Vitamin E Acetate (DL-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate) CAS 7695-91-2

What is Vitamin E Acetate (DL-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate)?

Vitamin E acetate is the acetate ester of alpha-tocopherol, C₃₁H₅₂O₃. Free tocopherol is an excellent antioxidant, which is precisely the problem with storing it — it oxidises readily. Capping the phenolic hydroxyl as the acetate makes the molecule far more stable while leaving the vitamin activity intact, since the ester is hydrolysed after absorption.

The synthetic form supplied commercially is all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, a mixture of all eight stereoisomers. The natural form, RRR-alpha-tocopheryl acetate, is a single isomer with higher biological activity per milligram and a considerably higher price; the two are distinguished clearly in the monographs and in labelling.

It is a clear, slightly viscous, pale yellow to yellow oil, practically insoluble in water and miscible with oils and most organic solvents. For dry applications it is converted into a free-flowing powder by spray drying with a carrier, typically at 50% activity, which is how it reaches tablets and feed premixes.

Commercially it is the dominant vitamin E form across softgels, multivitamins, food fortification, animal feed and skincare. Feed is by volume the largest market, while softgels and cosmetics carry the tighter specifications.

Why vitamin E acetate specifically

• Stable where free tocopherol is not. Capping the phenol as the ester removes the oxidation liability that makes free tocopherol difficult to store and formulate.
• Full vitamin activity retained. The ester hydrolyses after absorption, so stability is gained without losing the nutritional function.
• Oil and powder from one ingredient. The same material reaches softgels as an oil and tablets and premixes as a spray-dried powder, which simplifies sourcing.
• Four markets, one molecule. Pharmaceutical, food, feed and cosmetic demand all run on the same chemistry at different grades and activities.

How Vitamin E Acetate is Manufactured

Synthetic vitamin E acetate is built by condensing two fragments and then acetylating the result. The route is well established and the impurity profile is well understood.

• Fragment preparation. Trimethylhydroquinone and isophytol are prepared or sourced. These supply the chromanol ring and the phytyl side chain respectively.
• Condensation. The two are condensed under acid catalysis to give all-rac-alpha-tocopherol — a mixture of all eight stereoisomers, which is what distinguishes synthetic from natural material.
• Acetylation. The phenolic hydroxyl is acetylated with acetic anhydride, giving the far more stable acetate ester. Residual free tocopherol from incomplete acetylation is a specification item.
• Purification. Purified by distillation under vacuum, which sets the colour and the acid value.
• Powder forms. For dry applications, the oil is emulsified with a carrier such as modified starch or gelatin and spray dried, typically to 50% activity, giving a free-flowing powder.

Typical Commercial Specification

Figures below are representative of pharmacopoeial oil-form material. Powder forms at 50% activity, and food, feed and cosmetic grades, are available — send us the specification or the monograph you work to.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Behaviour in the formulation

The acetate ester is the stable form, and most of what matters in formulation is keeping it that way:

• Ester hydrolysis. Alkaline conditions and moisture hydrolyse the acetate back to free tocopherol, which then oxidises. This is the degradation pathway that matters.
• Oxidative stability. With the phenol capped, the molecule resists oxidation far better than free tocopherol — which is the entire reason the ester exists.
• Mineral interaction in premixes. Iron and copper salts in a feed or vitamin premix catalyse degradation, which is why vitamin E is often added to premixes in protected powder form.
• Powder carrier behaviour. Spray-dried powders release the oil on wetting, and their flow and stability depend on the carrier as much as on the vitamin.
• Softgel fill compatibility. As a lipophilic oil it is a natural softgel fill, alone or as a carrier for other oil-soluble actives.

Vitamin E Forms Compared

Vitamin E reaches the market in several forms, and the differences — synthetic versus natural, ester versus free, oil versus powder — all have commercial consequences.

Stated plainly: the ester is for stability and the free phenol is for antioxidant action, so they are not substitutes for one another. Between synthetic and natural, the difference is biological activity per milligram and price, and both are declared differently on a label — which makes confirming which one you have bought a labelling matter rather than just a technical one.

Industries We Supply Vitamin E Acetate To

The same oil goes to a softgel plant, a feed mill and a cosmetics lab, and reaches tablets as a powder. What changes between them is the form, the activity and the documentation each sector expects.

Where Vitamin E Acetate is Used

Vitamin E acetate is bought in oil form for liquid and lipid systems and in powder form for dry ones. These are the end uses our customers buy it for.

In softgels and supplements

Vitamin E acetate is a natural softgel fill: it is a lipophilic oil, it is stable, and it can carry other oil-soluble actives with it. The formulation points are light protection, since the material discolours and degrades under prolonged light, and shell compatibility, since the fill and the gelatin shell exchange moisture over shelf life. For tablets and sachets, the spray-dried 50% powder is used instead, and the carrier then matters as much as the vitamin.

In animal feed

Feed is the largest market by volume, and it is also the most chemically demanding environment. A vitamin premix contains iron, copper and other trace mineral salts that catalyse vitamin degradation, and the mix may then be pelleted at temperature. Protected powder forms exist precisely for this, and feed-grade specifications concentrate on activity, stability in the premix and carrier performance rather than on pharmacopoeial purity.

In cosmetics

Tocopheryl acetate appears in a very large share of skincare and haircare products, used for conditioning and for its claimed antioxidant benefit. Cosmetic buyers usually specify colour and odour more tightly than feed or even pharmaceutical users, since both carry directly into a finished product the consumer evaluates by appearance and smell.

Quality Control & Testing

Every lot is released against a batch-specific Certificate of Analysis written against the monograph you nominate, with the stability indicators your product depends on reported alongside the identity tests.

• Assay — the compendial figure, reported against the monograph range.
• Free tocopherol — both a manufacturing and a stability indicator, and the figure that predicts how the material will behave over time.
• Acid value and peroxide value — markers of hydrolysis and oxidation respectively.
• Refractive index and relative density — quick identity and purity confirmations for the oil form.
• Optical rotation — distinguishes the synthetic all-rac form from natural RRR material.
• Colour — relevant to cosmetic and softgel users, and an early indicator of light or heat exposure.
• Activity and carrier analysis (powder forms) — confirming the declared activity and the carrier composition.

Common Process Problems & Likely Causes

When vitamin E acetate causes trouble, it is usually hydrolysis, oxidation or a premix interaction. This table is the shortcut our technical desk works through before anyone opens a complaint file.

Packaging, Storage & Shipping

• Standard packing. 190 kg net in lined MS or HDPE drums for the oil; 25 kg bags or drums for spray-dried powder forms.
• Light protection. The material discolours and degrades under prolonged light. Keep it in opaque containers and store away from direct light.
• Oxidation control. Keep drums sealed and headspace minimal; nitrogen blanketing is worthwhile for part-used drums in oxidation-sensitive applications.
• Storage. Cool, dry and well-ventilated, away from oxidising agents, alkalis and sources of heat.
• Viscosity at low temperature. The oil thickens in cold storage. Warm gently and homogenise before use rather than heating hard, which accelerates degradation.
• Premix segregation. Where the powder goes into a mineral-containing premix, consider a protected form and keep premix storage short — trace minerals catalyse degradation.
• Shelf life. Typically 24 to 36 months in unopened original packing under those conditions. Re-test assay and free tocopherol rather than assume.
• Transport classification. Not classified as a dangerous good for transport.

Hazards & Safe Handling

Vitamin E acetate is a well-tolerated nutrient used in food, supplements, medicines and cosmetics. It is not classified as hazardous for handling, with one important exception concerning its end use.

• Not for inhalation products. This is the one serious restriction on the material. Vitamin E acetate has been implicated in serious lung injury when added to inhaled vaping products, and it must not be supplied into or formulated for inhalation use. We decline enquiries for that application.
• Slip hazard. Spilled oil is slippery. Contain and clean promptly with absorbent material.
• Eye and skin contact. Minimal irritation; it is used topically at high concentrations in cosmetics. Safety glasses and gloves for transfer work are sufficient.
• Combustibility. A combustible oil, though not readily ignitable. Keep away from heat and ignition sources, and bear in mind that absorbent material soaked with it is combustible.
• Powder forms. Spray-dried powders present the usual fine organic powder dust and explosion considerations.
• Incompatibilities. Strong oxidising agents and alkalis, which hydrolyse the ester.
• Spill response. Contain and absorb with inert material; the area remains slippery until cleaned with detergent.
• Environment. Low aquatic toxicity, but do not discharge quantities to drain. Dispose in line with local regulations.

Regulatory & Compliance Notes

Vitamin E acetate is a compendial vitamin, a permitted food and feed additive and a very widely used cosmetic ingredient. One end use is specifically excluded. Because obligations differ by territory and use, the notes below are orientation rather than legal advice — confirm your own position with your regulatory adviser.

• Inhalation use excluded. Vitamin E acetate must not be used in inhalation or vaping products, following its implication in serious lung injury. We do not supply material for that application, and the restriction is stated on our documentation.
• Pharmacopoeial status. Monographs in IP, BP, Ph. Eur. and USP, with the all-rac and RRR forms treated as distinct substances. We supply against the monograph you nominate.
• Synthetic versus natural declaration. All-rac and RRR material differ in biological activity per milligram and are declared differently on labels. The form is stated explicitly on every certificate.
• Food and feed additive status. Permitted in food and approved as a nutritional feed additive in the major regulatory systems, within the conditions that apply in your market.
• Cosmetic use. Widely permitted as a cosmetic ingredient under its INCI name, tocopheryl acetate.
• Supporting statements. BSE/TSE, allergen, GMO, halal and kosher statements available; note that some spray-dried powder carriers are gelatin-based, so confirm the carrier if origin matters.

We Supply Vitamin E Acetate Worldwide

Chelora Chemicals is a supplier and export partner, not a single-plant trader. We ship Vitamin E Acetate (DL-alpha-Tocopheryl Acetate) from India to customers across Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and North and South America, handling the export documentation, pharmacopoeial documentation and freight so the material arrives ready to use.

• Incoterms. EXW, FOB, CIF, CFR and DAP quoted to suit your purchasing terms and freight arrangements.
• Ports. Regular shipments through Nhava Sheva (JNPT) and Mundra, with other Indian ports arranged where it suits the routing.
• Documentation. Commercial invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, COA, SDS and the monograph compliance and form declaration issued as a complete set.
• Flexible volumes. A single drum or bag for laboratory qualification, through LCL consolidations, up to repeat full container loads on a supply contract.
• Supply continuity. Because we are independent of any one producer, a plant turnaround or a shipping disruption at one source does not have to become your stock-out.

Buying Vitamin E Acetate from Chelora

We are an independent sourcing and supply partner. For vitamin E acetate that means settling two things at enquiry: oil or powder, and synthetic all-rac or natural RRR — because the second affects both the price and how the finished product must be labelled. We do not supply material for inhalation or vaping applications.

• Documentation on every lot. Batch-specific COA written against the nominated monograph, with free tocopherol, acid value and form declaration, plus SDS, TDS and supporting statements.
• Samples before commitment. Trial quantities for formulation qualification ahead of a commercial order.
• Quantities. From a single drum or bag through to full container loads on contract supply.
• Oil and powder forms. Oil in drums and spray-dried powder at 50% activity, with carrier composition declared.
• Export experience. Packing, labelling and export documentation handled for sea and air freight.
• Related vitamins. Niacinamide, folic acid and the wider vitamin and excipient range from one supplier, which keeps a multivitamin or premix formula on a single order.

How ordering works

• Send the enquiry. Product, grade or pharmacopoeia standard, quantity, destination port and the Incoterm you buy on. If you have a spec sheet, attach it — it saves a round trip.
• We quote. Price, lead time, packing and a sample COA, normally within one working day.
• Sample and qualify. For first orders or critical applications, we send a trial quantity so your lab can sign off before you commit.
• Confirm the order. Proforma invoice issued; payment terms agreed against the volume and the relationship.
• Production and QC. Material allocated and released against a batch-specific COA, with a pre-shipment sample where the application calls for it.
• Ship and document. Packed, labelled and loaded with the full export document set, and tracked through to arrival.

Related Vitamins, Nutraceuticals & Excipients

Buyers of vitamin E acetate usually source several of these alongside it — softgel and premix operations typically buy gelatin and PEG on the same order. Consolidating them cuts freight cost and gives you a single point of contact for documentation.