Database/Perfuming/Benzyl Cinnamate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Benzyl Cinnamate natural?

No. Both halves of the commercial ester are petrochemical: benzyl alcohol from toluene and cinnamic acid from benzaldehyde; natural benzyl cinnamate occurs in Peru balsam but is not the article of commerce.

INCI nameBenzyl Cinnamate
CAS103-41-3
FormulaC16H14O2 · 238.28 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockEsterification of synthetic cinnamic acid with synthetic benzyl…

How we scored it

Benzyl fragment C7H7 91 Da (petrochemical toluene) + cinnamate C9H7O2 147 Da (synthetic cinnamic acid from benzaldehyde) → 0 / 238 = 0.00.
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

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

Where it comes from

Esterification of synthetic cinnamic acid with synthetic benzyl alcohol.

In plain English

A sweet, balsamic fragrance ingredient. Usually made by combining two lab-made building blocks, though it also occurs naturally in balsam resins from trees, which supply a small share of the market.

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Structure

2D structure of Benzyl Cinnamate

benzyl (E)-3-phenylprop-2-enoate

PubChem CID 5273469 ↗

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 Cinnamate. PubChem CID 5273469. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3BENZYL CINNAMATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4BENZYL CINNAMATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=BENZYL%20CINNAMATE