Fragrance allergen

Eugenyl Acetate

Eugenyl acetate is the acetate ester of eugenol, with a sweet, spicy clove and carnation character. It is reported in clove oil and used in perfumery for carnation and spice effects. The EU added it to its list of named fragrance allergens in 2023.

Formula
C12H14O3
Molar mass
206.24 g/mol
CAS
93-28-7

Where it comes from

The Good Scents Company notes that eugenyl acetate is found in oil of clove and in cinnamon leaf oil, and lists occurrence in Alpinia galanga oil at 1.50 per cent. PubChem records it as reported in Perilla frutescens and Alpinia chinensis. It is the acetate of eugenol.

Smell and use

Sweet and spicy, with clove, carnation and woody tones. The Good Scents Company lists fresh, sweet, woody, clove, floral, carnation, malt and spice. Moellhausen calls it aromatic-floral and somewhat clove-like.

Arctander wrote that it is used in perfumes to emphasise floralness in carnation, along with isoeugenol and similar materials, and that it is fresher than these but also milder. He noted it is not stable in white soap or alkali. JECFA also lists it as a flavouring agent.

On the label

Named on 1% of the 6,851 perfume ingredient lists we hold (49 perfumes).

EU
Annex III, entry 368. Must be named above 0.001% in leave-on products (0.01% rinse-off).
Great Britain
Not on Great Britain's list, so a GB label need not name it. The EU list does.

Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added eugenyl acetate to the labelled allergen list. The SCCS (SCCS/1459/11) says enzymes in the skin break down esters such as eugenyl acetate, and expects cross-reactivity between such esters and their parent alcohols. One industry source says Great Britain has not adopted the expansion.

A list that does not name it does not prove it is absent: brands only have to name it above the threshold.

Frequency by concentration

  • Eau de parfum 1% of 4,889
  • Eau de toilette 0% of 1,227
  • Extrait 1% of 341
  • Parfum 4% of 194
  • Cologne 1% of 114
  • Body spray 0% of 42
  • Other 4% of 27

Share of the perfumes we hold a list for, in each concentration.

Named alongside

Share of the lists naming Eugenyl Acetate that also name each of these.

Perfumes whose box names it

Common questions

What does eugenyl acetate smell like?

Sweet and spicy, like clove with floral carnation and woody tones. The Good Scents Company lists fresh, sweet, woody, clove, floral, carnation, malt and spice.

Is eugenyl acetate found in nature?

Yes. The Good Scents Company notes it in clove oil and cinnamon leaf oil, and records it in Alpinia galanga oil at 1.50 per cent. It is the acetate ester of eugenol.

Why is eugenyl acetate on my perfume label?

Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 added it to the list of fragrance allergens that must be named. It is listed above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products.