In short
Prenyl acetate is a fruity ester with a fresh banana-pear odour and a green edge. It is a brighter, greener relative of isoamyl acetate.
What Prenyl Acetate smells like
Prenyl acetate is a fruity, banana-like ester with green and floral touches. Parchem lists sweet, fresh, banana-fruity with jasmine, ripe, heliotrope and balsamic notes; ChemicalBook describes a natural green apple and banana aroma, and a taste of sweet banana, fruity, ripe, floral and green. It is of medium strength and occurs in ylang-ylang oil.
- Leading note
- Fresh banana
- Supporting facets
- Green apple
- Faint facets
- Floral, jasmine, balsamic
- Character
- Fresh, fruity, light
What makes Prenyl Acetate distinctive
A fresher banana: greener and more floral than isoamyl acetate, without its pear-drop candy.
How Prenyl Acetate is used
Used in fruity top notes, banana accords and flavours, and in ylang reconstructions.
Typical role: modifier (used in small amounts to change the character of a blend).
How Prenyl Acetate differs from similar materials
- Isoamyl Acetate
- Isoamyl acetate is sweeter and more candy-like, banana and pear drop; prenyl acetate is fresher, with green apple and a floral touch.
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 / Green
- Note position
- Top note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 3-Methylbut-2-enyl acetate
- CAS number
- 1191-16-8
- Molecular formula
- C7H12O2
- Molecular weight
- 128.17 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- 3-methylbut-2-enyl acetate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 14489, 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 (0 of 1,901 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
-
Isoamyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Gourmand — banana, pear drop, fruity, sweet
-
Hexyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Fruity / Green — pear, apple, fruity, green
-
Isoamyl Butyrate
Aroma chemical · Fruity — fruity, banana, pear, sweet
-
cis-3-Hexenyl Acetate
Aroma chemical · Green / Fruity — green, fruity, unripe banana, fresh
Prenyl Acetate is also suggested as a partner on the pages for cis-3-Hexenyl Butyrate and Ethyl Decadienoate (Pear Ester).
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 1 published formula
Prenyl Acetate is an ingredient in 1 perfume formula in the Formula & Accord Library.
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Prenyl Acetate
Is Prenyl Acetate natural or synthetic?
The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Prenyl 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 Prenyl Acetate?
1191-16-8. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Prenyl Acetate?
Prenyl Acetate is used in 1 published formula in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library: Pear Lantern. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 14489, checked 19 October 2026.
- PubChem — GHS classification (the ECHA C&L Inventory notifications and any harmonised EU entry), read 26 October 2026.
- Parchem — prenyl acetate — distributor's description.
- ChemicalBook — prenyl acetate (CAS 1191-16-8) — odour database.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 20 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.