Sweet, fruity-balsamic with a soft cinnamon warmth. Cinnamyl acetate smells like cinnamon-poached pears — gently spicy, fruity, with a clean, ester-like brightness.
Sweet, fruity-balsamic opening with a recognizable but soft cinnamon warmth. More fruity and less floral than cinnamyl alcohol, less aggressive than cinnamaldehyde. An ester-like brightness gives it a clean, slightly waxy quality. On blotter, the spice character fades before the sweet-balsamic undertone, leaving a pleasant, non-descript warmth.
CAS 103-54-8. The acetate ester of cinnamyl alcohol. Found naturally in cinnamon and cassia bark oils. The ester form shifts the scent away from the floral-spicy character of cinnamyl alcohol toward a sweeter, more fruity-balsamic direction.
The scent is warm, sweet, and gently spicy with a pronounced fruity-ester quality. It reads as softer and more gourmand than cinnamyl alcohol — less floral, more edible. There is a clean, slightly waxy character typical of acetate esters. The molecule provides a gentle cinnamon warmth that integrates well into sweet compositions without the aggression of cinnamaldehyde.
In perfumery, cinnamyl acetate occupies the territory between spice and gourmand. It provides cinnamon association without heat, and fruity sweetness without being identifiably any particular fruit. This ambiguity makes it a useful blending tool in amber, gourmand, and sweet-floral compositions.
Cinnamyl acetate is one of the molecules that makes fresh cinnamon bark smell different from ground cinnamon — the ester provides a fruity top note that disappears after grinding and aging, as it slowly hydrolyzes back to cinnamyl alcohol.
Extraction & Chemistry
Extraction method: Produced synthetically by acetylation of cinnamyl alcohol. Also found naturally in cinnamon and cassia bark oils at low concentrations. Commercial supply is entirely synthetic. The production is straightforward and the molecule is inexpensive.
Heart modifier in gourmand, amber, and sweet-floral compositions. Cinnamyl acetate provides a soft, fruity cinnamon character that bridges spice and gourmand categories. It works in baked-goods accords, warm-sweet bases, and compositions where cinnamon association is desired without any harshness. Less sensitizing than cinnamaldehyde, making it a safer option for skin-contact products. Pairs with vanillin, benzoin, tonka, and fruit esters.
