Database/Fragrance/Hexyl Acetate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Hexyl Acetate natural?

No. Hexanol is too short-chain to be assumed oleochemical and is mainly petrochemical; the acetate portion is also assumed petrochemical.

INCI nameHexyl Acetate
CAS142-92-7
FormulaC8H16O2 · 144.21 Da
FunctionFragrance · Perfuming
FeedstockCommercial hexanol is mainly produced via petrochemical oxo-synthesis…

How we scored it

Hexyl-O fragment (101.16 Da) from hexanol, a C6 alcohol below the C8 natural fatty-alcohol threshold and predominantly petrochemical (oxo process); acetate fragment (43.04 Da) also petrochemical, giving 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

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

Where it comes from

Commercial hexanol is mainly produced via petrochemical oxo-synthesis rather than fatty-oil fractionation, since C6 is a minor, uneconomical coconut-oil fraction; esterified with predominantly petrochemical acetic acid.

In plain English

A fruity-smelling solvent used in fragrance and flavour applications. Both the alcohol and acid portions are typically manufactured from petrochemical feedstocks rather than plant oils.

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Structure

2D structure of Hexyl Acetate

hexyl acetate

PubChem CID 8908 ↗

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. 2Hexyl Acetate. PubChem CID 8908. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3HEXYL ACETATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4HEXYL ACETATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=HEXYL%20ACETATE