In short
Amyl acetate (n-pentyl acetate) is a fruity ester with a pear and green-apple character. It is lighter and more pear-like than its isomer, isoamyl acetate.
What Amyl Acetate smells like
Fraterworks describes amyl acetate as fresh, ripe pear and green apple — clean, ethereal and bright — lighter and more pear-forward than isoamyl acetate, which leans towards banana, with a solvent-like quality at high concentration. The Hazardous Substances Data Bank, as published by PubChem, records a persistent banana-like odour.
- Leading note
- Pear
- Clear facets
- Green apple
- Supporting facets
- Banana
- Faint facets
- Solvent
- Character
- Ethereal, bright
What makes Amyl Acetate distinctive
A pear-leaning acetate, where its better-known isomer reads as banana.
Where the descriptions disagree: Fraterworks leads with pear and apple, while the hazardous-substances record describes a banana-like odour, which Fraterworks gives to isoamyl acetate.
How Amyl Acetate is used
Used in traces to add fruity lift and sparkle to top notes and in pear, apple and banana accords.
Typical role: lift (adds diffusion and radiance, especially at the top); modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Amyl Acetate differs from similar materials
- Isobutyl Isovalerate
- Isobutyl isovalerate is apple and raspberry; amyl acetate leans to pear and banana.
Each difference compares the published descriptions of the two materials. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.
Formulation considerations
Commercial grades are sometimes sold as a mixture of pentyl acetate isomers; the CAS number given here is n-pentyl acetate.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Fruity
- Note position
- Top note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- n-Amyl acetate, Pentyl acetate
- CAS number
- 628-63-7
- Molecular formula
- C7H14O2
- Molecular weight
- 130.18 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- pentyl acetate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 12348, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 24 October 2026.
Safety and compliance
Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. It has a harmonised EU classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex VI): H226 flammable liquid and vapor. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (0 of 2,412 reports). Unless it is harmonised, this is the notifiers' own classification, not a binding one.
This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.
Materials it works with
-
Isoamyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — banana, pear drop, fruity, sweet
-
Hexyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — pear, apple, fruity, green
-
Ethyl 2-Methylbutyrate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — apple, fruity, juicy, green
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 5 published formulas
Amyl Acetate is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas and 3 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Amyl Acetate
Is Amyl Acetate natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Amyl Acetate may be made by synthesis or obtained from natural sources, so check the supplier's specification if the distinction matters to you.
What is the CAS number of Amyl Acetate?
628-63-7. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Amyl Acetate?
Amyl Acetate is used in 5 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Banana Bread, Blackberry Accord and Green Apple Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 12348, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Fraterworks — Amyl Acetate — distributor's description.
- PubChem — pentyl acetate (HSDB odour) (CID 12348) — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.