Menthol Acetate
Menthol Acetate (menthyl acetate) is the acetic acid ester of L-menthol and contributes a soft, floral, slightly fruity minty character with reduced cooling intensity compared with free menthol.
The molecule is L-menthyl acetate, formula C₁₂H₂₂O₂ (molar mass 198.30 g/mol), and presents as a colourless clear mobile liquid with a fresh minty floral odour reminiscent of mint cologne. It is a natural constituent of peppermint and lavender essential oils and is also produced synthetically by direct esterification.
We source bulk Menthol Acetate from top China manufacturers for our partners. The manufacturer is in Anhui. A smaller requirement can ship in a combined container with other ingredients.
Please send the grade you need, the volume and your destination port, and we will come back with a solution and a price.
or call +86-21-6858 0751
- Packaging
- 25 kg galvanised drum, nitrogen blanketed
- ISO 9001
- HACCP
- Halal
- Kosher
Specifications
Grades / Types Available: Food Grade, Pharmaceutical Grade
| Item | Specification |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Colourless liquid |
| Assay | ≥ 98.0% |
| Specific Gravity (20°C) | 0.919-0.924 |
| Optical Rotation | -72° to -78° |
| Heavy Metals (as Pb) | ≤ 10 mg/kg |
| Purity/Assay (Food Grade) | ≥ 98% |
| Viscosity (Food Grade) | < 5 mPa·s |
| Moisture/Loss on Drying (Food Grade) | ≤ 0.5% |
| pH (Food Grade) | 6.0 - 8.0 |
Common Markets Grades
Menthol Acetate is produced predominantly as a liquid flavour and fragrance ingredient.
The standard food and fragrance grade is at minimum 95 to 97 percent assay of L-menthyl acetate as a clear colourless liquid with optical rotation between -75 and -85 degrees and a characteristic floral minty odour.
Premium fragrance grade material at minimum 98 to 99 percent is sold to fine fragrance houses for use in fresh, herbaceous, and lavender accords where trace impurities can blur the floral facet. Natural grade material, recovered from peppermint or lavender essential oil fractionation, qualifies for natural flavour and natural fragrance labelling.
Material is shipped in steel drums, intermediate bulk containers, or smaller glass bottles for laboratory use. Storage in tightly closed containers under cool conditions limits hydrolysis back to free menthol and acetic acid, which would shift the odour profile.
Applications
- Fine fragrance: fresh, fougere, lavender, herbal, and cologne accords
- Personal care perfumery: shampoo, shower gel, soap, and aftershave
- Functional fragrance for laundry detergent, fabric softener, and household cleaners
- Premium oral care for soft fresh mint character without intense cooling
- Confectionery flavour compounds for floral minty profiles
- Mint and herbal liqueur flavouring
- Aromatherapy blends for relaxing minty floral profiles
- Tobacco flavouring for cigarette and cigar topnotes where permitted
- Air care and ambient fragrance products
- Specialty hard candy and breath freshener flavouring
- Flavour compounding as a softener for sharper mint chemicals such as menthone and pulegone
Brands Using Menthol Acetate
Widely-distributed consumer products that list Menthol Acetate on the ingredient label.
- ColgateSensitive Toothpaste, Complete Protection, Mint ↗Listed under Flavor ingredients (>=0.01%): 'Anethole, ... Menthol, Menthone, Menthyl Acetate'Label verified 2026-05-25
- ColgateBaking Soda and Peroxide Whitening Toothpaste, Brisk Mint ↗Listed under Flavor ingredients (>=0.01%): 'Anethole, Eucalyptol, Isomenthone, Mentha Viridis (Spearmint) Leaf Oil, Menthol, Menthone, Menthyl Acetate'Label verified 2026-05-25
- Ultra BriteBaking Soda and Peroxide Whitening Toothpaste, Cool Mint ↗Listed under Flavor ingredients (>=0.01%): 'Anethole, Eucalyptol, ... Menthone, Menthyl Acetate'Label verified 2026-05-25
Brand names, product names and logos are the property of their owners. They appear here as published evidence that the ingredient is used, taken from the brand's own label or website. Their appearance is not an endorsement, and it does not mean the brand buys from us or from any manufacturer listed on this site.
China Manufacturers of Menthol Acetate
Top Menthol Acetate manufacturers in China.
Company names and logos are the property of the manufacturers themselves. They are listed here because our own directory records them as producing this ingredient. A listing is not an endorsement by them, and we do not represent them or speak on their behalf.
How We Help Source Menthol Acetate
Direct Factory Sourcing
We run the whole process: selecting the manufacturer from the top Chinese food ingredient producers, negotiating the price, verifying quality, and coordinating the logistics. You deal with us instead of with several factories at once.
Original Packaging and Documents from the Manufacturer
The manufacturer sends your Menthol Acetate out of its own factory in the original packing, through to your destination port. The COA, COO, MSDS, TDS and any certifications reach you from the manufacturer as well.
Free Samples and Lead Time
We send 100 to 500 g free for your own laboratory to test and you cover only the courier, usually within 2 to 3 working days. ETD is usually within 7 to 15 days once the order is confirmed, and we check that date against the factory's own manufacturing schedule before we give it to you.
Combined Shipment
We can load Menthol Acetate together with other ingredients such as Capsicum Oleoresin, Ethyl Maltol and White Pepper into one 20' FCL. If your quantity is small, we can also ship LCL.
Regulatory Status
Menthol Acetate is approved for use as a flavouring and fragrance substance in the major regulated markets.
In the European Union it is listed in the Union flavouring list under FL number 09.016 and is permitted in food at quantum satis subject to good manufacturing practice.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognises menthyl acetate as Generally Recognized as Safe under 21 CFR 172.515. FEMA assigns it GRAS number 2668.
JECFA has evaluated menthyl acetate and concluded that current intake presents no safety concern at typical food use levels.
The International Fragrance Association (IFRA) standards permit menthyl acetate without quantitative restriction in current practice categories. Kosher and Halal certification is routinely available. The substance is not classified as hazardous under standard transport regulations, though it is a combustible liquid and must be stored away from open flame.
Manufacturing Process
Menthol Acetate is produced commercially by direct acetylation of L-menthol with acetic anhydride or acetyl chloride.
The dominant industrial route reacts L-menthol with acetic anhydride in the presence of a catalytic amount of sulphuric acid, sodium acetate, or 4-dimethylaminopyridine at moderate temperature. The reaction reaches completion within a few hours, producing menthyl acetate and acetic acid as the only products. After neutralisation and water wash, the product is purified by vacuum distillation to yield colourless liquid at flavour and fragrance specifications.
An alternative enzymatic route uses immobilized lipase to catalyse transesterification of L-menthol with vinyl acetate or ethyl acetate under solvent-free conditions. This route operates at low temperature, avoids acidic catalysts, and qualifies the product for natural labelling under both EU and U.S. rules.
Natural menthyl acetate is also recovered as a minor component during fractional distillation of peppermint essential oil, where it occurs at typically 4 to 10 percent of the oil composition. This natural-source material is too small in volume to meet industrial demand, and the bulk of natural-labelled material now comes from enzymatic synthesis using natural-source ethanol-derived vinyl acetate as the acetyl donor.
