In short
Benzyl butyrate is a benzyl ester with a heavy fruity-floral odour. JECFA likens it to plum.
What Benzyl Butyrate smells like
JECFA describes benzyl butyrate as a colourless liquid with a heavy fruity-floral, plum-like odour. Fraterworks describes a sweet, fruity character dominated by rich plum and apricot with tropical pineapple nuances and floral undertones recalling fresh jasmine.
- Leading note
- Plum
- Supporting facets
- Floral
- Character
- Heavy, sweet
What makes Benzyl Butyrate distinctive
A ripe, heavy plum note within a floral body, heavier than the light fruitiness of benzyl acetate.
How Benzyl Butyrate is used
Fraterworks presents it as a fruity-floral modifier for jasmine, tropical and summer fragrances, and suggests combining it with other benzyl esters to build white-floral bases.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Benzyl Butyrate differs from similar materials
- Benzyl Isobutyrate
- Benzyl isobutyrate, the branched isomer, is described by JECFA as fresh and fruity-floral.
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.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Fruity / Floral
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Benzyl butanoate
- CAS number
- 103-37-7
- Molecular formula
- C11H14O2
- Molecular weight
- 178.23 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- benzyl butanoate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7650, 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. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory report it as not meeting the GHS hazard criteria (1,632 of 1,645 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
-
Benzyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity — jasmine, fruity, pear, sweet
-
gamma-Undecalactone (Aldehyde C-14)
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — peach, apricot, creamy, fruity
-
Jasmine Absolute (Grandiflorum)
Absolute · Floral / Animalic — jasmine, floral, indolic, fruity
Benzyl Butyrate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Benzyl Isobutyrate.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 7 published formulas
Benzyl Butyrate is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas, 3 accords and 2 bases in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Benzyl Butyrate
Is Benzyl Butyrate natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Benzyl Butyrate 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 Benzyl Butyrate?
103-37-7. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Benzyl Butyrate?
Benzyl Butyrate is used in 7 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Açaí Accord, Banana Bread and Cranberry Base. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 7650, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- PubChem — Benzyl Butyrate (CID 7650): JECFA organoleptic description — odour database.
- Fraterworks — Benzyl Butyrate — distributor's description.
- 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.