Fruity

Isoamyl Acetate

Note Profile

Natural

About

Isoamyl acetate is a powerful synthetic fruity ester best known as the signature 'banana flavor' molecule. In perfumery it delivers an intense sweet banana and pear character with a solventy, estery edge at higher concentrations. Its very high volatility makes it a vivid but short-lived top note that can quickly dominate a composition if overdosed.

Scent Profile

Olfactorily, isoamyl acetate is dominated by a strong, sweet banana note reminiscent of ripe or even overripe banana peel and candy-like banana sweets. It carries juicy pear and faint apple facets, with additional hints of other soft fruits such as melon or light berry when well diluted. At higher concentrations it can exhibit a sharp, solventy, nail-varnish-like ester character that reads as artificial, so it is typically used in minute amounts to obtain a smooth, tropical fruity effect.

Citrus 0%

Floral 0%

Fruity 80%

Green 0%

Sweet 45%

Warm 10%

Woody 0%

Earthy 0%

Animalic 0%

Fresh 25%

Origin

Isoamyl acetate is a synthetic organic ester, chemically defined as the acetate of isoamyl (isopentyl) alcohol, commonly written as 3-methylbutyl acetate (C7H14O2). Industrially it is produced by esterification of isoamyl alcohol with acetic acid, followed by purification to remove unreacted materials and byproducts. Although the molecule itself is synthetic in perfumery, similar esters occur naturally in bananas and other fruits, contributing to their characteristic aroma, which inspired its use in flavors and fragrances.

Usage in Perfumery

Perfumers use isoamyl acetate primarily as a top note to introduce an immediate, unmistakable banana or banana-pear impression in fruity, tropical, and gourmand compositions. It is frequently combined in traces with other fruity esters, lactones, and vanilla materials to build banana desserts, fruit-salad accords, and to add fruity lift to jasmine or white-floral notes. Due to its extreme power and volatility, it is dosed very sparingly, often below 1 percent of the concentrate, and needs support from longer-lasting fruity and creamy materials to sustain the effect into the heart and base of the fragrance.