Fragrance allergen

Benzyl alcohol

Benzyl alcohol is a clear, colourless liquid with a faint, mildly floral smell. It occurs in flower oils and is made industrially. Perfumers can use it as a blending agent. Cosmetics also use it as a preservative, so it can appear on a label for more than one reason.

Formula: C₇H₈O
Molar mass: 108.14 g/mol
CAS: 100-51-6

Where it comes from

Benzyl alcohol occurs mainly in flower oils and tree exudates. It is a constituent of jasmine, hyacinth and ylang-ylang oils and at least two dozen other essential oils. Listed plant sources include tea, daffodil, rosemary, tangerine, peppermint and blueberry. It is also made industrially from benzyl chloride or benzaldehyde.

Smell and use

Very mild and delicate: a sweet, aromatic floral note with jasmine character. Perfumery sources describe it as floral, rosy, slightly phenolic and balsamic, sometimes with a faint almond hint.

In flower scents benzyl alcohol appears to act as a natural fixative and blending agent, and the same source says it can be used in a similar way in fragrance creation. Cosmetics use it as a fragrance component, preservative and solvent, and to make formulations less thick. It is also used in flavours and as a solvent for inks and dyes.

On the label

Named on 38% of the 6,851 perfume ingredient lists we hold (2,582 perfumes).

EU: Annex III, entry 68. Must be named above 0.001% in leave-on products (0.01% rinse-off).
Great Britain: Required, same thresholds. GB Annex III

Benzyl alcohol is on the historic list of fragrance allergens that the EU required to be individually labelled before its 2023 amendment. It sits in List A of the SCCS opinion SCCS/1459/11, the most frequently reported and well-recognised consumer allergens. It must be named on a label above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products. An IFRA Standard restricts the quantity used.

A list that does not name it does not prove it is absent: brands only have to name it above the threshold.

Frequency by concentration

Eau de parfum 39% of 4,898
Eau de toilette 31% of 1,227
Extrait 45% of 341
Parfum 53% of 191
Cologne 27% of 108
Body spray 24% of 42
Other 30% of 27

Share of the perfumes we hold a list for, in each concentration.

Named alongside

Valentino

Statement

Common questions

What does benzyl alcohol smell like?

Only faintly. Sources call it delicate, sweet and aromatic with jasmine-like floral notes, or floral-rose with a balsamic, slightly phenolic side. One supplier describes it as nearly neutral, with a slight almond and naphthalene hint.

Is benzyl alcohol natural or synthetic?

Both. It occurs in jasmine, hyacinth and ylang-ylang oils, among others. Industrial supply is made, for example by hydrolysing benzyl chloride or hydrogenating benzaldehyde, so the label name does not tell you the source.

Why is benzyl alcohol on my perfume label?

It is a listed EU fragrance allergen, so it must be named when above 0.001% in leave-on or 0.01% in rinse-off products. It can also be there as a solvent or preservative, since cosmetics use it in those roles.