Furfuryl alcohol on your skin: a safety profile
Moderate risk(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Furfuryl alcohol (2-furylmethanol) is both an industrial chemical and a naturally occurring food contaminant formed during heat processing of plant-based foods rich in pentose sugars (arabinose, xylose). It is derived from furfural (itself formed from pentose dehydration during roasting, baking, and cooking) by reduction in food matrices. IARC 2B classification is based on nasal epithelial tumors in rats and hepatocellular tumors in mice in NTP bioassays. Furfuryl alcohol is detected in roasted coffee (0.5–10 mg/kg), roasted sesame seeds, bread crust, cooked vegetables, wine, and beer — wherever pentose-rich plant material is heat-processed. EFSA has assessed furfuryl alcohol as a genotoxic carcinogen in food using the MOE approach, finding that MOE values for regular coffee consumers may be below 10,000, indicating a potential concern. The industrial use of furfuryl alcohol is substantial: it is produced at approximately 50,000–100,000 metric tons annually, primarily for furfuryl alcohol-based furan resin systems used as binders in foundry sand casting (produces precision metal castings), as wood consolidants and impregnating resins (Furfuryl alcohol-treated wood, 'Kebony' process), and in chemical synthesis. Foundry workers exposed to furfuryl alcohol and its thermal degradation products (which release furfuryl alcohol vapors and furfural during metal casting) experience significant inhalation exposures; occupational lung disease and asthma have been reported in foundry workers using furan resin systems. OSHA PEL: 50 ppm TWA; NIOSH REL: 10 ppm.
What is furfuryl alcohol?
The IUPAC name is furan-2-ylmethanol.
Also known as: furan-2-ylmethanol, 2-Furanmethanol, 2-Furylmethanol, 2-Furancarbinol.
- IUPAC name
- furan-2-ylmethanol
- CAS number
- 98-00-0
- Molecular formula
- C5H6O2
- Molecular weight
- 98.1 g/mol
- SMILES
- C1=COC(=C1)CO
- PubChem CID
- 7361
Risk for people
Moderate riskFurfuryl alcohol (2-furylmethanol) is both an industrial chemical and a naturally occurring food contaminant formed during heat processing of plant-based foods rich in pentose sugars (arabinose, xylose). It is derived from furfural (itself formed from pentose dehydration during roasting, baking, and cooking) by reduction in food matrices. IARC 2B classification is based on nasal epithelial tumors in rats and hepatocellular tumors in mice in NTP bioassays. Furfuryl alcohol is detected in roasted coffee (0.5–10 mg/kg), roasted sesame seeds, bread crust, cooked vegetables, wine, and beer — wherever pentose-rich plant material is heat-processed. EFSA has assessed furfuryl alcohol as a genotoxic carcinogen in food using the MOE approach, finding that MOE values for regular coffee consumers may be below 10,000, indicating a potential concern. The industrial use of furfuryl alcohol is substantial: it is produced at approximately 50,000–100,000 metric tons annually, primarily for furfuryl alcohol-based furan resin systems used as binders in foundry sand casting (produces precision metal castings), as wood consolidants and impregnating resins (Furfuryl alcohol-treated wood, 'Kebony' process), and in chemical synthesis. Foundry workers exposed to furfuryl alcohol and its thermal degradation products (which release furfuryl alcohol vapors and furfural during metal casting) experience significant inhalation exposures; occupational lung disease and asthma have been reported in foundry workers using furan resin systems. OSHA PEL: 50 ppm TWA; NIOSH REL: 10 ppm.
Regulatory consensus
13 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Furfuryl alcohol. The classifications differ — that's the data.
| Agency | Year | Classification | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| IARC | 1995 | Group 2B | |
| US EPA | 1995 | Group C – possible human carcinogen | |
| EPA CTX / IARC | — | Group 2B - Possibly carcinogenic to humans | |
| EPA CTX / CalEPA | — | Known human carcinogen | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 2 positive / 4 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Genetox | — | Genotoxicity: negative (Ames: negative, 2 positive / 4 negative reports) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Eye Irrit. 2 (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Eye Irritation: Eye irritation - category 2A (score: high) | |
| EPA CTX / Skin-Eye | — | Skin Sensitization: Skin sensitisation - category 1 (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 sensitisation: in vivo (LLNA): Low to Moderate Frequency of Sensitization (score: moderate) |
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 furfuryl alcohol
- Industrial Facilities — Manufacturing plants, Chemical storage areas, Waste treatment sites
- Occupational Environments — Factories, Warehouses, Transportation vehicles
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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 Furfuryl alcohol:
-
Fragrance-free formulations
Trade-offs: Consumer preference for scented productsRelative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)
-
Essential oil-based fragrances (with disclosure)
Trade-offs: Natural does not mean safe — many essential oils are skin sensitizersRelative cost: 2-5× conventional
Frequently asked questions
What products contain furfuryl alcohol?
Furfuryl alcohol appears in: Manufacturing plants (Industrial facilities); Chemical storage areas (Industrial facilities); Factories (Occupational environments); Warehouses (Occupational environments); perfume (Fragrance).
Why do regulators disagree about furfuryl alcohol?
Furfuryl alcohol has been classified by 13 agencies including IARC, US EPA, EPA CTX / IARC, EPA CTX / CalEPA, EPA CTX / Genetox, 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 Furfuryl alcohol in the body app
Look up products containing furfuryl alcohol, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.
Open in body View raw API dataSources (2)
- IARC Monographs Volume 63: Dry Cleaning, Some Chlorinated Solvents and Other Industrial Chemicals — Furfuryl Alcohol Group 2B; Nasal Tumors in Rats; Mouse Liver Tumors; Coffee and Roasted Food Source; Foundry Furan Resins (1995) — iarc_monograph
- EFSA Scientific Opinion on Furfuryl Alcohol in Food — Genotoxic Carcinogen; MOE Approach; Coffee and Bread Dietary Exposure; Foundry Worker Occupational Exposure; OSHA PEL 50 ppm; EU Flavoring Restriction (2011) — 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 →