Flavor ingredient regulatory record
Vetiveryl acetate
Vetiveryl acetate is an ester in the earthy family, FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4218 (CAS 117-98-6). Its odor is woody, earthy, sweet, balsamic.
- FEMA
- 4218
- CAS
- 117-98-6
- JECFA
- 1867
- Formula
- C17H26O2
- EC
- 204-225-7
GRAS status: FEMA GRAS, publication 22. Recorded by FDA in the Substances Added to Food inventory under CAS 62563-80-8.
Structure
Identity
Also known as: 6-Azulenol, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydro-4,8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethylidene)-, 6-acetate, 6-Azulenol, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydro-2-isopropylidene-4,8-dimethyl-, acetate, 6-Azulenol, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydro-4,8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethylidene)-, acetate, Vetivert acetate, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-Octahydro-2-isopropylidene-4,8-dimethylazulen-6-yl acetate, vetivert acetate, 6-azulenol, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydro-4,8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethylidene)-, 6-acetate, 4,8-dimethyl-2-(propan-2-ylidene)-1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydroazulen-6-yl acetate, 6-azulenol, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydro-2-isopropylidene-4,8-dimethyl-, acetate, vetiver acetate, vetiverol, acetate, vetiver acetate, java.
Can Vetiveryl acetate be labeled natural?
Since vetiveryl acetate is found in nature, US labeling follows how it was obtained: natural flavor from a natural source and a natural process, artificial when vetiveryl acetate 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
Vetiveryl acetate is FEMA GRAS under FEMA number 4218. It is cited in the Code of Federal Regulations at 21 CFR 172.515.
European Union and United Kingdom
Vetiveryl acetate was on the Union List of flavouring substances as FL 09.821 when Regulation (EU) 872/2012 adopted the list, and the entry has since been withdrawn.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 1867, evaluated at the 69th meeting in 2008. 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. Vetiveryl acetate appears on the EPA Toxic Substances Control Act Chemical Substance Inventory under CAS 117-98-6, where EPA names it 6-Azulenol, 1,2,3,3a,4,5,6,8a-octahydro-4,8-dimethyl-2-(1-methylethylidene)-, 6-acetate.
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: Woody, earthy, sweet, balsamic.
Taste: Earthy, woody, slightly sweet.
Where it is used
Vetiveryl acetate is used in fragrance, beverage, confection and perfume, typically as a earthy note.
Structurally similar flavor ingredients
Flavor ingredients with a GRAS determination closest to Vetiveryl acetate by structure. Whether one can replace it is a sensory and regulatory call; the reformulation tool works that through.
| Material | FEMA | Similarity | Occurrence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vetiverol | 4217 | 82% | In nature |
| Menthyl valerate | 4156 | 65% | In nature |
More esters in this index
Allyl heptanoate · Ethyl 3-oxohexanoate · Dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-yl 2-ethylbutanoate · Methyl 2-octynoate · Phenethyl phenylacetate · cis-3-Hexenyl cis-3-hexenoate
Vetiveryl acetate FAQ
Is vetiveryl acetate FEMA GRAS?
Yes. The FEMA Expert Panel lists vetiveryl acetate as GRAS under FEMA number 4218. It is also codified at 21 CFR 172.515.
What are the FEMA and CAS numbers for vetiveryl acetate?
Vetiveryl acetate is FEMA 4218, CAS 117-98-6. FEMA files it in the earthy flavor category.
Does vetiveryl acetate count as natural in the US and the EU?
Vetiveryl acetate occurs in nature, so the label depends on the route: vetiveryl acetate won from a natural source by a physical, enzymatic or microbiological process is natural flavor in the United States, and synthesized vetiveryl acetate is artificial. The EU and UK follow the same logic without a middle class; Mercosur and Mexico label synthetic vetiveryl acetate identical-to-natural.
Is vetiveryl acetate approved in the EU?
No EU FL number is on file for vetiveryl acetate. It has a JECFA evaluation (JECFA 1867), which the EU list draws on, but the Union List entry itself should be confirmed before EU use.
Has JECFA evaluated vetiveryl acetate?
Yes. JECFA number 1867, evaluated at the 69th meeting in 2008. Conclusion: No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent.
How is vetiveryl acetate described, and where does it show up?
Flavorists describe vetiveryl acetate as woody, earthy, sweet, balsamic. On the palate it is earthy, woody, slightly sweet. It is used in fragrance, beverage, confection and perfume.
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Guides: What Is FEMA GRAS? · Natural vs artificial · Filing a GRAS notification
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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 VETIVERYL ACETATE under CAS 62563-80-8 and carries its FEMA number, its JECFA flavor number. 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.