RUŌOD Lab

Benzyl Alcohol

Solvent or carrier · No odour family

faint, sweet, floral — base note.

Aroma illustration for Benzyl Alcohol: a clear droplet with ripples and pink flowers, for its faint and floral notes. It illustrates smell associations, not the material or its source.Skeletal formula of Benzyl Alcohol, C7H8O, drawn from PubChem's 2D record. Stereochemistry is not shown.
Aroma View: an illustration of what Benzyl Alcohol smells like (faint, floral), drawn by RUŌOD Lab — not its appearance or its source.Skeletal formula drawn by RUŌOD Lab from PubChem's 2D record (CID 244). Stereochemistry is not shown; the coloured background is decoration.
Images

By the RUŌOD Lab TeamRevision 1Updated

In short

Benzyl alcohol is a mild aromatic alcohol found in many absolutes. In perfumery it is used mainly as a solvent and diluent.

What Benzyl Alcohol smells like

Benzyl alcohol has a mild, sweet, floral-balsamic odour: suppliers give floral, rosy, fruity and sweet; delicate, sweet, aromatic floral with jasmine notes; or gentle, soft and unobtrusive. Its almond note is a degradation artefact — the alcohol slowly oxidises to benzaldehyde in air, so aged samples smell of almond. It is used as a solvent and fixative, notably in rose and jasmine accords, and is an EU-declarable allergen.

Leading note
Faint sweet floral
Faint facets
Jasmine, rose, balsamic, almond, when aged
Character
Mild, soft, unobtrusive
  • faint
  • sweet
  • floral

What makes Benzyl Alcohol distinctive

A soft, faintly floral solvent that turns almond-like only as it oxidises.

How Benzyl Alcohol is used

Used as a solvent and fixative in floral compositions, particularly rose and jasmine, and in cosmetics.

Typical role: solvent (dilutes or carries other materials).

How Benzyl Alcohol differs from similar materials

Benzaldehyde
Benzaldehyde, its oxidation product, is the sharp bitter almond; fresh benzyl alcohol is a mild, sweet floral.
Benzyl Acetate
Benzyl acetate is the diffusive fruity-floral jasmine ester; benzyl alcohol is far fainter, a soft solvent.

An asterisk marks a difference that a cited source states directly. The others compare the published descriptions of each material. Smell varies with grade, supplier and dilution; compare them side by side on blotters before substituting one for another.

Formulation considerations

A declarable allergen covered by an IFRA Standard, so count it even when used as a solvent.

Identity and classification

Type
Solvent or carrier
Origin
Occurs in nature
Odour family
No odour family
Note position
Base note
Physical form at room temperature
Liquid
CAS number
100-51-6
Molecular formula
C7H8O
Molecular weight
108.14 g/mol
IUPAC name
phenylmethanol

The CAS number, formula and molecular weight are taken from PubChem compound 244, whose own record lists this CAS number; checked 19 October 2026.

Safety and compliance

The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering Benzyl Alcohol:

  • "Benzyl alcohol" — Restriction, 49th Amendment, published 2020-01

Limits differ by product category and are set out in the Standard itself; this page does not reproduce them. The list above reflects the library as read on 19 October 2026.

Benzyl Alcohol is one of the 26 fragrance allergens listed individually in Annex III of the EU Cosmetics Regulation (label name: Benzyl alcohol), which must be named on cosmetic labels above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products. Regulation (EU) 2023/1545 extended the list; see the fragrance allergens list.

Hazard classification of the neat substance, as PubChem summarises it, read 26 October 2026. It has a harmonised EU classification (Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, Annex VI): H302 harmful if swallowed; H317 may cause an allergic skin reaction; H319 causes serious eye irritation. Companies notifying the ECHA C&L Inventory classify it (4,746 reports): H332 harmful if inhaled (95.3% of reports); H319 causes serious eye irritation (18.8% of reports). 1 of the reports find it does not meet the hazard criteria. A skin sensitiser classification concerns handling the neat material and the dose in a finished product; the IFRA Standards, where they apply, set the limits. Unless it is harmonised, this is the notifiers' own classification, not a binding one.

This page is general information, not a safety assessment or a specification. Confirm identity, composition, IFRA status and allergen content from your supplier's documents for the lot you hold.

Materials it works with

Used in formulas and accords

Used in 12 published formulas

Benzyl Alcohol is an ingredient in 11 accords and 1 base in the Formula & Accord Library.

Further reading

Questions about Benzyl Alcohol

Is Benzyl Alcohol natural or synthetic?

The molecule occurs in nature. Commercial Benzyl Alcohol may be made by synthesis or obtained from natural sources, so check the supplier's specification if the distinction matters to you.

What is the CAS number of Benzyl Alcohol?

100-51-6. It was checked against PubChem on 19 October 2026.

Which published formulas use Benzyl Alcohol?

Benzyl Alcohol is used in 12 published formulas in the RUŌOD Lab Formula & Accord Library, including Açaí Accord, Carnation Accord and Freesia Accord. Each is listed with a link under "Used in formulas and accords" on this page.

Is Benzyl Alcohol covered by an IFRA Standard?

Yes. The IFRA Standards Library lists a Standard covering it: "Benzyl alcohol" — Restriction, 49th Amendment. The limits depend on the product category; read the Standard itself before formulating.

Sources

Your own records, next to the reference

Keep your own record of Benzyl Alcohol — supplier, cost, stock, dilutions and where it is used — in RUŌOD Lab's material library.

The material library All materials