
Benzyl alcohol is a naturally occurring part of many essential oils and is part of many natural ingredients. But, it is very powerful and should be used wisely as an ingredient.
Benzyl alcohol is used in a lot of different skincare and body products. It can be found in shower gels, shampoos, conditioners and many other rinse-off products. Moisturisers, lip balms and lipsticks are some of the leave-on products using benzyl alcohol.
Benzyl alcohol can be isolated from natural sources but can also be synthesised chemically in a laboratory.
Benzyl alcohol may irritate very sensitive skin, leaving it feeling itchy. It’s always recommended to do a patch test with products containing benzyl alcohol.
In the EU, benzyl alcohol must appear as a separate ingredient in ingredient lists, despite it being a naturally occurring component of essential oils because it is also used in proprietary parfum/perfume/fragrance blends. It must appear separately because it is recognised as an allergenic fragrance.