Body & Beauty / Compounds / Benzene

Benzene on your skin: a safety profile

Moderate risk

Absorbed through skin from fuels and solvents; protective gloves required in occupational settings.

What is benzene?

Also known as: benzol, Cyclohexatriene, benzole, Pyrobenzole.

IUPAC name
benzene
CAS number
71-43-2
Molecular formula
C6H6
Molecular weight
78.11 g/mol
SMILES
C1=CC=CC=C1
PubChem CID
241

Risk for people

Moderate risk

Absorbed through skin from fuels and solvents; protective gloves required in occupational settings.

Regulatory consensus

23 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Benzene. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
IARC2012Group 1 (carcinogenic to humans)AML, non-Hodgkin lymphoma; Monograph 100F
US EPA1998Known to be a human carcinogenLeukemia; IRIS assessment
EPA CTX / NIOSH—potential occupational carcinogen
EPA CTX / IRIS—Known/likely human carcinogen
EPA CTX / IRIS—A (Human carcinogen)
EPA CTX / NTP RoC—Known Human Carcinogen
EPA CTX / IARC—Group 1 - Carcinogenic to humans
EPA CTX / Health Canada—Group I: CEPA (carcinogenic to humans)
EPA CTX / EPA OPP—Carcinogenic to Humans
EPA CTX / CalEPA—Known human carcinogen
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: negative, 17 positive / 6 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Genetox—Genotoxicity: positive (Ames: negative, 17 positive / 6 negative reports)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Eye Irrit. 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Skin Irrit. 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Serious eye damage/eye irritation - Category 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Skin corrosion/irritation - Category 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 2A (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Category 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Eye Irrit. 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Skin Irrit. 2 (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Eye Irritation: Category 6.4A (Category 2A) (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—Skin Irritation: Category 6.3A (Category 2) (score: high)
EPA CTX / Skin-Eye—skin sensitisation: in vivo (non-LLNA): Not likely to be sensitizing (score: low)

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where you encounter benzene

  • Occupational Settings — Petroleum refineries, Gas stations and fuel distribution centers, Chemical manufacturing plants, Laboratory and analytical settings
    IARC Group 1 carcinogen; primary occupational exposure source; regulatory exposure limits established by OSHA
  • Environmental/Ambient Air — Urban air pollution, Traffic-related emissions, Tobacco smoke
    Ubiquitous in gasoline combustion; significant exposure in high-traffic areas and from secondhand smoke
  • Consumer Products — Gasoline and gasoline-containing products, Paint thinners and solvents, Adhesives and glues
    Exposure during use and application of petroleum-based products
  • Drinking Water — Groundwater near gas stations or industrial sites, Tap water in contaminated areas
    EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) established at 5 ppb; contamination typically near petroleum facilities
  • Fragrance — perfume, cologne, scented personal care products, household fragrance products, candles
    Identified in Fragrance Ingredient Safety Priority Research database (2,325 ingredients)

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Benzene:

  • Inherently flame-resistant materials (wool, modacrylic, Nomex)
    Trade-offs: Higher material cost. Limited color/texture options.
    Relative cost: 2-4×
  • Barrier fabric technology
    Trade-offs: Adds manufacturing step and cost
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

Is benzene safe for you?

Absorbed through skin from fuels and solvents; protective gloves required in occupational settings.

What products contain benzene?

Benzene appears in: Petroleum refineries (Occupational settings); Gas stations and fuel distribution centers (Occupational settings); Urban air pollution (Environmental/Ambient air); Traffic-related emissions (Environmental/Ambient air); Gasoline and gasoline-containing products (Consumer products).

Why do regulators disagree about benzene?

Benzene has been classified by 23 agencies including IARC, US EPA, EPA CTX / NIOSH, EPA CTX / IRIS, EPA CTX / IRIS, with differing conclusions. Regulators apply different standards of evidence (animal data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds), which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. See the regulatory consensus table on this page for the full picture.

See Benzene in the body app

Look up products containing benzene, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (2)
  1. IARC Monographs Volume 100F: Benzene (2012) — regulatory
  2. US EPA IRIS Assessment: Benzene (1998) — regulatory

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →