beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Benzyl salicylate

CAS 118-58-1 · 70/100 · High conf.

Concern score

70/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Benzyl salicylate in plain language

What it is: Also known as BENZYL o-HYDROXYBENZOATE · Benzyl 2-hydroxybenzoate · 2-HYDROXYBENZOIC acid phenylmethyl ester · 2-hydroxybenzoesyre- benzylester · Benzoic acid, 2-hydroxy-, phenylmethyl ester · CAS-118-58-1
Show all 13 names
Phenylmethyl 2-hydroxybenzoate · benzyl ester Salicyclic acid · Salicylsaeurebenzylester · UNII-WAO5MNK9TU · benzylsalicylate · salicylic acid benzyl ester · salicylic acid benzylester
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a light stabiliser and a fragrance ingredient. Benzyl Salicylate is the ester of benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid.
Light stabilizer
Perfuming
Flavouring agent
Fragrance
Flavouring
Deodorant
Is it a concern?: High concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is restricted in EU cosmetics.

Why it's flagged

Benzyl salicylate 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.

EU Annex III — restricted
EU restricted in cosmetics

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Pharma
Food
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. Product types: (a) Fragrance products (hydroalcoholic and non-hydroalcoholic, spray and non-spray) (b) Rinse-off skin and hair products (except shower gel/bath products) (c) Shower gel/bath products (d) Leave-on skin and hair products (non-spray/non-aerosol) (except body lotion) (e) Leave-on hair products (spray/aerosol) (f) Body lotion (g) Face make-up and make-up remover products (h) Oral products (i)… Maximum concentration: (a) 4 % (b) 0,5 % (c) 1,3 % (d) 0,5 % (e) 0,5 % (f) 0,7 % (g) 0,2 % (h) 0,004 % (i) 0,91 % Other conditions: The presence of the substance shall be indicated in the list of ingredients referred to in Article 19(1), point (g), when its concentration exceeds: — 0,001 % in leave-on products — 0,01 % in rinse-off products.
restricted
View source →

EUEFSAEFSA opinion3 entries
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of benzyl alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters and acetals (chemical group 23) when used as flavourings for all animal species (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
- Scientific Opinion on safety and efficacy of CRINA Poultry Plus (preparation of benzoic acid and essential oil compounds) as feed additive for chickens for fattening (EFSA FEEDAP)Source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 52 (FGE.52): Consideration of hydroxy- and alkoxy substituted benzyl derivatives evaluated by JECFA (57th meeting) structurally related to benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters evaluated by EFSA in FGE.20 (2005) (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)Source →
EUCosIngActive2 entries
- Benzyl Salicylate is the ester of benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid. It conforms to the formula: Restriction: III/75Source →
- Cosmetics Regulation annex III / ref 75.Source →
GLOBALJECFANo safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agentJECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.Source →
GLOBALJECFAEvaluatedJECFA evaluation record.
- JECFA evaluation record.Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 4180 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care, Personal care, Home maintenance. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, UV stabilizer, Biocide.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 4180 composition records across product categories including Cleaning products and household care, Personal care, Home maintenance. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, UV stabilizer, Biocide.Source →
USFDAlisted in openFDA substanceopenFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.
- openFDA substance registry classifies this ingredient as chemical.Source →

Expert safety opinions

Independent scientific assessments cited by the records we hold, with the year and link where the record gives one.

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.
EFSA
European Food Safety Authority
- Scientific Opinion on the safety and efficacy of benzyl alcohols, aldehydes, acids, esters and acetals (chemical group 23) when used as flavourings for all animal species (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Scientific Opinion on safety and efficacy of CRINA Poultry Plus (preparation of benzoic acid and essential oil compounds) as feed additive for chickens for fattening (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2012 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Flavouring Group Evaluation 52 (FGE.52): Consideration of hydroxy- and alkoxy substituted benzyl derivatives evaluated by JECFA (57th meeting) structurally related to benzyl alcohols, benzaldehydes, a related acetal, benzoic acids, and related esters evaluated by EFSA in FGE.20 (2005) (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000) (EFSA AFC)
  2008 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
JECFA
Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives
- JECFA evaluation lists ADI No safety concern at current levels of intake when used as a flavouring agent. Functional class: flavouring agent.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →
- JECFA evaluation record.
  Year not recorded · GLOBAL JECFA listing · Read the source →

Evidence & sources

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

9 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EU CosIng Cosmetics Regulation Annexes
regulatory · updated 2026-04-28
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated november 8, 2019
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA GSRS UNII
registry · updated 2026-02-26
Open →
WHO JECFA Database
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
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.

Food use

Food-use source coverage is present in the current record.

Good fit

The ingredient appears in food-oriented source coverage or allowed-use references, which makes food use easier to support than a context with no domain signal at all.

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 Benzyl salicylate in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

4,180

Named organisations

Cleaning products and household carePersonal careHome maintenanceFood and drugConstructionCleaning and safety

Typical roles

Light stabilizerPerfumingFlavouring agentFragranceFlavouringDeodorant

See products using Benzyl salicylate →

Catalog

Found in these products

Their ingredient lists include Benzyl salicylate; each product's own rating depends on its whole formula, so it is shown on the product page, not here.

See all 1000+ →Find products without it →

Co-occurrence

Often appears with

Ingredients that frequently appear alongside Benzyl salicylate in the catalog.