Geranyl butyrate is a rosy-fruity monoterpene ester used in flavor and fragrance work and present in smaller amounts in some geranium-style oils in the AromaForge archive. The strongest public evidence is for identity, flavor-use safety, and general ester toxicology rather than human wellness effects. A few modern papers also report insecticidal or process-chemistry findings for isolated geranyl butyrate, but those results are still niche and should be framed as early constituent-specific context rather than broad benefit claims.
Aroma and practical use
- Use the recorded fruity, rosy, geranium-like, sweet, waxy, rose-like descriptors to explore a blend's scent character; perceived strength also depends on the other ingredients.
- Review the flagged use concerns across every contributing oil and the selected dilution.
- 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.
A 2022 insecticidal study reported that geranyl butyrate showed strong contact activity against Liposcelis bostrychophila with an LD50 of 11.53 microg/cm2.
The abstract positions geranyl butyrate as one of the more active tested constituents in that pest-control assay rather than as a human-health finding.
This experimental finding does not establish benefit, dose or safety in people using this blend.
JECFA concluded there was no safety concern at current levels of intake when geranyl butyrate is used as a flavouring agent.
The WHO JECFA database records the flavouring decision and notes that secondary components do not raise a safety concern in the reviewed use context.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
The NICNAS/IMAP assessment reports acute oral LD50 values of 5000 mg/kg dermally and 10660 mg/kg orally for geranyl butyrate in cited source material, supporting a low acute-toxicity profile relative to many fragrance ingredients.
The same assessment also groups geranyl butyrate among materials not considered skin irritants on the available animal and human data.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
Use concerns and concentration limits
Sensitization concernFlagged
Flagged in the constituent reference; assess the source, route and finished-product concentration.
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.
A recorded constituent reference, not a recommended oil dilution. Product category, source applicability and all contributing oils must be checked before use.
unverified reference · No source provenance attachedJECFA and FEMA both position geranyl butyrate as a recognized flavouring substance rather than an uncatalogued niche ingredient.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
The Australian simple-esters assessment treats this ester class as expected to hydrolyze after exposure and does not flag geranyl butyrate as a strong skin irritant on the available evidence.
The source assessment applies to its specified exposure and preparation; this entry is not an unrestricted-use clearance.
No direct human clinical literature focused on isolated geranyl butyrate was verified in this pass.
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
No constituent-pair interaction is recorded for this identity. The report does not assume either amplification or incompatibility.
How the effects were investigated
likely enzymatic hydrolysis to geraniol and butyric acid
This is an inference from the Australian assessment for simple geraniol esters and general carboxylesterase handling of simple esters, not a direct metabolism study on isolated geranyl butyrate.
This reference does not establish a therapeutic result or a safe use level for a custom oil 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 (5)
- No direct human clinical efficacy literature was verified for isolated geranyl butyrate.
- Most constituent-specific bioactivity evidence is nonclinical and narrow, such as insect assays rather than consumer-relevant human outcomes.
- This pass did not verify a standalone RIFM geranyl-butyrate PDF even though the maintenance index shows the material is tracked within the RIFM system.
- The numeric dermal reference lacks source provenance; a verified flag alone is insufficient.
- Some findings do not record an explicit exposure route; consult the linked study before applying them to a use.