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Technical Ingredient Overview
🏭 Manufacturer —IFF
🔎 Chemical Name — Geranyl acetate
🧪 Synonyms — trans3,7-Dimethyl-2,6-octadien-1-yl acetate; Geraniol acetate; Geranyl ethanoate
🧬 Chemical Formula — C₁₂H₂₀O₂
📂 CAS — 105-87-3
📘 FEMA — 2509
⚖️ MW — 196.29 g · mol⁻¹
📝 Odor Type — Floral-fruity (rose / lavender)
📈 Odor Strength — Medium
👃🏼 Odor Profile — Sweet, fruity-rosy, waxy with soft citrus and green nuances
⚗️ Uses — Rose, lavender, geranium, fruity & citrus accords; soaps, detergents, fine fragrance; GRAS flavouring in foods
🧴 Appearance — Colourless-to-pale-yellow oily liquid; ρ₂₀ ≈ 0.916 g cm⁻³
What is Geranyl Acetate?
Geranyl acetate is the acetate ester of the monoterpenoid alcohol geraniol. It occurs naturally in many essential oils—citronella, palmarosa, lemongrass, petit-grain, neroli, geranium and others—and is manufactured on the tonne scale by Fischer esterification of geraniol with acetic acid. Global supply serves both fragrance and flavour markets.
Historical Background
1869 — first synthesis: Tiemann and co-workers acetylated natural geraniol, marking one of the earliest deliberate structure-odour studies (Arctander, 1960).
Post-1945: Industrial output rose when inexpensive terpene feed-stocks became available; geranyl acetate became a staple modifier in rose, lavender and fruity bases (Sell, 2006).
Today: High-purity “Geranyl Acetate Extra” grades are listed by major aroma houses for fine-fragrance use, while natural fractions remain in demand for “all-natural” labels (IFF, 2025).
Olfactory Profile
Family & character – Floral-fruity; opening is sweet, fruity-rosy with soft citrus, evolving to a creamy, waxy floralbody.
Volatility & tenacity – Evaporation half-life on a strip (20 °C) ≈ 2 h; good diffusion, moderate persistence.
Compositional role – Smoothes sharp citrals, rounds rose hearts, bridges fruity top notes to floral bodies. Typical dosage 0.1 – 2 % of concentrate.
Pairing behaviour – Synergistic with Geraniol, Citronellol, Linalool, Linalyl acetate and Neryl acetate to build natural rose and fruity-floral accords.
Performance in formulas – Highly soluble in ethanol and common solvents; partial hydrolysis in high-pH soap bases reduces retention (~60 % of geraniol after 24 h), mitigated by antioxidants. At ≤ 0.5 % it plasticises stick-deodorant bases, improving bloom and gloss.
Industrial & Technical Uses
Flavouring (GRAS) — Lavender-rose nuance in beverages, confectionery and baked goods (typical 2 – 20 ppm).
Chemical intermediate — Precursor in vitamin A and other terpenoid syntheses.
Agricultural lure component — Part of fruit-fly attractant blends for monitoring (FAO, 2022).
Regulatory & Safety Overview
IFRA — Not subject to an IFRA Standard; no quantitative restriction (IFRA Transparency List, 2024).
EU Cosmetics Regulation 1223/2009 (Reg. EU 2023/1545) — Listed allergen #369; must be declared ≥ 0.001 % in leave-on, ≥ 0.01 % in rinse-off products.
GHS / EU CLP — Skin Irrit. 2 (H315); Skin Sens. 1 (H317); Aquatic Chronic 3 (H412); signal word Warning; pictogram GHS07.
REACH (EU) — Registered, tonnage band ≥ 1 000 t · y⁻¹; full CSR available on ECHA CHEM.
FEMA / JECFA — FEMA 2509; JECFA 58 — “no safety concern at current intake”.
References
Arctander, S. (1960). Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin (pp. 300-302).
European Chemicals Agency. (2024). Geranyl acetate – Substance information (EC 203-341-5).
European Commission. (2023). Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 amending Annex III of Regulation (EC) 1223/2009.
Flavor & Extract Manufacturers Association. (2025). Geranyl acetate (FEMA 2509).
International Flavors & Fragrances. (2025). Geranyl Acetate Extra – Ingredient Compendium.
International Fragrance Association. (2024). IFRA Transparency List.
PubChem. (2025). Geranyl acetate (CID 1549026). National Center for Biotechnology Information.
Sigma-Aldrich. (2024). Safety Data Sheet – Geranyl acetate.
Sell, C. S. (2006). The Chemistry of Fragrances (2nd ed.). Royal Society of Chemistry.
