Benzyl Alcohol
Decode Label notes Benzyl Alcohol for information in cosmetics and personal care (allergen). It appears in 17 of the 912 published products we have analysed (1.9%).
The concern
Preservative and fragrance allergen - the EU requires it to be declared
Benzyl alcohol is both a preservative (permitted up to 1% in the EU) and one of the fragrance substances the EU requires to be named on a label because it can cause contact allergy in sensitised people. It is information for someone who knows they react to it, not a general hazard.
Most relevant to
How common it is in this catalogue
Measured across every product Decode Label has analysed — not estimated, and not taken from anyone else's dataset.
By category
Regulatory position
From the published regulation itself. Each row links to its source.
Identity
- Canonical name
- Benzyl Alcohol
- INCI name
- BENZYL ALCOHOL
- CAS number
- 100-51-6
- EC number
- 202-859-9
Questions
Is Benzyl Alcohol safe?
The EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 permits Benzyl Alcohol in cosmetics only within set limits (Annex III, entry 45). Why it is flagged: Preservative and fragrance allergen - the EU requires it to be declared. It appears in 17 of the 912 published products we have analysed (1.9%).
How common is Benzyl Alcohol in Indian packaged products?
Decode Label found Benzyl Alcohol in 17 of 912 published products (1.9%), most often in Oral Care, Haircare, Skincare.
Is Benzyl Alcohol restricted or banned anywhere?
Under the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 (CosIng), Benzyl Alcohol has 1 restricted entry, 1 permitted entry. Each is shown with its annex reference and a link to the source in the Regulatory position table.
Who should be most careful with Benzyl Alcohol?
People with sensitive skin; Children.
Products containing Benzyl Alcohol
17 published products, each with its own full analysis.
Related ingredients
Other entries in the register with the same kind of concern.
Method and limits
- Prevalence counts published products whose decoded ingredient list matches this substance or one of its label synonyms, using the same matching the score itself uses. It describes our catalogue of 912 products, not the Indian market as a whole.
- Presence is not dose. An ingredient list gives order, not quantity, unless the pack declares a percentage. Nothing here estimates how much of this substance any product contains.
- A classification is not a verdict on a product. An agency classifies a substance under defined conditions of exposure; whether that matters in a given food or cosmetic depends on route, concentration and use.
- Last updated. This register entry was last changed on 3 November 2026.
- Corrections. Every figure here is reproducible from the sources named. If something is wrong, tell us and we will correct it and say what changed.