In short
Geranyl butyrate is the butyric ester of geraniol. JECFA describes a fruity, rose-like odour.
What Geranyl Butyrate smells like
JECFA, as published by PubChem, describes geranyl butyrate as a colourless to pale yellow liquid with a fruity, rose-like odour. PubChem links it to natural-product databases. Fraterworks describes a sweet fruity-floral burst — ripe apples wrapped in rose petals with a tropical raspberry undertone — and a soft, milky-waxy quality and richness that the smaller geranyl esters lack.
- Leading note
- Rose
- Clear facets
- Fruity
What makes Geranyl Butyrate distinctive
A geranyl ester where the fruit stands beside the rose.
How Geranyl Butyrate is used
Fraterworks uses it in apple accords, in tropical blends for mango, pineapple and passion-fruit effects, in rose and muguet bases and in lavender compositions.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Geranyl Butyrate differs from similar materials
- Geranyl Isovalerate
- Geranyl isovalerate is described simply as rose, without the fruity side.
- Geranyl Propionate
- Both are geranyl esters with rose and fruit; JECFA describes the butyrate as fruity and rose-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.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Occurs in nature
- Odour family
- Floral / Fruity
- Note position
- Heart note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- CAS number
- 106-29-6
- Molecular formula
- C14H24O2
- Molecular weight
- 224.34 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- [(2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienyl] butanoate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 5355856, 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 (1,609 of 1,703 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
-
Geraniol
Aroma chemical · Floral / Citrus — rosy, sweet, citrus, fresh
-
Geranyl Propionate
Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity — rosy, fruity, sweet, waxy
-
Citronellol
Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — rosy, fresh, citrus, waxy
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 1 published formula
Geranyl Butyrate is an ingredient in 1 accord in the Formula & Accord Library.
Further reading
Questions about Geranyl Butyrate
Is Geranyl Butyrate natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Geranyl 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 Geranyl Butyrate?
106-29-6. It was checked against PubChem on 24 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Geranyl Butyrate?
Geranyl Butyrate is used in 1 published formula in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Blackberry Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 5355856, checked 24 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- PubChem — Geranyl butyrate (CID 5355856): JECFA organoleptic description — odour database.
- Fraterworks — Geranyl 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.