Body & Beauty / Compounds / Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol)

Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Natural smoke constituent; used in food flavoring and pharmaceuticals; expectorant; low oral toxicity; skin irritant concentrated

What is guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol)?

The IUPAC name is 2-methoxyphenol.

Also known as: 2-methoxyphenol, guaiacol, o-Methoxyphenol, 2-Hydroxyanisole.

IUPAC name
2-methoxyphenol
CAS number
90-05-1
Molecular formula
C7H8O2
Molecular weight
124.14 g/mol
SMILES
COC1=CC=CC=C1O
PubChem CID
460

Risk for people

Low risk

Natural smoke constituent; used in food flavoring and pharmaceuticals; expectorant; low oral toxicity; skin irritant concentrated

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol).

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
FDA1965GRASGRAS food flavoring — smoke/vanilla component

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 guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol)

  • Personal Care — essential oils, oral care, antiseptics
  • Food — spice flavoring (thymol, carvacrol)
  • 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 Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol):

  • Vanillin
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Ethyl vanillin
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol)?

Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) appears in: essential oils (Personal care); oral care (Personal care); spice flavoring (thymol, carvacrol) (Food); perfume (Fragrance); cologne (Fragrance).

See Guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol) in the body app

Look up products containing guaiacol (2-methoxyphenol), compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in body View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. PubChem Compound Database (2026) — database

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 →