Database/Perfuming/Ethyl Butyrate
Route-dependent · ISO 16128

Is Ethyl Butyrate natural?

It depends. Only the acid half varies. Butyric acid is made both by fermentation and by petrochemical oxo synthesis, while the ethanol half is fermentation-derived, so the ester never falls to zero.

INCI nameEthyl Butyrate
CAS105-54-4
FormulaC6H12O2 · 116.16 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockMade by esterifying butyric acid with ethanol. Ethanol…

Why the score varies

This ingredient is made commercially by more than one route, and ISO 16128 scores the feedstock actually used. Without a supplier certificate of origin the value cannot be claimed.

RouteFeedstockNOIShareNotes
petrochemical butyric acid + fermentation ethanoloxo-synthesis butyric acid; sugar or grain fermentation ethanol0.39~70%only the 45.06 Da ethoxy fragment is natural origin
fermentation butyric acid + fermentation ethanolnatural fermentation of both halves1.00~30%
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

Ethyl butyrate is C6H12O2, 116.16 Da: the butyryl fragment C4H7O is 71.10 Da and the ethoxy fragment C2H5O is 45.06 Da. Ethanol is a fermentation product on this site, so the ethoxy fragment is natural origin on every route. With petrochemical butyric acid the value is 45.06/116.16 = 0.39; with fermentation butyric acid the whole molecule is natural, 1.00.
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

Fischer esterification of butyric acid with ethanol. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Made by esterifying butyric acid with ethanol. Ethanol is fermented from sugar or grain. Butyric acid is produced either by fermentation for natural-labelled material or by petrochemical oxo synthesis for cheaper grades, and the synthetic acid supplies most of the volume.

In plain English

A fruity, pineapple-like flavor and fragrance ingredient. It can be made from fermentation-derived butyric acid and ethanol, or produced synthetically; synthetic production is more common commercially.

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Structure

2D structure of Ethyl Butyrate

ethyl butanoate

PubChem CID 7762 ↗

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 Butyrate. PubChem CID 7762. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHYL BUTYRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHYL BUTYRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHYL%20BUTYRATE