Ethyl Formate, with the CAS number 109-94-4, is a synthetic aroma chemical commonly used in perfumery for its sweet, fruity, and slightly rum-like scent profile. It is often employed to impart a fresh, tropical character to fragrances, making it a popular choice in compositions aiming to evoke fruity or gourmand notes. Ethyl Formate typically sits in the top or middle notes of a formula, where its volatility allows it to contribute to the initial impression of a fragrance. In terms of safety and regulatory considerations, Ethyl Formate is subject to IFRA guidelines, which may impose restrictions on its usage levels in certain applications. As with many synthetic aroma chemicals, it is important for formulators to be aware of potential allergenic properties and to ensure compliance with relevant safety standards. Overall, Ethyl Formate serves as a versatile ingredient in the perfumer's palette, providing a unique olfactory contribution while adhering to safety regulations. — AI-generated summary, 2026-09-02.
A very volatile, sharp ester with a fruity-ethereal character reminiscent of rum, unripe raspberry, and a whiff of arrack. Flashes off almost immediately, leaving a faint green-fruity trace.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 503.
Colorless, mobile liquid
Soluble in water, miscible with alcohol and oils, soluble in Propylene glycol and Glycerin
Pleasant, ethereal, diffusive, warm-fruity Rum-like odor
Sweet-ethereal, fruity taste in water
The ester finds a little use in perfumery for its effect in floral compositions and as an additive to alcohol for perfumery use to give it 'lift' and 'aged' notes
Used very extensively in flavor compositions for imitation Peach, Pineapple, Apple, Apricot, Banana, Berry, Butter, Butterscotch, Brandy, Grape, Plum, Rum, Sherry-wine, Whisky, Tutti-frutti, etc.
Produced from Glycerin, Oxalic acid and Ethyl alcohol, by heating. Also: directly from Formic acid and Ethanol