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.