Database/Perfuming/Phenethyl Isobutyrate
100% petroleum · ISO 16128

Is Phenethyl Isobutyrate natural?

No. Both fragments are overwhelmingly petrochemical commercially; minor natural rose-oil phenethyl alcohol route is negligible for this ester.

INCI namePhenethyl Isobutyrate
CAS103-48-0
FormulaC12H16O2 · 192.25 Da
FunctionPerfuming
FeedstockPhenethyl alcohol is made industrially from styrene oxide…

How we scored it

Phenethyl alcohol (styrene-oxide/benzene route, petrochemical) + isobutyric acid (propylene oxo-process, petrochemical) − H2O; both fragments petrochemical → 0/192 = 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.

Where it comes from

Phenethyl alcohol is made industrially from styrene oxide or benzene/ethylene; isobutyric acid from propylene oxo-oxidation. Trace natural phenethyl alcohol exists in rose oil but is not used for this ester.

In plain English

A synthetic fragrance ingredient with a fruity, honey-like note. Both of its building blocks are normally made from petrochemical feedstocks, even though a trace natural version of one exists in rose oil.

Natural alternatives with the same function

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Structure

2D structure of Phenethyl Isobutyrate

2-phenylethyl 2-methylpropanoate

PubChem CID 7655 ↗

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. 2Phenethyl Isobutyrate. PubChem CID 7655. National Center for Biotechnology Information. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov ↗
  3. 3PHENETHYL ISOBUTYRATE. CosIng — European Commission cosmetic ingredient database. ec.europa.eu/cosing ↗
  4. 4PHENETHYL ISOBUTYRATE. CosIng u2014 European Commission database for information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/cosing/search?search=PHENETHYL%20ISOBUTYRATE