Ethyl Salicylate

What Ethyl Salicylate smells like

Ethyl salicylate is a gentler wintergreen. Perfumer & Flavorist notes that methyl and ethyl salicylate both read instantly as wintergreen, with the methyl ester the one with a harsh, phenolic undertone; a distributor describes ethyl salicylate as a sweet, balsamic aroma with a minty-wintergreen character and subtle fruity-floral undertones, another as heavy, floral and fruity, a blender for ylang-ylang.

Leading note

Soft wintergreen

Supporting facets

Balsamic, fruity-floral

Faint facets

Minty

Character

Soft, sweet, rounded, warm

• wintergreen
• sweet
• floral
• soft

What makes Ethyl Salicylate distinctive

Wintergreen without the clinic: softer, sweeter and more floral than methyl salicylate.

How Ethyl Salicylate is used

Used for wintergreen effects and to add balsamic sweetness to floral and fruity compositions, including as a blender for ylang-ylang.

Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).

How Ethyl Salicylate differs from similar materials

Methyl Salicylate*

Perfumer & Flavorist notes the methyl ester's slightly harsh, phenolic undertone; ethyl salicylate is softer, sweeter and more floral-fruity. (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

Synthetic

Odour family

Aromatic / Floral

Note position

Heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

CAS number

118-61-6

Molecular formula

C9H10O3

Molecular weight

166.17 g/mol

IUPAC name

ethyl 2-hydroxybenzoate

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 8365, 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 classify it (1,680 reports): H302 harmful if swallowed (100% of 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 Salicylate

  Aroma chemical · Aromatic / Floral — wintergreen, minty, sweet, medicinal

• Benzyl Salicylate

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Powdery — balsamic, floral, faint, sweet

• Hexyl Salicylate

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — green, floral, herbal

• Ylang Ylang Oil

  Essential oil · Floral / Spicy — floral, creamy, sweet, banana

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

The Formula & Accord Library lists Ethyl Salicylate here as soon as a published formula, accord or base uses it.

Further reading

• Salicylates in Perfumery: Benzyl, Hexyl, Amyl and the Solar Accord

  Benzyl, hexyl, amyl and methyl salicylate in perfume: odor and roles, why a near-odorless blender matters, the solar accord, EU allergen status and records.

• Aromatic Notes in Perfumery: Lavender, Sage, Rosemary and Mint

  The aromatic family for formulators: lavender, lavandin and spike, clary sage, rosemary, mint and basil — chemistry, chemotypes and EU allergen status.

Questions about Ethyl Salicylate

Sources

• PubChem — compound 8365, checked 19 October 2026.
• PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
• Perfumer & Flavorist — Flavor bites: ethyl salicylate — published literature.
• Fraterworks — ethyl salicylate — distributor's description.
• The Good Scents Company — ethyl salicylate — odour database.
• 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.