Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Vanillylidene acetone
Vanillylidene acetone is a ketone in the fruity family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3738 (CAS 1080-12-2). Its odor is sweet, creamy, vanilla, caramel, nutty.
- FEMA
- 3738
- CAS
- 1080-12-2
- JECFA
- 732
- Formula
- C11H12O3
- EC
- 214-096-9
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 13. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 1080-12-2.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 3-Buten-2-one, 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-, 4-(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-3-buten-2-one, 3-Methoxy-4-hydroxybenzalacetone, Dehydrozingerone, Feruloylmethane, [0]-Paradol, dehydro-, Dehydro[0]-paradol, 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxystyryl methyl ketone, 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxybenzylideneacetone, Vanillalacetone, NSC 26613, NSC 4019.
Can Vanillylidene acetone be labeled natural?
Since vanillylidene acetone is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when vanillylidene acetone 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
Vanillylidene acetone is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 3738. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
Vanillylidene acetone was on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 07.046 when Regulation (EU) 872/2012 adopted the list, and the entry has since been withdrawn. It does not appear in the current consolidated text of Regulation (EC) 1334/2008. Check the amending regulations for the conditions that applied to existing stock, and treat EU or UK use as closed unless another route covers it.
JECFA (WHO / FAO)
JECFA number 732, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. 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. Vanillylidene acetone appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 1080-12-2, where EPA names it 3-Buten-2-one, 4-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)-.
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, creamy, vanilla, caramel, nutty.
Where it is used
Vanillylidene acetone is used in beverage, confection, bakery and dairy, typically as a fruity note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Vanillylidene acetone by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-Hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid | 3812 | 88% | In nature |
| Zingerone | 3124 | 79% | In nature |
| 4-(p-Hydroxyphenyl)-2-butanone | 2588 | 70% | In nature |
| Vanillin acetate | 3108 | 69% | In nature |
| Isoeugenol | 2468 | 67% | In nature |
More ketones in this index
6-Methyl-5-hepten-2-one · 6-Methyl-3,5-heptadien-2-one · Cyclohexanone diethyl ketal · 2-Hepten-4-one · (+/-) [R-(E)]-5-Isopropyl-8-methylnona-6,8-dien-2-one · 3,4-Hexanedione
Vanillylidene acetone FAQ
Is vanillylidene acetone FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists vanillylidene acetone as GRAS under FEMA number 3738. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for vanillylidene acetone?
Vanillylidene acetone is FEMA 3738, CAS 1080-12-2. FEMA files it in the fruity flavor category.
Does vanillylidene acetone count as natural in the US and the EU?
Vanillylidene acetone occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: vanillylidene acetone won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized vanillylidene acetone is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic vanillylidene acetone identical-to-natural.
Is vanillylidene acetone approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for vanillylidene acetone. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 732), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated vanillylidene acetone?
Yes. JECFA number 732, evaluated at the 55th meeting in 2000. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is vanillylidene acetone described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe vanillylidene acetone as sweet, creamy, vanilla, caramel, nutty. It is used in beverage, confection, bakery and dairy.
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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 VANILLYLIDENE ACETONE under CAS 1080-12-2 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. 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.