Benzyl Alcohol
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products that are inhalable (e.g., sprays, powders) because of respiratory concerns.
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use around mouth due to increased risk of ingestion and absorption.
- This ingredient’s score is higher if used in products intended for use on lips due to increased risk of ingestion and absorption.
- Products with the EWG VERIFIED mark have met use restrictions and warnings based on EWG review of company data.
Other Concerns
Use restrictions (moderate), Non-reproductive organ system toxicity (moderate), and Occupational hazards (high)SYNONYMS
Restricted
Restricted: EWG VERIFIED products cannot contain this ingredient without adequate substantiation
Benzyl alcohol is a naturally ocurring and synthetic ingredient used as solvent and preservative; has been associated with contact allergy.
Common concerns
See how this product scores for common concerns.
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LOWCancer
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HIGHAllergies & Immunotoxicity
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LOWDevelopmental and Reproductive Toxicity
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MODERATEUse Restrictions
Ingredient concerns
- CONCERNS
- DATA SOURCES
Products with this Ingredient
conditioner | 620 products |
shampoo | 552 products |
body wash/cleanser | 350 products |
moisturizer | 332 products |
lipstick | 325 products |
hair treatment/serum | 308 products |
hair styling aide | 205 products |
facial moisturizer/treatment | 198 products |
fragrance for women | 175 products |
mask | 152 products |
liquid hand soap | 146 products |
lip gloss | 140 products |
foundation | 125 products |
facial cleanser | 114 products |
serums & essences | 111 products |
exfoliant/scrub | 99 products |
recreational sunscreen | 97 products |
hair spray | 90 products |
styling gel/lotion | 86 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant | 76 products |
hand cream | 71 products |
hair color and bleaching | 62 products |
mascara | 62 products |
around-eye cream | 56 products |
body spray | 54 products |
bronzer/highlighter | 49 products |
fragrance for men | 44 products |
daily use with SPF | 43 products |
lip balm | 40 products |
bar soap | 38 products |
styling mousse/foam | 37 products |
toothpaste | 33 products |
toners/astringents | 29 products |
antiperspirant/deodorant (men's) | 28 products |
eye shadow | 27 products |
makeup primer | 26 products |
lip balm with SPF | 26 products |
detangler | 25 products |
bubble bath | 25 products |
body firming lotion | 24 products |
baby lotion | 23 products |
sunless tanning | 23 products |
bath oil/salts/soak | 22 products |
body oil | 21 products |
after sun product | 19 products |
setting powder/spray | 19 products |
lip plumper | 18 products |
concealer | 18 products |
after shave | 17 products |
eye liner | 15 products |
nail polish | 15 products |
makeup remover | 15 products |
mouthwash | 15 products |
hand sanitizer | 13 products |
blush | 13 products |
baby shampoo | 12 products |
beard care | 12 products |
shaving cream | 10 products |
BB cream | 10 products |
hair-loss treatment | 10 products |
anti-aging | 9 products |
baby wipes | 9 products |
baby soap | 9 products |
facial powder | 9 products |
eye makeup remover | 8 products |
8 products | |
shaving cream (men's) | 7 products |
brow liner | 7 products |
beard cleanser | 5 products |
skin fading/lightener | 4 products |
baby oil | 4 products |
foot moisturizer | 3 products |
tanning oil | 3 products |
nail treatment | 3 products |
lip liner | 3 products |
baby sunscreen | 3 products |
baby toothpaste | 3 products |
beard oil | 3 products |
cuticle treatment | 2 products |
muscle/joint soreness | 2 products |
depilatory | 2 products |
tooth whitening | 2 products |
hair removal waxes | 2 products |
diaper cream | 1 products |
nail glue | 1 products |
hair relaxer | 1 products |
other eye makeup | 1 products |
foot cleansing | 1 products |
eyelash glue | 1 products |
baby bubble bath | 1 products |
foot odor control | 1 products |
makeup removing wipes | 1 products |
body cleansing wipes | 1 products |
glitter | 1 products |
damaged skin treatment | 1 products |
polish remover | 1 products |
facial cleansing wipes | 1 products |
baby powder | 1 products |
Allergies/immunotoxicity
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Known human any toxicant or allergen | Open scientific literature |
Human any toxicant or allergen - strong evidence | Open scientific literature |
One or more human case studies show possible allergenic or allergenic effects | EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature |
Associated with immunotoxicity or allergies | National Library of Medicine HazMap |
Occupational hazards
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Allowed workplace exposures restricted to low doses | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Use restrictions
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only within recommended use or concentration limitsn) | International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards |
Restricted in cosmetics - labeling requirement for allergens | CosIng |
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Classified as medium human health priority | Open scientific literature |
Classified as expected to be toxic or harmful | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Classified as toxic or harmful | CPS&Q - Classification & Labelling |
Ecotoxicology
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Wildlife and environmental toxicity | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Open scientific literature |
Data gaps
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
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Risk assessment method deficiencies and data gaps - Maximum reported "as used" concentration is basis of safety assessment by industry safety panel (Cosmetic Ingredient Review, CIR) - implicit safe concentration limit in product | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
5667 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical | NLM PubMed |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Not suspected to be bioaccumulative | Open scientific literature |
Not suspected to be persistent | Open scientific literature |
Informational
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Industry or government recommendations for safe use: restrictions on concentration, impurities, product types, or manufacturing methods - any | Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
CONCERN | REFERENCE |
---|---|
Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
- Open scientific/peer reviewed literature
- EWG Assessment of Open Scientific Literature
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2006. HazMap — Occupational Exposure to Hazardous Agents.
- CPS&Q (Consumer Products Safety & Quality) formely known as ECB (European Chemicals Bureau). 2008. Classification and Labelling: Chemicals: Annex VI of Directive 67/548/EEC through the 31st ATP.
- IFRA (International Fragrance Association). 2006. Codes and Standards.
- European Commission. 2013. Cosing, the European Commission database with information on cosmetic substances and ingredients. Accessed on March 1, 2013 at http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/cosmetics/cosing/ .
- EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry.
- CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review). 2006. CIR Compendium, containing abstracts, discussions, and conclusions of CIR cosmetic ingredient safety assessments. Washington DC.
- NLM (National Library of Medicine). 2012. PubMed online scientific bibliography data. http://www.pubmed.gov.
- FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
Understanding scores
Cosmetics and personal care products are not required to be tested for safety before being allowed on the market. The Skin Deep® scoring system was designed to help the public understand whether a product is safe to use or whether it contains ingredients of concern.
Every product and ingredient in Skin Deep gets a two-part score – one for hazard and one for data availability. The safest products score well by both measures, with a low hazard rating and a fair or better data availability rating.
HOW WE DETERMINE SCORESHazard score
The Skin Deep ingredient hazard score, from 1 to 10, reflects known and suspected hazards linked to the ingredients. The EWG VERIFIED® mark means a product meets EWG’s strictest criteria for transparency and health.
Data availability
The Skin Deep data availability rating reflects the number of scientific studies about the product or ingredient in the published scientific literature.