What does Phenylacetaldehyde do?

Used in cosmetics as a flavouring and a fragrance ingredient. Phenylacetaldehyde is the aldehyde.

Is Phenylacetaldehyde safe?

We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

beauty
cleaning
industrial

Phenylacetaldehyde

CAS 2170235-75-1

Also registered as 1 other CAS number

122-78-1

Concern score

Not assessed — no hazard data yet.

Phenylacetaldehyde in plain language

What it is: Also known as 2-phenylacetaldehyde · Hyacinthin · .alpha.-tolualdehyde · .alpha.-toluic aldehyde · 1-Oxo-2-phenylethane · 2-Phenylethanal
Show all 16 names
Acetaldehyde, phenyl- · Benzylcarboxaldehyde · Oxophenylethane · Phenylethanal · Phenacetaldehyde · Phenylacetic aldehyde · alpha-Phenylacetaldehyde · benzeneacetaldehyde · fenilacetaldehido · phenyl acetaldehyde
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a flavouring and a fragrance ingredient. Phenylacetaldehyde is the aldehyde.
Flavouring
Perfuming
Fragrance
Is it a concern?: We haven't assessed a concern score for this ingredient yet. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Regulation

No restrictions found. Phenylacetaldehyde appears in these published regulatory listings.

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

EUCosIngActivePhenylacetaldehyde is the aldehyde that conforms to the formula:
- Phenylacetaldehyde is the aldehyde that conforms to the formula:Source →
USEPAcommercial use observedEPA CPDat observed this chemical in 18 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Cleaning products and household care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, No specific technical function, Flavouring and nutrient.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 18 composition records across product categories including Laboratory supplies, Personal care, Cleaning products and household care. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, No specific technical function, Flavouring and nutrient.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 Phenylacetaldehyde. 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 Phenylacetaldehyde yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

6 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated November 2017
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
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 Phenylacetaldehyde in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

Named organisations

Laboratory suppliesPersonal careCleaning products and household careVehicle

Typical roles

FlavouringPerfumingFragrance

See products using Phenylacetaldehyde →