Octyl Acetate

What Octyl Acetate smells like

Octyl acetate is a fruity ester with an orange and jasmine character. One reference describes a fruity smell recalling orange and jasmine, another a fruity odour reminiscent of neroli and jasmine, with a slightly bitter, peach-like taste. A supplier profile gives fatty-waxy, slightly fruity, floral and herbaceous with a discreet green-apple note. It is the basis of artificial orange flavourings.

Leading note

Fruity orange

Clear facets

Jasmine

Supporting facets

Waxy, neroli

Faint facets

Green apple

Character

Fruity, waxy, soft, fresh

• fruity
• orange
• waxy
• green

What makes Octyl Acetate distinctive

Orange with a floral heart: an ester rather than an aldehyde, so it is fruity and soft rather than sharp, and its orange comes with jasmine and neroli.

How Octyl Acetate is used

Used in orange, neroli and citrus-floral accords, and widely in orange flavours.

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

How Octyl Acetate differs from similar materials

Aldehyde C-8 (Octanal)

Octanal is the sharp, fatty aldehyde of the same chain; octyl acetate is the soft, fruity ester, with jasmine and neroli.

Methyl Nonyl Ketone

Methyl nonyl ketone is fattier, with rue's herbal bite and a cheesy flavour; octyl acetate is the lighter fruity-orange ester.

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

Fruity / Citrus

Note position

Top note

Physical form at room temperature

Liquid

Also known as

n-Octyl acetate

CAS number

112-14-1

Molecular formula

C10H20O2

Molecular weight

172.26 g/mol

IUPAC name

octyl acetate

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 8164, 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 (1,646 of 1,661 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

• Aldehyde C-8 (Octanal)

  Aroma chemical · Aldehydic / Citrus — aldehydic, fatty, citrus, orange

• Sweet Orange Oil

  Essential oil · Citrus / Fruity — citrus, sweet, juicy, orange peel

• Hexyl Acetate

  Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — pear, apple, fruity, green

• Aldehyde C-10 (Decanal)

  Aroma chemical · Aldehydic / Citrus — aldehydic, waxy, orange peel, fatty

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 2 published formulas

Octyl Acetate is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

• Mandarin Tiles

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Octyl Acetate 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

• Orange Soda Sunset

  RUŌOD House Original · listed as “Octyl Acetate 10% DPG”, at 10% in DPG

Further reading

• Citrus Oils in Perfumery: Bergamot, Lemon, Orange and Their Limits

  The main citrus oils, phototoxicity and FCF bergamot, why citrus fades and how to extend it, oxidation, allergens, and grades from expressed to terpeneless.

• Fruity Notes in Perfumery: Esters, Lactones and Ketones

  How fruit is built in perfumery from esters, lactones, ketones and sulfur materials, why 'C-14' is a lactone, dosage, stability and restrictions.

Questions about Octyl Acetate

Sources

• PubChem — compound 8164, 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 — octyl acetate — odour database.
• ChemicalBook — octyl acetate (CAS 112-14-1) — odour database.
• Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 21 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.