In short
Ethyl hexanoate, also called ethyl caproate, is a fruity ester found in pineapple, apple and many fermented drinks. It gives a sweet pineapple-banana note to fruity top notes.
What Ethyl Hexanoate smells like
Ethyl hexanoate (ethyl caproate) is a powerful fruity ester in which pineapple and banana share the lead. The Good Scents Company lists sweet, fruity, pineapple, waxy, fatty, estery, green and banana, and its flavour evaluation at a few parts per million reads much the same; other references report a winey character, and suppliers variously add apple or strawberry. It occurs naturally in many fruits and in wine, which fits the slightly fermented quality some sources hear in it. Fuller than ethyl butyrate, it still behaves as a volatile top note.
- Leading note
- Shared: pineapple and banana
- Supporting facets
- Waxy, winey
- Faint facets
- Green, apple
- Character
- Sweet, fruity, waxy, ripe
What makes Ethyl Hexanoate distinctive
The banana-and-wine side of pineapple. Allyl caproate's pineapple carries rum and fat; ethyl hexanoate pairs it with banana and a winey, fermented-fruit note, and it is less sharply ethereal than ethyl butyrate.
How Ethyl Hexanoate is used
Used in fruity top notes and in pineapple, banana and tropical accords, and widely in flavours. Its winey quality can help a fruit accord read as ripe fruit rather than candy.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Ethyl Hexanoate differs from similar materials
- Allyl Caproate
- Allyl caproate's supporting note is rum and arrack; ethyl hexanoate's is banana and wine.
- Ethyl Butyrate
- Ethyl butyrate is lighter and more ethereal, a general tutti-frutti; ethyl hexanoate is fuller and more defined, with banana and a waxy, winey side.
- Allyl Heptanoate
- Both pair pineapple with banana. Allyl heptanoate adds a chamomile-like herbal note; ethyl hexanoate a winey, estery one.
- Cognac Oil (Green)
- Cognac oil is a harsh, oily blend of fermentation esters with a green herbaceous note; ethyl hexanoate is one clean fruity ester.
- Ethyl Heptanoate
- Ethyl heptanoate, one carbon longer, is described by JECFA as wine- and brandy-like.
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
Very volatile; it fades quickly from the top of a blend.
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
- Ethyl caproate
- CAS number
- 123-66-0
- Molecular formula
- C8H16O2
- Molecular weight
- 144.21 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- ethyl hexanoate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 31265, 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 (0 of 1,742 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
-
Ethyl Butyrate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — pineapple, fruity, sweet
-
Allyl Caproate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — pineapple, fruity, sweet
-
Isoamyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — banana, pear drop, fruity, sweet
-
Fructone
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — apple, pineapple, fruity, sweet
Ethyl Hexanoate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Allyl Cyclohexylpropionate, Cognac Oil (Green), Cognac Oil (White) and Ethyl Heptanoate.
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 1 published formula
Ethyl Hexanoate is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Ethyl Hexanoate
Is Ethyl Hexanoate natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Ethyl Hexanoate 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 Hexanoate?
123-66-0. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Ethyl Hexanoate?
Ethyl Hexanoate is used in 1 published formula in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Apple Cellar. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 31265, 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 hexanoate — odour database.
- ChemicalBook — ethyl hexanoate (CAS 123-66-0) — odour database.
- Fraterworks — ethyl caproate — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 24 October 2026. Evidence: several independent published descriptions, which agree. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.