Ingredient
Benzyl Alcohol
Used both as a preservative and as a fragrance component. It is one of the fragrance substances EU rules require to be named on the label.
- Preservative
- Fragrance or scent ingredient
- Named on packs under EU labelling rules
- CAS 100-51-6
What it is there to do
Preservative
Keeps the product free of microbial growth in use.
Solvent
Dissolves and carries the other ingredients.
Fragrance
Gives the product its scent, or masks a base odour.
Where this comes up
The notes BeautySignal puts beside this ingredient when it is on a label.
- Declared fragrance allergen
This product declares one or more of the fragrance substances that EU labelling rules require to be named individually.
Why we mention it
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 requires certain fragrance substances to be named on the label above a threshold. Their presence is a labelling fact, not a prediction that anybody will react.
What the rules say
Each line names the rule it comes from. A limit is not a warning.
EU · Restricted
Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, Annex V, entry 34 / Annex III
What it sets out
Maximum 1 % w/w as a preservative. Packs don't print concentrations and we hold none, so no page here measures a product against it.
Also subject to individual fragrance labelling above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products.
What we don't know
- Where it comes from — plant, mineral, synthetic — isn't recorded.
- How much of it is used in any particular product. We hold no concentrations at all.
This is information about an ingredient, not medical advice, and not a judgement about any product that contains it. Back to the reference.