What does Ethylhexyl acetate do?

Used in cosmetics as a solvent and a fragrance ingredient.

Is Ethylhexyl acetate safe?

We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
industrial

Ethylhexyl acetate

CAS 12261-98-2

Also registered as 1 other CAS number

103-09-3

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Ethylhexyl acetate in plain language

What it is: Also known as 2-ETHYLHEXYL acetate · Octyl acetate · Acetic acid, 2-ETHYLHEXYL ester · (+/-)-ethylhexyl acetate · (±)-ethylhexyl acetate · 1-HEXANOL, 2-ETHYL-, acetate
Show all 21 names
2-Ethyl-1-hexanol acetate · 2-Ethyl-1-hexyl acetate · 2-Ethylhexanyl acetate · 2-Ethylhexyl ethanoate · 2-Ethylhexylester kyseliny octove · 2-ethyl-hexylacetate · 2-ethylhexylacetate · Acetic acid alpha-ethylhexyl ester · Ethylhexyl acetate, (+/-)- · Ethylhexyl acetate, (±)- · acetic acid, 2- ethylhexylester · acetic acid, 2-ethylhexylester (= 2-ethylhexyl acetate) · ethylhexylester acetic acid · beta-Ethylhexyl acetate · ethylhexyl acetate/2-ethylhexyl acetate
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a solvent and a fragrance ingredient.
Solvent
Perfuming
Film former
Fragrance
Flavouring
Is it a concern?: We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Ethylhexyl acetate appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Industrial

EUCosIngActiveListed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.
- Listed in CosIng inventory for cosmetic use.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 24 composition records across product categories including Industrial products, Laboratory supplies, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Solvent, Fragrance, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 24 composition records across product categories including Industrial products, Laboratory supplies, Raw materials. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Solvent, Fragrance, Flavouring and nutrient.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

No expert opinion on file for Ethylhexyl acetate. These are the independent scientific bodies that assess ingredients like this one; we show an opinion only when a record we hold cites it.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Ethylhexyl acetate yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

6 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated January 7, 2008
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Ethylhexyl acetate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

Named organisations

Industrial productsLaboratory suppliesRaw materials

Typical roles

SolventPerfumingFilm formerFragranceFlavouring

See products using Ethylhexyl acetate →