CONSTITUENT REPORT
Methyl anthranilate
Methyl anthranilate is a classic grape-floral anthranilate ester used in flavor and fragrance work and found naturally in neroli, jasmine-style materials, and other floral or citrus-linked profiles. The strongest accessible evidence supports its identity, odor character, regulatory safety review, and use as an avian repellent or sensory-active aroma constituent. Mechanistic and applied bioactivity literature exists, but it is mostly non-clinical and should be framed as preclinical, ecological, or industrial rather than medical evidence.
Chemical identity and composition
PubChem and JECFA identify methyl anthranilate as methyl 2-aminobenzoate, CAS 134-20-3. JECFA describes a colorless to pale yellow liquid or crystals with bluish fluorescence and a grape-like or orange aroma. In the archive it is most relevant as a floral-signature constituent in neroli-style materials rather than as a dominant terpene.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded grape-like, orange blossom-like, fruity, floral, sweet descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Read the route, preparation and experimental context before using a study finding to choose an oil.
Reported benefits and effects
Findings retain their study context. An animal or laboratory result describes that experiment.
fragrance safety assessment
The 2017 RIFM safety assessment concluded that methyl anthranilate was not genotoxic, did not have skin-sensitization potential, and was not phototoxic or photoallergenic under the reviewed fragrance-use conditions, while also stating that current use was supported by existing information.
Measured: genotoxicity, repeated-dose, developmental, sensitization, and phototoxicity review
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
bird avoidance
A Journal of Chemical Ecology study reported that methyl anthranilate was the most potent stimulus among the tested materials for producing avoidance responses in European starlings in one- and two-bottle assays.
Measured: avoidance response to aversive compounds
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
spore germination inhibition
A classic microbiology paper reported that methylanthranilate inhibited germination of aerobic bacilli spores without blocking subsequent growth and sporulation, which is a narrow mechanistic observation rather than a consumer-facing benefit claim.
Measured: germination inhibition
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Phototoxicity concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Oxidation concernNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
Penetration enhancementNot flagged
Not flagged in the current model. This is not proof of absence or unrestricted safety.
No numeric constituent-specific use limit is available here. Missing is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
The 2017 RIFM assessment states that use of methyl anthranilate under current fragrance-use conditions is supported by existing information.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
That same review reported no skin-sensitization potential and no phototoxic or photoallergenicity concern based on the reviewed data and read-across.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Applied repellent and ecological studies should not be translated into medical or topical-benefit claims.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil blend.
No direct public citation is attached to this entry.
Constituents it may interact with
These are research candidates recorded in the interaction matrix. They do not add a proven-amplification bonus to the score.
indoleAmplification candidate
Candidate in the research matrix. A coefficient alone does not establish amplification at the dose, route or goal of your blend; no proven amplification is inferred from this row.
aroma science · whole_oil
No source citation attached.
Read indole report →How the effects were investigated
avian aversive sensory irritant action
Bird-repellent literature treats methyl anthranilate as an aversive sensory stimulus rather than a toxicant, producing avoidance responses in feeding or drinking assays.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
What this report cannot establish
- A reported constituent percentage does not establish an effective human therapeutic dose or the amount absorbed into the body.
- The presence of a constituent does not guarantee a clinical benefit, rash treatment or sleep improvement from a custom blend.
- An unflagged concern or missing use limit does not establish safety for ingestion, inhalation, skin exposure or a particular person.
- A candidate constituent interaction does not establish that two oils amplify one another at the selected proportions.
- Constituent descriptors alone do not establish a precise top, heart or base lifetime in a finished blend.
Known data gaps (7)
- No human clinical efficacy literature for isolated methyl anthranilate was verified in this pass.
- Much of the applied literature is ecological, industrial, or microbiological rather than topical or inhalation human-use evidence.
- Archive copy should emphasize aroma, safety review, and avian-repellent context rather than imply therapeutic action.
- 2026-07-13 dermal-safety pass: the RIFM 2017 assessment for methyl anthranilate (CAS 134-20-3) supports sensitizing:false and phototoxic:false but does not state a specific dermal-limit percentage for this compound; the file's prior dermal_limit_pct of 0.1 appears to have been conflated with the separate IFRA Standard 094 restriction on Methyl-N-methylanthranilate (CAS 85-91-6, a different, N-methylated substance) and has been cleared to null since no citation supports a numeric limit for CAS 134-20-3 itself.
- No constituent-specific numeric dermal reference is available here.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.
- Interaction candidates lack an attached source citation and remain unqualified.