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Benzyl Salicylate

A soft floral-balsamic scent ingredient — EU-labeled because a minority of people react to it.

What it does

It is one of the fragrance substances the EU requires to be listed by name on the label, because a minority of people can react to it. That’s why you may see it spelled out rather than hidden inside ‘parfum’. Its role is purely scent; it does nothing functional for the skin.

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 consensusBenzyl alcohol and benzyl salicylate are on the EU’s 26-name fragrance label list, and both are known skin allergens. Benzyl alcohol is often in a formula as a preservative rather than for scent, so seeing it does not by itself mean a product is fragranced. It can still reach someone allergic to it in a product labeled fragrance-free. Benzyl salicylate is on the list as a fragrance chemical.SCCS 2012 · European Commission SCCS ↗

Graded per the methodology: strong · moderate · emerging · expert consensus. A weak source on a strong claim gets the weaker label.

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