RUŌOD Lab

Phenylethyl Acetate

Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity

rosy, fruity, honeyed, sweet — top to heart note.

Aroma illustration for Phenylethyl Acetate: a red rose, bright abstract fruit-coloured spheres and honeycomb and a drop of honey, for its rosy, fruity and honeyed notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Skeletal formula of Phenylethyl Acetate, C10H12O2, drawn from PubChem's 2D record. Stereochemistry is not shown.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Phenylethyl Acetate smells like (rosy, fruity, honeyed), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.Skeletal formula drawn by RUŌOD Lab from PubChem's 2D record (CID 7654). Stereochemistry is not shown; the coloured background is decoration.
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By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Phenylethyl acetate is the acetate ester of phenylethyl alcohol. It brings a sweet, fruity-rosy and honeyed note.

What Phenylethyl Acetate smells like

Phenylethyl acetate smells of rose and honey with fruity nuances. Firmenich describes delicate rose, fruity and honey notes; suppliers describe sweet, rosy-floral with prominent honey and fruity-peach, or a hint of juicy raspberry or peach, and one natural grade lists honey, rosy, yeasty, cocoa and balsamic.

Leading note
Honeyed rose
Supporting facets
Peach, raspberry
Faint facets
Yeasty, balsamic
Character
Sweet, fruity, soft
  • rosy
  • fruity
  • honeyed
  • sweet

What makes Phenylethyl Acetate distinctive

It is phenylethyl alcohol made fruity: the same honeyed rose, sweeter and with a peachy, berry-like fruitiness.

How Phenylethyl Acetate is used

Used in rose and fruity-floral compositions, and in fruit and honey flavours.

Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials).

How Phenylethyl Acetate differs from similar materials

Phenylethyl Alcohol
The alcohol is milder and warmer; the acetate is sweeter and fruitier, with peach and berry.
Phenylethyl Isobutyrate
The isobutyrate is fruitier still, with pear, tea and wine nuances; the acetate is the simpler honeyed rose.
Phenylethyl Phenylacetate
Phenylethyl phenylacetate is heavier and lasts for days, a dried-rose honey base; the acetate is lighter, fruitier and more volatile.
Phenylethyl Propionate
Fraterworks finds the acetate a brighter, more volatile rose than phenylethyl propionate, which is warmer and fruity-honeyed.

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.

Formulation considerations

Stable in most bases.

Identity and classification

Type
Aroma chemical
Origin
Occurs in nature
Odour family
Floral / Fruity
Note position
Top to heart note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
CAS number
103-45-7
Molecular formula
C10H12O2
Molecular weight
164.2 g/mol
IUPAC name
2-phenylethyl acetate

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7654, 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 (1,937 reports): H318 causes serious eye damage (79.9% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (18.6% of reports). 5 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. 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

Phenylethyl Acetate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Phenylethyl Isobutyrate and Phenylethyl Propionate.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 9 published formulas

Phenylethyl Acetate is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas, 6 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.

Community formulas

  • Banana Bread

    Community Formula · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Dried Fruits Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Freesia Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Honeyed Rose Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Hyacinth Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Narcotic Floral Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Neroli Bigarade Base

    Community Formula · Base · listed as “Phenyl Ethyl Acetate”

  • Peony Accord

    Community Formula · Accord · listed as “PHENYL ETHYL ACETATE”

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

Further reading

Questions about Phenylethyl Acetate

Is Phenylethyl Acetate natural or synthetic?

The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Phenylethyl Acetate 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 Phenylethyl Acetate?

103-45-7. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Phenylethyl Acetate?

Phenylethyl Acetate is used in 9 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Banana Bread, Blackcurrant Signal and Dried Fruits Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Phenylethyl Acetate — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

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