In short
Ethyl cinnamate is a cinnamic ester found in storax and some balsams. It has a sweet, balsamic and fruity odour with a plum-like facet.
What Ethyl Cinnamate smells like
Ethyl cinnamate is a sweet, balsamic, fruity ester with cinnamon, honey and plum notes. Supplier descriptions list cinnamon, balsamic, fruity and honey; sweet, balsamic, fruity and powdery with berry and plum; and Sigma-Aldrich cinnamon, spicy, plum and sweet. A glossary describes it as rounder and more honeyed than methyl cinnamate.
- Leading note
- Balsamic fruit
- Clear facets
- Plum
- Supporting facets
- Honey, cinnamon
- Faint facets
- Powdery
- Character
- Warm, sweet, rounded, soft
What makes Ethyl Cinnamate distinctive
The honeyed, plummy cinnamate — rounder and warmer than methyl cinnamate's strawberry.
How Ethyl Cinnamate is used
Used in balsamic, oriental and fruity compositions and in flavours.
Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials); modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Ethyl Cinnamate differs from similar materials
- Methyl Cinnamate
- A glossary describes ethyl cinnamate as rounder and more honeyed; methyl cinnamate leans strawberry and cherry. (compared directly by a cited source)
An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. 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
- Resinous / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart to base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- Ethyl 3-phenylprop-2-enoate
- CAS number
- 103-36-6
- Molecular formula
- C11H12O2
- Molecular weight
- 176.21 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- ethyl (E)-3-phenylprop-2-enoate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 637758, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 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 (1,623 of 1,623 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
-
Methyl Cinnamate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Amber — strawberry, fruity, balsamic, sweet
-
Styrax Resinoid
Resinoid · Amber / Leather — balsamic, leathery, cinnamic, smoky
-
Benzyl Cinnamate
Aroma chemical · Amber / Gourmand — balsamic, sweet, faint
-
Peru Balsam Oil
Essential oil · Amber / Gourmand — balsamic, vanillic, cinnamic, sweet
Ethyl Cinnamate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Ethyl Benzoate.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 4 published formulas
Ethyl Cinnamate is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas and 2 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Ethyl Cinnamate
Is Ethyl Cinnamate natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Ethyl Cinnamate 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 Ethyl Cinnamate?
103-36-6. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Ethyl Cinnamate?
Ethyl Cinnamate is used in 4 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Cherry Lacquer, Fig Accord and Matcha Green Tea Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 637758, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- The Good Scents Company — ethyl cinnamate — odour database.
- Premiere Peau — Methyl cinnamate (comparing ethyl cinnamate) — published perfumery reference.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.