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

Is Ethyl Heptanoate natural?

It depends. Heptanoic acid is made both from castor oil and from petrochemical olefins, so this ester is route-dependent. Same ruling as Heptanoic Acid.

INCI nameEthyl Heptanoate
CAS106-30-9
FormulaC9H18O2 · 158.24 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockHeptanoic acid esterified with 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
castor-oil heptanoic acidheptanoic acid from castor-oil heptanal + fermentation ethanol1.00Every carbon natural.
oxo heptanoic acidheptanoic acid from petrochemical hexene hydroformylation + fermentation ethanol0.28Ethoxy only: 45.1/158.2 = 0.28.
Ask your supplier. A batch-specific certificate of origin or bio-based carbon test (ASTM D6866) settles which route applies.

How we scored it

C9H18O2 158.2 Da: ethoxy 45.1 Da is fermentation ethanol in both routes; the heptanoyl fragment is natural from castor-oil heptanal (1.00) or petrochemical from oxo synthesis (0.28). Headline shows the best route.
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

Heptanoic acid esterified with ethanol.

In plain English

A fruity-smelling ester used as a fragrance and flavour ingredient. Typically made from heptanoic acid (a by-product of castor-oil processing) and ethanol from fermentation.

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Structure

2D structure of Ethyl Heptanoate

ethyl heptanoate

PubChem CID 7797 ↗

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 Heptanoate. PubChem CID 7797. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHYL HEPTANOATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHYL HEPTANOATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHYL%20HEPTANOATE