What does Eugenol do?

Used in cosmetics as a tonic, a fragrance ingredient and a denaturant.

High concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is restricted in EU cosmetics.

beauty
cleaning
industrial
pharma

Eugenol

CAS 97-53-0 · 70/100 · High conf.

Concern score

70/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Eugenol in plain language

What it is: Also known as Phenol, 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)- · 2-Methoxy-4-(prop-2-en-1-yl)phenol · 2-methoxy-4-prop-2-enylphenol · 4-ALLYLCATECHOL 2-METHYL ether · Caryophillic acid · Dentogum
Show all 34 names
1,3,4-Eugenol · 1-Allyl-4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzene · 1-HYDROXY-2-METHOXY-4-ALLYLBENZENE · 2-Hydroxy-5-allylanisole · 2-METHOXY-4-(2-PROPEN-1-YL)PHENOL · 2-METHOXY-4-ALLYL phenol · 2-Methoxy-1-hydroxy-4-allylbenzene · 2-Methoxy-4-(2'-propenyl)phenol · 2-Methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)phenol · 2-Methoxy-4-allylphenol · 2-methoxy-4- (propenyl)phenol · 4-ALLYL-2-METHOXYPHENOL · 4-ALLYLGUAIACOL · 4-Allyl-1-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzene · 4-allyl-2-methoxyphenol or eugenol · 5-Allylguaiacol · Allylguaiacol · Bioxeda · Caryophyllic acid · Engenol · Eugenic acid · Synthetic eugenol · eugenolum · p-Allylguaiacol · p-Eugenol · Eugenol (constituent of cinnamomum cassia bark) · Eugenol (constituent of cinnamomum verum bark) · Eugenol (constituent of holy basil leaf)
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a tonic, a fragrance ingredient and a denaturant.
Tonic
Perfuming
Denaturant
Humectant
Fragrance
Flavouring
Is it a concern?: High concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is restricted in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

Phenol, 2-methoxy-4-(2-propenyl)- is restricted in cosmetic products under Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009.

RestrictedEU EC — restricted

The score describes this ingredient's chemical identity — its hazard profile from published classifications and regulatory status — not the safety of any product it appears in.

Regulation

Restrictions first, then routine listings from published regulatory sources.

In marketed US drugs
EU Annex III — restricted
EU restricted in cosmetics

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

EUEC
Annex III of EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009: substances which cosmetic products must not contain except subject to the restrictions laid down. Other conditions: The presence of the substance must be indicated in the list of ingredients referred to in Article 19(1)g when its concentration exceeds: - 0.001% in leave-on products - 0.01% in rinse-off products
restricted
View source →

EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Restriction: III/71Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex III / ref 71.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 2807 composition records across product categories including Medical/dental, Personal care, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Humectant, Biocide.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 2807 composition records across product categories including Medical/dental, Personal care, Laboratory supplies. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Humectant, Biocide.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 14 active drug products and 18 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 14 active drug products and 18 total products.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

No expert opinion on file for Eugenol. These are the independent scientific bodies that assess ingredients like this one; we show an opinion only when a record we hold cites it.

SCCS
EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
No SCCS opinion on file.
CIR
Cosmetic Ingredient Review (US expert panel)
No CIR safety assessment on file.

Evidence & sources

No graded research studies for Eugenol yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

8 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2010-10-17
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated may 23, 2018
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2029-08-02
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
openFDA Substance
registry · updated 2026-05-24
Open →
PubChem Live Enrichment
chemistry · updated 2026-05-17
Open →

Suitability

Context-specific fit derived from published classifications and the current ingredient evidence profile.

Fragrance avoidance

Not a strong fit for fragrance avoidance because it carries Fragrance.

Avoid

The ingredient itself is a fragrance-linked signal, so it is better treated as an avoid case when fragrance exposure is the main concern.

Where it has been recorded

How often EPA CPDat has listed Eugenol in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

2,807

Named organisations

Medical/dentalPersonal careLaboratory suppliesCleaning products and household careVehicleHome maintenance

Typical roles

TonicPerfumingDenaturantHumectantFragranceFlavouring

See products using Eugenol →

Catalog

Found in these products

Cosmetic and personal-care products that list Eugenol are shown first. Their ingredient lists include Eugenol; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 912 →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Eugenol in the catalog.