Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Salicylaldehyde
Salicylaldehyde is an aldehyde in the floral family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3004 (CAS 90-02-8). Its odor is sweet, floral, almond, cherry, slightly bitter.
- FEMA
- 3004
- CAS
- 90-02-8
- JECFA
- 897
- EU FL
- 05.055
- Formula
- C7H6O2
- EC
- 201-961-0
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 3. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 90-02-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: Benzaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-, 2-Hydroxybenzaldehyde, Salicylal, Salicylic aldehyde, o-Formylphenol, 2-Formylphenol, o-Hydroxybenzaldehyde, NSC 112278, NSC 49178, NSC 83559, NSC 83560, NSC 83561.
Can Salicylaldehyde be labeled natural?
Salicylaldehyde occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: salicylaldehyde won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized salicylaldehyde 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
Salicylaldehyde is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3004. 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 05.055, Annex I Part A under Regulation (EC) 1334/2008, evaluation status approved (EFSA). The UK retains the same list.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 897, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. 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. Salicylaldehyde appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 90-02-8, where EPA names it Benzaldehyde, 2-hydroxy-.
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: Sweet, floral, almond, cherry, slightly bitter.
Taste: Bitter, slightly sweet, floral.
Where it is used
Salicylaldehyde is used in beverage, confection, flavoring agents and baked goods, typically as a floral note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Salicylaldehyde by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-Hydroxy-4-methylbenzaldehyde | 3697 | 77% | In nature |
| 2-Hydroxyacetophenone | 3548 | 74% | In nature |
| 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde | 4435 | 72% | In nature |
| 2-Hydroxybenzoic acid | 3985 | 71% | In nature |
| o-Anisaldehyde | 4077 | 71% | In nature |
More aldehydes in this index
p-Methoxybenzaldehyde · Piperonal · Hydroxycitronellal · Veratraldehyde · 2-Hydroxy-4-methoxybenzaldehyde · Piperonal propyleneglycol acetal
Salicylaldehyde FAQ
Does salicylaldehyde have FEMA GRAS status?
Salicylaldehyde holds FEMA GRAS status under FEMA number 3004. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
How do I cite salicylaldehyde by FEMA or CAS number?
Cite salicylaldehyde as FEMA 3004 or CAS 90-02-8; both point to the same entry. FEMA files it in the floral flavor category.
Can salicylaldehyde be labeled a natural flavor?
Since salicylaldehyde is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when salicylaldehyde 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 salicylaldehyde be used in the EU and UK?
Salicylaldehyde is on the EU Union List of flavouring substances as FL 05.055 (Annex I Part A) under Regulation 1334/2008.
Has JECFA evaluated salicylaldehyde?
Yes. JECFA number 897, evaluated at the 57th meeting in 2001. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
What does salicylaldehyde smell and taste like, and where is it used?
The odor of salicylaldehyde is sweet, floral, almond, cherry, slightly bitter. On the palate it is bitter, slightly sweet, floral. Typical uses are beverage, confection, flavoring agents and baked goods.
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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 SALICYLALDEHYDE under CAS 90-02-8 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.