Database/Fragrance/Ethyl Vanillin
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Ethyl Vanillin natural?

No. Ethyl vanillin does not occur in nature; it is synthesised from petrochemical aromatic precursors related to catechol.

INCI nameEthyl Vanillin
CAS121-32-4
FormulaC9H10O3 · 166.17 Da
FunctionFragrance · Soothing
FeedstockSynthesised from petrochemical catechol-derived guaethol by formylation, building…

How we scored it

3-ethoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde; a phenol derivative with no natural source, built from petrochemical guaiacol/catechol via ethylation and formylation. 0.0.
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

Guaethol + glyoxylic acid (electrophilic substitution para to the phenoxide); oxidation named. The film draws the key step and names the steps after it. Each curved arrow moves one electron pair, and the film ends on the score above.

Where it comes from

Synthesised from petrochemical catechol-derived guaethol by formylation, building a vanillin analogue with a stronger flavour/fragrance impact than natural vanillin. No natural or plant source exists for this specific molecule.

In plain English

A sweet, vanilla-like fragrance and flavour ingredient that is stronger-smelling than natural vanillin. Unlike vanillin, it does not occur in nature and is always made synthetically from petrochemical starting materials.

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Structure

2D structure of Ethyl Vanillin

3-ethoxy-4-hydroxybenzaldehyde

PubChem CID 8467 ↗

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 Vanillin. PubChem CID 8467. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3ETHYL VANILLIN. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4ETHYL VANILLIN. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=ETHYL%20VANILLIN