Acetophenone
AcetophenoneCAS 98-86-2
Listed as a flavouring agent and a solvent by the US.
Listed as flavouring agents and adjuvants (US) · solvents and vehicles (US)
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ACETOPHENONE
- United States: Solvent or vehicle — FDA, Substances Added to Food: ACETOPHENONE
Acetophenone is an aromatic ketone. South Korea lists it among its flavouring substances, and 21 CFR 172.515 names it among the synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants that may be used in food. FDA's inventory gives it FEMA number 2009. Japan also designates it (Appended Table 1, item 22).
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | No listing matchedHealth Canada’s lists name additives without E or INS numbers, so this site matches them by exact name. A substance listed there under a name this site does not recognise has no row here. | ||
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | Permitted, with conditions | Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 22, アセトフェノン (“Acetophenone” in the unofficial English translation). …Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 22, アセトフェノン (“Acetophenone” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use), entry アセトフェノン: (1) [may be used only for the purpose of flavouring] “アセトフェノンは、着香の目的以外に使用してはならない。” The Japanese is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the Notification; the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive. | Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| South Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 아세토페논 (“Acetophenone”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 아세토페논: 향료. Standard for use (사용기준) of 아세토페논: (1) [may be used only for flavouring] “아세토페논은 착향의 목적에 한하여 사용하여야 한다.” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Permitted, with conditions | Named in the list of synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants in 21 CFR 172.515(b), which may be safely used in food in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended effect. The section is held on this site as the page synthetic-flavoring-substances-and-adjuvants; read it for the conditions. | 21 CFR 172.515retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Japan | — | 1 no quantity stated |
|---|---|---|
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
No regulator sets a figure for Acetophenone. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What it is made from
The sources cited here do not say how it is made, so this page claims no route.
- CAS registry number
- 98-86-2
Every name it appears under
1 recorded name. A label may use any of them.
Other names
- Acetophenone
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Acetophenone?
- Acetophenone is an aromatic ketone. South Korea lists it among its flavouring substances, and 21 CFR 172.515 names it among the synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants that may be used in food. FDA's inventory gives it FEMA number 2009. Japan also designates it (Appended Table 1, item 22).
- What is Acetophenone used for in food?
- It is listed as a flavouring agent and a solvent — the role the US assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Acetophenone banned in Europe?
- No. Acetophenone is not on the EU's list of authorised food additives, but it would not be expected to be: every role regulators give it — flavouring agent and solvent — the EU regulates under separate law. Its absence from the additives list says nothing about whether it is permitted in Europe.
- Where is Acetophenone permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Japan, South Korea and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Sources for this page
- jp retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- us-listings retrieved 2026-10-18
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
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