Benzyl Benzoate

Volatile fragrance ingredient and solvent known to irritate skin

Disrupts naturally protective lipids within skin

Used in many beauty products, including baby care, skin care, hair products, and makeup

Found in plants such as plumeria and cinnamon but can also be synthetically made

Benzyl benzoate is a volatile fragrance ingredient and solvent with documented skin irritancy effects. As one study points out, benzyl benzoate’s small molecular size allows it to penetrate deeply, disrupting skin’s naturally protective lipids and then exacerbating the sensitizing response it triggers.

Despite its potential to irritate skin, benzyl benzoate is used in a wide variety of personal care products, including baby products, makeup, hair care and skin products.

Benzyl benzoate is found naturally in plants such as balsam of Peru, plumeria, and cinnamon leaf but it can also be created synthetically for use in cosmetics. It results from the condensation of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol. Depending on the source, benzyl benzoate’s aroma may have floral, herbal or sweet fruit notes.

As with all fragrance ingredients, the potential for skin irritancy decreases if benzyl benzoate is included in the formula in ultra-low amounts (meaning you’ll see it at the bottom of the ingredient list).

See: Balsam Peru, Cinnamon