RUŌOD Lab

Phenylethyl Isobutyrate

Aroma chemical · Floral / Fruity

rose, fruity, honey, peach — heart note.

Aroma illustration for Phenylethyl Isobutyrate: a red rose, honeycomb and a drop of honey and peaches, for its rose, honey and peach notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Skeletal formula of Phenylethyl Isobutyrate (2-Phenylethyl 2-methylpropanoate), C12H16O2, drawn from PubChem's 2D record. Stereochemistry is not shown.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Phenylethyl Isobutyrate smells like (rose, honey, peach), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.Skeletal formula drawn by RUŌOD Lab from PubChem's 2D record (CID 7655). Stereochemistry is not shown; the coloured background is decoration.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Phenylethyl isobutyrate is an ester of phenylethyl alcohol with a fruity rose odour. It brings honeyed, peach-like fruitiness to rose accords.

What Phenylethyl Isobutyrate smells like

Phenylethyl isobutyrate is a fruity-floral ester with rose and honey and pear or peach nuances. Prodasynth lists fruity, rose, pear, honey, tea and peach; a Symrise-based listing mildly sweet, honey-like and fruity with a chocolate nuance; a perfume-industry description the sweetness of white rose with apple, wine and a faint black-tea nuance. Some sources confuse it with phenoxyethyl isobutyrate.

Leading note
Fruity rose
Clear facets
Honey
Supporting facets
Pear, peach
Faint facets
Tea, wine
Character
Sweet, fruity, soft
  • rose
  • fruity
  • honey
  • peach

What makes Phenylethyl Isobutyrate distinctive

The fruitiest of the phenylethyl esters: rose and honey with pear, peach, tea and a winey touch.

How Phenylethyl Isobutyrate is used

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

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

How Phenylethyl Isobutyrate differs from similar materials

Phenylethyl Acetate
The acetate is the simpler honeyed rose with peach; the isobutyrate is fruitier, with pear, tea and wine.
Phenoxyethyl Isobutyrate
Often confused, these are different molecules; phenoxyethyl isobutyrate is a softer rose-honey fixative with green apple.

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
2-Phenylethyl 2-methylpropanoate
CAS number
103-48-0
Molecular formula
C12H16O2
Molecular weight
192.25 g/mol
IUPAC name
2-phenylethyl 2-methylpropanoate

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 7655, 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 (1,663 of 1,664 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

Phenylethyl Isobutyrate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for Phenoxyethyl Isobutyrate.

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 2 published formulas

Phenylethyl Isobutyrate is an ingredient in 2 perfume formulas in the Formula & Accord Library.

RUŌOD House Originals

Original compositions by RUŌOD House.

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.

  • How to Build a Honey Accord

    A honey accord from phenylacetic acid and its esters: the building blocks, beeswax and honey absolutes, an illustrative vegan version, handling and records.

  • 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 Phenylethyl Isobutyrate

Is Phenylethyl Isobutyrate natural or synthetic?

Phenylethyl Isobutyrate is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.

What is the CAS number of Phenylethyl Isobutyrate?

103-48-0. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Phenylethyl Isobutyrate?

Phenylethyl Isobutyrate is used in 2 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Apricot Dust and Lavender in Silk. 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 Isobutyrate — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

The material library All materials