beauty
cleaning
food
industrial

Thymol

CAS 89-83-8 · 60/100 · High conf.

Concern score

60/100High concern based on regulatory listings.

High confidence

Thymol in plain language

What it is: Also known as 1-METHYL-3-HYDROXY-4-ISOPROPYLBENZENE · 3-HYDROXY-p-CYMENE · 3-METHYL-6-ISOPROPYLPHENOL · 3-p-CYMENOL · 5-Methyl-2-(propan-2-yl)phenol · 5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylphenol
Show all 33 names
Apiguard · P-CYMEN-3-OL · Thyme camphor · 1-Hydroxy-5-methyl-2-isopropylbenzene · 2-Hydroxy-1-isopropyl-4-methylbenzene · 2-ISOPROPYL-5-METHYLPHENOL · 2-isopropyl-5-methyl-phenol · 5-Methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)phenol · 5-Methyl-2-isopropyl-1-phenol · 5-Methyl-2-isopropylphenol · 5-methyl-2-isopropyl-1-phenol (thymol). (percentage 0.051%) · 6-ISOPROPYL-M-CRESOL · 6-Isopropyl-3-methylphenol · 6-Isopropyl-p-cresol · 6-isopropyl-m-cresol (thymol) · Isopropyl cresol · Phenol, 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)- · Thymic acid · m-Thymol · thymol (crystal) · thymol (crystals) · thymol 0.063% w/v · thymol 0.064% · thymol 0.064% w/v · thymol(cas #89-83-8) · Thymolum · thymol (a component of thyme oil)
What it does: Used in cosmetics as a skin-conditioning agent, an oral-care ingredient and a fragrance ingredient. Thymol is the substituted phenol.
Skin conditioning
Oral care
Fragrance
Denaturant
Flavouring agent
Colourant
Is it a concern?: High concern: no hazard classifications on record. It is listed for cosmetic use in the EU.

Why it's flagged

EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 86 composition records across product categories including Specialty occupational products, Raw materials, Medical/dental.

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

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

In marketed US drugs
Inactive ingredient in US drugs

Recorded in these product areas

Found in consumer products
Beauty
Cleaning
Industrial

EUEFSAEFSA opinion3 entries
- Safety and efficacy of BIOSTRONG 510 (essential oil of thyme and star anise) for chickens and minor avian species for fattening and rearing to point of lay (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 58 (FGE.58): Consideration of phenol derivatives evaluated by JECFA (55th meeting) structurally related to ring substituted phenolic substances evaluated by EFSA in FGE.22 (2006) (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000). Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (EFSA AFC)Source →
USFDAinactive ingredient database2 entries — 2 administration routes
- Route: ORAL; Dosage form: POWDER, FOR SOLUTION; Potency: NASource →
- Route: RESPIRATORY (INHALATION); Dosage form: LIQUID; Potency: 0.01 %w/wSource →
EUCosIngActiveThymol is the substituted phenol that conforms to the formula:
- Thymol is the substituted phenol that conforms to the formula:Source →
EUEFSAConclusion on Pesticides Peer ReviewConclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance thymol (EFSA)
- Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance thymol (EFSA)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 86 composition records across product categories including Specialty occupational products, Raw materials, Medical/dental. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Deodorizer, Dye.
- EPA CPDat observed this chemical in 86 composition records across product categories including Specialty occupational products, Raw materials, Medical/dental. EPA CPDat classifies this chemical for functional uses including Fragrance, Deodorizer, Dye.Source →
USFDAmarketed drug occurrenceFDA NDC lists this ingredient in 158 active drug products and 158 total products.
- FDA NDC lists this ingredient in 158 active drug products and 158 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

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
- Safety and efficacy of BIOSTRONG 510 (essential oil of thyme and star anise) for chickens and minor avian species for fattening and rearing to point of lay (EFSA FEEDAP)
  2016 · EU EFSA listing · Read the source →
- Conclusion on the peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance thymol (EFSA)
  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 58 (FGE.58): Consideration of phenol derivatives evaluated by JECFA (55th meeting) structurally related to ring substituted phenolic substances evaluated by EFSA in FGE.22 (2006) (Commission Regulation (EC) No 1565/2000 of 18 July 2000). Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives, Flavourings, Processing Aids and Materials in contact with Food (AFC) on a request from the Commission (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 Thymol yet. This record is compiled from the published data sources below — registries and regulatory listings, not study findings.

10 data sources

Where this comes from

CosIng
regulatory · updated 2026-09-23
Open →
EFSA OpenFoodTox
regulatory · updated 2026-10-04
Open →
EPA Chemical and Products Database
exposure · updated september 6, 2017
Open →
EPA DSSTox Identifiers
chemistry · updated 2025-12-29
Open →
FDA Inactive Ingredient Database
regulatory · updated 2026-01-09
Open →
FDA National Drug Code Directory
regulatory · updated 2027-12-31
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 FDA National Drug Code directory has listed Thymol in a product composition. These are source records, not Greenveil catalog products.

Source records

158

Typical roles

Skin conditioningOral careFragranceDenaturantFlavouring agentColourant

See products using Thymol →

Catalog

Found in these products

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

See all 113 →Find products without it →