 6812-78-8, where EPA names it 7-Octen-1-ol, 3,7-dimethyl-, (3S)-.
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, sweet, rose, herbal.
Taste: Sweet, floral, slightly herbal.
Where it is used
Rhodinol is used in beverage, confection, fragrance and bakery, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Rhodinol by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| (-)-3,7-Dimethyl-6-octen-1-ol | 2309 | 86% | In nature |
| Linalool | 2635 | 75% | In nature |
| Nerol | 2770 | 70% | In nature |
| Citronellal | 2307 | 69% | In nature |
| d-Limonene | 2633 | 67% | In nature |
More alcohols in this index
Hydroxycitronellol · 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol · Lauryl alcohol · Fenchyl alcohol · alpha-Propylphenethyl alcohol · Benzyl alcohol
Rhodinol FAQ
Does rhodinol have FEMA GRAS status?
Rhodinol holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 2980. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite rhodinol by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite rhodinol as FEMA 2980 or CAS 6812-78-8; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the floral flavor category.
Can rhodinol be labeled a natural flavor?
Since rhodinol is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when rhodinol 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.
Can rhodinol be used in the EU and UK?
Rhodinol is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 02.027 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated rhodinol?
Yes. JECFA number 1222, evaluated at the 61st meeting in 2003. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does rhodinol smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of rhodinol is floral, sweet, rose, herbal. On the palate it is sweet, floral, slightly herbal. Typical uses are beverage, confection, fragrance and bakery.
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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 RHODINOL under CAS 141-25-3 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 antioxidant, 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.