Be
Benzaldehyde
Benzaldehyde
A fragrance ingredient that smells of almond and cherry.
What it does
It’s the main scent in bitter almond oil, and it’s also made in labs. Makers use it to scent and flavor products.
The EU’s ingredient database lists it as a fragrance (adds scent).European Commission, CosIng (© European Union, CC BY 4.0) · uses put in plain words by Drop ↗
The evidence, graded
expert consensusUS safety reviewers judged benzaldehyde safe as used in 2006, noting that reports of allergy to it in people are rare. Looking again in 2023, they noted that the fragrance industry’s research body rates it a weak sensitizer, an ingredient that can cause skin allergy. Because the amounts used fall within the fragrance industry’s limits, they kept their verdict, and said those limits should be followed whatever job it does in a product.Andersen 2006 · International Journal of Toxicology ↗
expert consensusIn 2023 the EU added more fragrance ingredients to the ones a label must name. Among them are lavender oil and extract, patchouli, rose, ylang-ylang, clove and sandalwood oils, terpineol and methyl salicylate. The EU says its scientific committee found these have clearly caused allergies in people. Labels name them so people who are already allergic can avoid them.EU 2023 · Official Journal of the European Union ↗
Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.
Browse all 924 ingredients — grouped by what they do, each with whatever evidence we can cite.
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