This section provides an overview of hexyl acetate (acetate C-6), covering its manufacturing processes and regulatory status, applications in food, flavour, fragrance, personal care, and industrial solvent industries. Also, please check out the introduction to hexyl acetate manufacturers, supply chain issues, hexyl acetate suppliers, and hexyl acetate prices. Sinofi can help you buy hexyl acetate at bulk wholesale prices based on FEMA 2565 and CAS 142-92-7.
Table of Contents
What is Hexyl Acetate?
Hexyl acetate, also named acetate C-6, is one of the workhorse esters of the fruity flavour and fragrance palette. It delivers a clean, sweet, green-fruity character that formulators rely upon to construct apple, pear, and a wide range of tropical and orchard-fruit profiles. The compound occurs naturally in numerous fruits and is manufactured at scale for use in food, beverage, and personal care applications. Hexyl acetate consists of a six-carbon primary alkyl chain esterified with an acetate group. It should be distinguished from heptyl acetate, which differs in both odour quality and threshold. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), hexyl acetate is approved to be used in the flavour and fragrance industries.
Regulatory Status and Safety Considerations
Hexyl acetate has been evaluated by major regulatory bodies like JECFA, EFSA, RIFM, ECHACHEM, NIST, IFRA and WHO. It carries Generally Recognised as Safe (GRAS) status under the FEMA programme (FEMA 2565) and is listed in the European Union Union List of flavouring substances under FL number 09.020. It has been evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) within the relevant group of aliphatic esters and found to pose no safety concern at current intake levels from its use as a flavouring agent. As with all flavour materials, hexyl acetate should be used in accordance with good manufacturing practice and at the lowest level necessary to achieve the intended effect. In its concentrated form, it can cause irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract, and standard occupational handling controls apply.
Sensory Profile
The odour of hexyl acetate is sweet, fruity, and characteristically green, with a pronounced pear and apple character supported by floral and herbaceous nuances. The flavour contribution is similarly fruity and sweet, lending freshness and a natural, ripe-fruit lift to compositions. The compound is notable for its low odour detection threshold, which lies in the low parts-per-billion range in water. In terms of the rate of aroma release, hexyl acetate is much faster than heptyl acetate. This high potency means that even modest dosages exert a perceptible effect on the overall profile, and overdosing readily introduces an unbalanced, solvent-like or excessively green note. Hexyl acetate is therefore best handled as a precise contributor rather than a bulk component.
Natural Occurrence
Hexyl acetate is widely distributed in nature and is a recognized character-impact constituent of several fruits. It contributes meaningfully to the aroma of apple and pear, and it is also reported in plum, banana, passion fruit, and a range of other fruits, as well as in some essential oils. Its established presence in commonly consumed foods supports its use as a nature-identical aroma material and underpins the authenticity of formulations built around it.
CAS No.: 142-92-7
According to the American Chemical Society, the CAS number of hexyl acetate is 142-92-7.
CAS Name: Hexyl Acetate
Molecular Formula: C8H16O2
Molecular Mass: 144.21
Appearance: Colorless, clear, oily liquid.
JECFA Number: 128
Food Chemicals Codex Listed: Yes
Boiling Point: 170.00 to 172.00 °C. @ 760.00 mm Hg
Solubility: Soluble in alcohol, ether; insoluble in water
Other Names:
♦ Acetic acid, hexyl ester
♦ Hexyl alcohol, acetate
♦ Hexyl acetate
♦ Hexyl ethanoate
♦ n-Hexyl acetate
♦ 1-Hexyl acetate
♦ n-Hexyl ethanoate
♦ Hexyl ester acetic acid
Hexyl Acetate Odor
Odor Strength: Medium. recommend smelling in a 10.00 % solution or less.
Substantivity: 5 hours at 100.00 %
Odor Description: At 10.00 % in dipropylene glycol, green fruity sweet fatty fresh apple pear.
FEMA Number 2565
According to the Flavour and Extract Manufacturers Association (FEMA), the FEMA number of hexyl acetate is 2565.
Bulk Hexyl Acetate Manufacturers
Bulk hexyl acetate production is best understood as comprising several distinct categories of companies, each serving different buyer needs. Top hexyl acetate manufacturers like Givaudan and IFF supply hexyl acetate as part of their aroma-chemical portfolios, frequently in both synthetic and natural grades. Production of hexyl acetate is geographically concentrated. India and China, in particular, host the largest number of manufacturers and supply much of the world’s commodity-grade volume, benefiting from integrated acetic acid and alcohol feedstocks and competitive manufacturing costs.
Sinofi is a bulk hexyl acetate manufacturer in China, and we have a 2,500-square-meter manufacturing facility for the production of C-6 acetate. We supply high-quality hexyl acetate at bulk prices and serve food, flavour, fragrance, personal care, and industrial solvent industries worldwide.
Manufacturing Process of Hexyl Acetate
The manufacture of hexyl acetate rests on a classical and well-understood esterification, yet its commercial execution is a study in equilibrium management and process integration. Direct acid-catalysed esterification of 1-hexanol with acetic acid, increasingly performed via reactive distillation with solid acid catalysts, dominates bulk production by overcoming thermodynamic limitations and delivering high conversion efficiently. Enzymatic synthesis provides a mild, selective, and naturally compliant alternative of growing commercial significance. Across all routes, the decisive determinants of product value are the displacement of the esterification equilibrium, the control of side reactions, and a purification regime rigorous enough to meet the exacting demands of flavour and fragrance use.
The Esterification Reaction
The dominant route is the Fischer esterification of 1-hexanol with acetic acid:
CH₃COOH + C₆H₁₃OH ⇌ CH₃COOC₆H₁₃ + H₂O
The reaction is acid-catalysed, reversible, and thermodynamically limited by an equilibrium constant of order unity. Left to reach equilibrium with stoichiometric feeds, conversion is therefore incomplete. The art of the process lies in displacing that equilibrium toward the ester, which is achieved by employing an excess of one reactant, by removing one of the products, or, most effectively, by doing both simultaneously.
An alternative acyl donor is acetic anhydride:
(CH₃CO)₂O + C₆H₁₃OH → CH₃COOC₆H₁₃ + CH₃COOH
This reaction is essentially irreversible and proceeds rapidly without water generation, which simplifies the equilibrium problem and is advantageous when anhydrous conditions or very high conversion are required. The higher cost of acetic anhydride, however, generally confines its use to specialized or smaller-scale production, leaving direct esterification with acetic acid as the workhorse of bulk manufacture.
Enzymatic (Biocatalytic) Synthesis
A distinct and growing route employs immobilized lipases, such as Candida antarctica lipase B, to catalyze the esterification under mild conditions, frequently solvent-free or in a benign organic medium. The biocatalytic route operates at low temperature, is highly selective, generates few side products, and yields a product that can qualify as natural when natural feedstocks are used. Its limitations are the higher cost of the enzyme, slower reaction rates, and the susceptibility of some lipases to deactivation by acetic acid, which can be mitigated by acyl-donor selection or staged addition. As demand for naturally labelled aroma chemicals rises, enzymatic production is occupying an expanding niche alongside conventional acid-catalyzed processes.
Bulk Hexyl Acetate Suppliers
The bulk hexyl acetate supply is best understood as several overlapping tiers rather than a single uniform market. Top hexyl acetate suppliers such as Givaudan and IFF manufacture acetate esters at scale and have upstream access to acetic acid and hexanol feedstocks. They are influential in setting quality expectations for fragrance and flavour applications. Other hexyl acetate suppliers are concentrated in Asia, where China and India host substantial manufacturing bases.
Sinofi is a bulk hexyl acetate supplier in China, and we have a warehouse with 1,200 square meters for high-quality acetate C-6. We sell different grades of hexyl acetate at wholesale prices, serving end-users in food, flavour, fragrance, personal care, and industrial solvent industries.
Supply Chain of Hexyl Acetate
The supply chain of hexyl acetate can be represented as a sequence of five connected stages, progressing from raw materials through to finished consumer and industrial goods. It connects basic petrochemical feedstocks to highly specified flavour, fragrance, and solvent products.
Supply Chain Structure
The simplified structure below illustrates the principal flow.
Upstream: Feedstocks and Catalysts
The two direct raw materials are acetic acid and n-hexyl alcohol (n-hexanol), supported by a catalyst, traditionally sulfuric acid or a strongly acidic ion-exchange resin.
Production: The Esterification Stage
Hexyl acetate is produced by the reversible, acid-catalyzed esterification of n-hexanol with acetic acid, yielding the ester and water as a co-product. Because the reaction is equilibrium-limited and the uncatalyzed pathway is slow, manufacturers rely on catalysis and on process configurations that drive the equilibrium toward the product. Following synthesis, distillation and purification establishes the grade of the material. Hexyl acetate is supplied across several grades.
Downstream: Distribution and End Markets
The distribution layer connects producers to end-product manufacturers, frequently through distributors and traders that offer flexible packaging and quantity options spanning less-than-truckload shipments, drums, intermediate bulk containers, and bulk tank deliveries. End demand is concentrated in fragrance and personal care, which represents the largest-consuming sector, followed by food and beverage flavours and industrial solvent uses in coatings, inks, adhesives, and cleaning products.
Wholesale and Buy Hexyl Acetate in Bulk
Effective wholesale and bulk procurement of hexyl acetate rests on a sequence of disciplined steps: define the grade specification precisely, qualify suppliers against consistent criteria, match packaging to genuine consumption, understand the feedstock-driven cost structure, agree logistics and trade terms explicitly, and structure the agreement to balance cost with continuity.
Define the Specification Before Sourcing
The single most consequential procurement decision is the grade specification, because grade determines both the eligible supplier set and the price point. Hexyl acetate is commercially available in technical and industrial grades for solvent applications, food-grade conforming to flavour specifications, fragrance-grade with defined odour profiles, and high-purity grades with purities of approximately 99.5%. Natural-origin material, produced through enzymatic rather than conventional chemical routes, occupies a distinct premium tier where clean-label positioning is required.
Before approaching the market, the purchasing function should confirm the following with the relevant technical or formulation stakeholders:
- The minimum purity and acceptable impurity profile.
- Whether food, fragrance, or cosmetic compliance is required, including relevant designations such as the FEMA number (2565) and JECFA number (128) for flavour use.
- Whether natural-origin material is necessary, or whether synthetic material is acceptable.
- Any customer- or region-specific regulatory requirements that constrain the specification.
Selecting and Qualifying Suppliers
The supplier landscape comprises several tiers, and the appropriate choice depends on volume, grade, location, and tolerance for supply risk. Large integrated and specialty chemical producers offer scale, consistency, and robust documentation, and suit high-volume industrial accounts. Flavour and fragrance houses set quality expectations for aroma applications and may supply specified material.
As a bulk hexyl acetate manufacturer and supplier in China, we wholesale this ingredient to end users in food, flavour, fragrance, personal care, and industrial solvent industries. We also supply acetate C-6 to small customers. Normally, they want to buy hexyl acetate in small quantities. To serve them, we can sell hexyl acetate at bulk prices and provide a one-stop purchasing service.
Hexyl Acetate Prices (USD/Kg)
Flavour Grade Hexyl Acetate Prices (GC Content >=99.5%)
| Volume | Unit Price | Shipment |
| 50g | 6 USD | Express |
| 500g | 31 USD | Express |
| 1Kg | 45 USD/Kg | Express |
| 25Kg | >=30% cheaper | Express |
| 100Kg-Above | negotiable | Express / Sea |
Food and fragrance-grade hexyl acetate trades at USD 30–55/kg depending on grade and pack size. Flavour & fragrance, personal care/cosmetics, and food & beverage are the core pulls, with paints/coatings, adhesives, inks, and industrial cleaning as secondary industrial demand.
Furthermore, the above price quotations of hexyl acetate do not include the express shipping fee. The reason is that the shipment cost may exceed the sample value of acetate C-6. However, the bulk wholesale prices of hexyl acetate will be much lower than those of small orders. Please contact us for more details.
Hexyl Acetate Specification
| Appearance | Colorless, clear, oily liquid. |
| Odor: | Green, fruity, sweet, fatty, fresh apple and pear. |
| Purity (GC) | >=99.5% |
| Acid Value (mg KOH/g) | <=1.0 |
| Refractive Index (20°C) | 1.407 – 1.411 |
| Specific Gravity (at 25℃/25℃) | 0.868 – 0.872 |
Hexyl Acetate Uses
Hexyl acetate occupies a notable position among acetate esters owing to its appealing fruity aroma and versatile solvent properties. Its applications span the fragrance, flavour, and industrial domains, ranging from fine perfumery and functional consumer products to food flavouring and specialized coatings.
Applications in Fragrance and Perfumery
In the fragrance industry, hexyl acetate is widely used as a fragrance ingredient for its fresh, fruity, and subtly green odor. Perfumers incorporate it into fine fragrances, where it lends apple-like and pear-like nuances that brighten the overall composition. The compound is equally prevalent in functional fragrances, appearing in soaps, detergents, fabric softeners, air fresheners, and a range of personal care and cosmetic formulations. Its ability to impart a clean, natural fruitiness makes it a useful component in accords intended to evoke orchard fruits and green foliage.
Applications in Flavouring
The food and beverage industry uses hexyl acetate as a flavouring agent, exploiting the same fruity profile that distinguishes it in perfumery. It is added in carefully controlled quantities to confectionery, baked goods, beverages, and other processed foods to reinforce or recreate notes of apple, pear, and tropical fruit. Because the compound occurs naturally in fruit, it integrates convincingly into formulations designed to deliver an authentic taste experience.
Industrial and Solvent Applications
Beyond its sensory roles, hexyl acetate functions as an effective solvent for resins, oils, and cellulose-based materials. It is used in certain coatings, lacquers, and printing inks, where its solvency and evaporation characteristics help achieve desired film properties and finish quality. The compound may also serve as a process aid or intermediate in selected chemical manufacturing operations, although its solvent applications are more specialized than those of higher-volume industrial esters.
Hexyl Acetate Benefits
The benefits of hexyl acetate arise from the union of an appealing, authentic aroma with broad functional versatility and practical efficiency. Its pleasant fruity character, compatibility with diverse formulations, effectiveness at low concentrations, and capacity to enhance consumer products together establish it as a material of considerable worth.
Authentic and Appealing Aroma
One of the foremost benefits of hexyl acetate is its naturally appealing scent profile. The compound delivers a fresh, fruity character reminiscent of apple, pear, and plum, accompanied by subtle green nuances. Because it occurs naturally in ripening fruits, it integrates convincingly into formulations intended to recreate authentic orchard and tropical notes.
Favorable Solvency and Compatibility
The chemical properties of hexyl acetate confer notable practical advantages. The compound is readily miscible with ethanol, ether, and most common organic solvents and oils, which ensures smooth incorporation into a wide array of formulations. Its solvency makes it effective in coatings, lacquers, and printing inks, where it contributes to desirable film characteristics and an even finish. This compatibility simplifies the work of formulators and helps maintain product stability and consistency.
Efficiency at Low Concentrations
Hexyl acetate delivers a pronounced sensory effect even when used in modest quantities. In both fragrance and flavour applications, small additions are sufficient to impart the intended fruity character, which promotes economical use of the material. This efficiency benefits manufacturers by enabling meaningful results without excessive consumption, supporting both cost control and consistent product quality.
Hexyl Acetate in E-Liquid and Vaping Products
Hexyl acetate is an organic ester known for its sweet, fruity aroma resembling apple, pear, and banana. Long established as a flavouring agent in foods and a fragrance ingredient in consumer products, it belongs to a broad family of esters that have also been identified among the flavouring constituents of electronic cigarette liquids, commonly referred to as e-liquids or vape juice.
Role in E-Liquid Formulation
Electronic cigarettes operate by heating a liquid mixture to produce an inhalable aerosol. A typical e-liquid consists of humectant carriers, most often propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, together with nicotine in many formulations and a variety of flavouring chemicals. Fruity flavour profiles are among the most popular categories, and esters are frequently used to achieve them for their characteristic sweet, fruity notes. Hexyl acetate, with its apple-like and pear-like character, is chemically representative of the type of compound used for this purpose. In e-liquid formulations, it works well with cooling agents such as WS-23, WS-3, and eucalyptol. Its presence reflects the wider industry practice of borrowing flavouring substances from the food sector for use in inhalable products.
Regulatory Status
As with any aromatic raw material, it should be used in accordance with the relevant FEMA, IOFI, and IFRA guidance and within the use levels appropriate to the application and market. In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration regulate the e-cigarettes and other electronic nicotine delivery systems through the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Premarket Tobacco Product Application (PMTA). In the EU, hexyl acetate is regulated by the European Union’s Tobacco Products Directive (TPD).
A Food Grade Green Grape Flavouring Using Hexyl Acetate
Include the following ingredients (total:100, by weight):
Ethanol, 96.403; Phenethyl alcohol, 0.3; Maltol, 0.7; Furaneol (10% in propylene glycol), 0.2; Ethyl acetate, 0.4; Leaf alcohol (cis-3-hexenol), 0.15; Styralyl acetate (1% in propylene glycol), 0.8; Ethyl butyrate, 0.1; cis-3-Hexenyl acetate, 0.2; Ethyl propionate, 0.2; Methyl anthranilate, 0.15; Acetaldehyde (40% in ethanol), 0.012; Ethyl heptanoate, 0.06; Octanol, 0.015; Linalool oxide, 0.1; Diethyl malonate, 0.12; Citronellyl acetate, 0.04; Ethyl acetoacetate, 0.03; Isovaleric acid, 0.02;
In conclusion, hexyl acetate is a medium-chain aliphatic ester valued across the food, flavour, fragrance, personal care, and industrial solvent industries. As a bulk hexyl acetate manufacturer and supplier in China, we offer various grades of hexyl acetate at wholesale prices to clients worldwide.