Geranyl Propionate

What Geranyl Propionate smells like

Geranyl propionate is a fruity rose ester with a warm, grape-like balsamic undertone. IFF describes it as sweet, fruity and rosy with a balsamic, grape-like undertone; Arctander, quoted by Hermitage Oils, as fruity-rosy, warm and almost balsamic, with a grape-like quality. Mosciano lists floral, rosy, waxy, honey, tropical and vegetative with a powdery nuance, and Bedoukian a rose and lemon aroma.

Leading note

Fruity rose

Clear facets

Grape

Supporting facets

Balsamic, waxy

Faint facets

Honey

Character

Warm, sweet, fruity, rounded

• rosy
• fruity
• sweet
• waxy

What makes Geranyl Propionate distinctive

The grape. It is the warm, balsamic geranyl ester whose fruit reads as grape rather than the pear of the acetate.

How Geranyl Propionate is used

Used in rose, fruity-floral and grape compositions, and in flavours.

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

How Geranyl Propionate differs from similar materials

Geranyl Acetate

The acetate is fresher, with pear and lavender; the propionate is warmer and more balsamic, with grape.

Geranyl Butyrate

Geranyl butyrate, the next ester up, is described by JECFA 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

Synthetic

Odour family

Floral / Fruity

Note position

Heart note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

Geranyl propanoate

CAS number

105-90-8

Molecular formula

C13H22O2

Molecular weight

210.31 g/mol

IUPAC name

[(2E)-3,7-dimethylocta-2,6-dienyl] propanoate

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 5355853, 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 (1,575 of 1,662 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

• Geranyl Acetate

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity — fruity, rosy, pear, fresh

• Geraniol

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Citrus — rosy, sweet, citrus, fresh

• Citronellol

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — rosy, fresh, citrus, waxy

• Phenylethyl Alcohol

  Aroma chemical · Floral / Green — rose, honeyed, soft, floral

Geranyl Propionate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Geranyl Butyrate.

Used in formulas and accords

Not currently used in any published formula.

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

Further reading

• How to Make a Rose Accord

  Build a rose accord from phenylethyl alcohol, citronellol and geraniol, add acetates and powerful traces from dilutions, and balance it by ratio trials.

• Perfume Materials by Odor Family: A Formulator's Palette Map

  Which materials build each odor family — citrus, floral, woody, amber, musk and more — their usual roles, what to watch for, and links to each in depth.

Questions about Geranyl Propionate

Sources

• PubChem — compound 5355853, 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 — geranyl propionate (with IFF, Mosciano and Bedoukian descriptions) — odour database.
• Hermitage Oils — Geranyl propionate natural isolate (quoting Arctander) — distributor's description.
• Parchem — geranyl propionate — 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.