Ethyl cinnamate combines the pungent warmth of cinnamon, the elegant floral aroma of lily of the valley, and the soft fruity aroma of candied fruits, forming a complex aroma with rich layers. Its aroma half-life is as long as 8-12 hours, and its diffusion performance is excellent in ester spices, making it an important fragrance material with strong adaptability in the spice industry. In the preparation of perfume, 0.5% -3% of the added amount is often used as a modifier and fixative. When it is mixed with vanillin (0.1% -1%), eugenol (0.05% -0.2%) and other spices, it can neutralize the irritation of eugenol, amplify the sweetness of vanillin, and inject a warm and mellow tone into the Oriental perfume. At the same time, it forms hydrogen bonds with alcohols and aldehydes in the perfume system, delaying the speed of aroma volatilization, and extending the fragrance retention time of perfume from basic 4-6 hours to 8-12 hours; In tobacco flavorings, the addition amount is strictly controlled at 0.01% -0.05%, which can weakly interact with nicotine in tobacco, reduce the spiciness of nicotine, mask the burnt impurities generated during baking, and give the smoke a soft spicy aftertaste. It has been tested to increase tobacco sensory scores by 15% -20%, significantly optimizing tobacco quality.

In the pharmaceutical field, ethyl cinnamate has become a key pharmaceutical intermediate with both synthetic value and biological activity due to its electrophilic addition activity of unsaturated double bonds in the molecule and nucleophilic substitution activity of ester groups. Its carbon carbon double bond can undergo addition reactions with bromine, hydrogen, etc., generating dibrominated or hydrogenated products, and constructing saturated carbon chain structures for drug molecules; The ester group hydrolyzes under alkaline conditions to form cinnamic acid, which can be further synthesized into cinnamamide derivatives through acylation reaction. Under acidic conditions, it can undergo ammonolysis conversion by reacting with amines. Based on these characteristics, it can participate in the synthesis of intermediates for antihypertensive drugs such as alpha methyldopa, and can also be used to prepare cinnamic acid ester compounds with broad-spectrum antibacterial activity; In addition, modern pharmacological studies have shown that ethyl cinnamate has an inhibition rate of up to 30% -40% on inflammatory factors IL-6 and TNF – α, and a clearance rate of over 50% on DPPH free radicals. It has clear anti-inflammatory and antioxidant biological activities, providing diverse value for the development of natural medicines.

In the daily chemical and food industries, ethyl cinnamate meets FEMA GRAS (generally considered safe) standards and has a natural and fresh aroma, with applications covering multiple sub categories. In daily chemical products, it is the core fragrance ingredient for cleaning products such as soap and shower gel, with an added amount usually ranging from 0.1% to 0.8%. It can effectively mask the chemical odor of surfactants such as sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate and release a coordinated pungent aroma. According to consumer research, the satisfaction rate of cleaning products containing this ingredient has increased by more than 25%; In air fresheners, it is compounded with limonene in a ratio of 1:3 to create a complex aroma of “spicy fruity”, with a fragrance retention time of up to 24 hours. In the field of food, as a food flavoring allowed by the national GB 2760 standard, its dosage is strictly limited according to the category: no more than 0.15g/kg in pastries, no more than 0.2g/kg in candies, and no more than 0.05g/kg in beverages. In cinnamon flavored pastries, its combination with cinnamon oil can enhance the aroma layering and avoid the bitterness of single cinnamon oil; In carbonated beverages, a small amount of addition can neutralize the sharp sour taste of citric acid, giving a refreshing and sweet flavor, and its retention rate at high temperatures of 120 ℃ is still over 90%, which can ensure the stability of flavor during food processing and storage. ​