In short
Vanillin isobutyrate is the isobutyrate ester of vanillin. It is a liquid with a creamy, smooth vanilla odour, softer than vanillin and easier to dissolve.
What Vanillin Isobutyrate smells like
Vanillin isobutyrate is a sweet, creamy vanilla with fruity facets. A database lists sweet, vanilla, creamy, fruity, caramel and chocolate; a supplier places it near white chocolate and cream soda with a soft apricot nuance, and notes that it lacks vanillin's phenolic tones and powderiness, giving a smoother, more buttery finish. Another supplier finds it less powdery than vanillin, with a creamier, thickening effect. Some listings give simply sweet, balsamic vanilla. Fraterworks, selling it as Givaudan's Isobutavan, describes a sweet, creamy vanillic aroma with white-chocolate facets, a soft apricot fruitiness and cream-soda nuances, less powdery than vanillin and thickening a blend; it presents it as a non-discolouring alternative to vanillin for white soaps and pale products and for white-chocolate gourmand accords.
- Leading note
- Smooth creamy vanilla
- Supporting facets
- White chocolate, buttery
- Faint facets
- Apricot, caramel
- Character
- Smooth, creamy, soft, sweet
What makes Vanillin Isobutyrate distinctive
Vanilla without the edges: no phenolic bite, no powder, just a buttery, creamy thickness.
How Vanillin Isobutyrate is used
Used to give a smooth, creamy body to vanilla and gourmand accords, and in flavours.
Typical role: blender (smooths the joins between other materials); fixative (slow to evaporate; helps a blend last and holds lighter notes).
How Vanillin Isobutyrate differs from similar materials
- Vanillin
- Vanillin is sharper, more phenolic and more powdery; the isobutyrate is smoother, creamier and more buttery. (compared directly by a cited source)
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
Like vanillin it can discolour some bases over time; test before use.
Identity and classification
- Type
- Aroma chemical
- Origin
- Synthetic
- Odour family
- Gourmand
- Note position
- Base note
- Physical form at room temperature
- Liquid
- Also known as
- 4-Formyl-2-methoxyphenyl isobutyrate
- CAS number
- 20665-85-4
- Molecular formula
- C12H14O4
- Molecular weight
- 222.24 g/mol
- IUPAC name
- (4-formyl-2-methoxyphenyl) 2-methylpropanoate
The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 539829, 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 (1,565 of 1,566 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
-
Vanillin
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy
-
Ethyl Vanillin
Aroma chemical · Gourmand / Amber — vanilla, sweet, creamy, candy
-
Tonka Bean Absolute
Absolute · Gourmand / Powdery — coumarinic, hay, almond, sweet
-
Benzoin Resinoid (Siam)
Resinoid · Amber / Gourmand — vanillic, balsamic, sweet, warm
Used in formulas and accords
Used in 16 published formulas
Vanillin Isobutyrate is an ingredient in 8 perfume formulas and 8 accords in the Formula & Accord Library.
Community formulas
RUŌOD House Originals
Original compositions by RUŌOD House.
Further reading
Questions about Vanillin Isobutyrate
Is Vanillin Isobutyrate natural or synthetic?
Vanillin Isobutyrate is synthetic — it is made by chemical synthesis.
What is the CAS number of Vanillin Isobutyrate?
20665-85-4. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.
Which published formulas use Vanillin Isobutyrate?
Vanillin Isobutyrate is used in 16 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Blueberry Accord, Cherry Lacquer and Chocolate Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.
Sources
- PubChem — compound 539829, 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 — vanillin isobutyrate — odour database.
- Scentspiracy — Vanillin isobutyrate — distributor's description.
- ChemicalBook — vanillin isobutyrate (CAS 20665-85-4) — odour database.
- Fraterworks — Isobutavan — distributor's description.
- Olfactory profile: the RUŌOD Lab team's synthesis of the published descriptions above, reviewed 26 October 2026. Evidence: more than one published description. Classification and the short description: revision 1. Descriptions of odour are judgement, not measurement.