Database/Fragrance/Ethyl Benzoate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ethyl Benzoate natural?

Mostly not. Benzoic acid is petrochemical by this site's convention; ethanol is typically fermentation-derived and natural.

INCI nameEthyl Benzoate
CAS93-89-0
FormulaC9H10O2 · 150.17 Da
FunctionFragrance · Preservative
FeedstockBenzoic acid is made from toluene oxidation. Ethanol…

How we scored it

Benzoyl C7H5O 105.1Da (petrochemical) + ethoxy C2H5O 45.1Da (fermentation ethanol, natural) = 150.2 → 45.1/150.2=0.30
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.

Where it comes from

Benzoic acid is made from toluene oxidation. Ethanol is predominantly produced by fermentation of corn or sugarcane sugars.

In plain English

A fragrance and preservative ingredient with a fruity odor. Combines benzoic acid, made from petrochemical toluene, with ethanol, which is usually fermented from plant sugars.

CosIng definition: Ethyl Benzoate is the ester of ethyl alcohol and Benzoic Acid. It conforms to the formula:

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Structure

2D structure of Ethyl Benzoate

ethyl benzoate

PubChem CID 7165 ↗

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. 2Ethyl Benzoate. PubChem CID 7165. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHYL BENZOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHYL BENZOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHYL%20BENZOATE