Database/Perfuming/Ethyl Phenylacetate
Mostly petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ethyl Phenylacetate natural?

Mostly not. The ethyl group comes from fermentation ethanol and counts as natural; the aromatic acid half is made from petrochemical feedstocks.

INCI nameEthyl Phenylacetate
CAS101-97-3
FormulaC10H12O2 · 164.20 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockPetrochemical aromatic acid esterified with fermentation ethanol.

How we scored it

Ethyl Phenylacetate C10H12O2 164.2 Da: ethoxy C2H5O 45.1 Da (fermentation ethanol, natural) + phenylacetyl C8H7O (from benzyl cyanide, petrochemical) → 45.1/164.2 = 0.27. Same method as Ethyl Salicylate.
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

Petrochemical aromatic acid esterified with fermentation ethanol.

In plain English

A honey-like fragrance ingredient made in a lab from petroleum-derived aromatic chemicals, used to add a sweet floral-honey note to perfumes and cosmetics.

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Structure

2D structure of Ethyl Phenylacetate

ethyl 2-phenylacetate

PubChem CID 7590 ↗

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 Phenylacetate. PubChem CID 7590. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHYL PHENYLACETATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHYL PHENYLACETATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHYL%20PHENYLACETATE