Database/Fragrance/Benzyl Acetate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Benzyl Acetate natural?

No. Both the benzyl fragment (from toluene) and the acetate fragment (from petrochemical acetic acid) are petrochemical.

INCI nameBenzyl Acetate
CAS140-11-4
FormulaC9H10O2 · 150.17 Da
FunctionFragrance · Perfuming
FeedstockMade by esterifying synthetic benzyl alcohol (from toluene)…

How we scored it

C9H10O2 (150 Da) = benzyl fragment 91 Da (petrochemical, ex-toluene) + acetate fragment 59 Da (petrochemical, ex-methanol carbonylation); 0/150 = 0.0.
What counts. ISO 16128-2 scores the atoms that remain in the final ingredient. Reagents, solvents, catalysts and protecting groups used during manufacture leave no mass behind and are not counted.

How it’s made

Acetate SN2 on benzyl chloride. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made by esterifying synthetic benzyl alcohol (from toluene) with acetic acid, which is predominantly produced petrochemically via methanol carbonylation. A minor natural stream exists in some essential oils but is not isolated at commercial scale.

In plain English

A fruity, jasmine-like fragrance ingredient used to scent perfumes and cosmetics. Commercial supply is made by reacting benzyl alcohol with acetic acid, both produced synthetically from petrochemical feedstocks.

CosIng definition: Benzyl Acetate is the ester of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid. It conforms to the formula

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Structure

2D structure of Benzyl Acetate

benzyl acetate

PubChem CID 8785 ↗

References

  1. 1ISO 16128-1:2016 and ISO 16128-2:2017 — Guidelines on technical definitions and criteria for natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products. ISO, Geneva.
  2. 2Benzyl Acetate. PubChem CID 8785. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BENZYL ACETATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BENZYL ACETATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BENZYL%20ACETATE