Body & Beauty / Compounds / Menthol

Menthol on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

Not medical or professional safety advice, and not a substitute for a qualified clinician — consult one. Full disclaimer →

Topical cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications (BENGAY, IcyHot, decongestants); generally well-tolerated; documented contact-dermatitis sensitisation in a small subset of patients.

What is menthol?

The IUPAC name is 5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylcyclohexan-1-ol.

Also known as: 5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylcyclohexan-1-ol, 2-Isopropyl-5-methylcyclohexanol, Menthyl alcohol, Mentholum.

IUPAC name
5-methyl-2-propan-2-ylcyclohexan-1-ol
CAS number
89-78-1
Molecular formula
C10H20O
Molecular weight
156.26 g/mol
SMILES
CC1CCC(C(C1)O)C(C)C
PubChem CID
1254

Risk for people

Low risk

Topical cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications (BENGAY, IcyHot, decongestants); generally well-tolerated; documented contact-dermatitis sensitisation in a small subset of patients.

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Menthol.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
US FDA—Regulated under food safety frameworks (FDA GRAS, EU food additive regulations)

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 menthol

  • Personal Care — toothpaste, mouthwash, lip balm, shaving cream, body wash
  • Food — cough drops, candy, chewing gum, mint tea
  • Consumer Products — cigarettes (menthol), topical analgesics
  • 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 Menthol:

  • Natural preservatives; Clean-label ingredients; Minimally processed food
    Trade-offs: Consumer label appeal ('clean label'); variable efficacy depending on food matrix and target pathogen; may alter flavor/color; regulatory status varies by jurisdiction; often more expensive per unit of preservation effect.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

Is menthol safe for you?

Topical cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications (BENGAY, IcyHot, decongestants); generally well-tolerated; documented contact-dermatitis sensitisation in a small subset of patients.

What products contain menthol?

Menthol appears in: toothpaste (Personal care); mouthwash (Personal care); cough drops (Food); candy (Food); cigarettes (menthol) (Consumer products).

See Menthol in the body app

Look up products containing menthol, 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 medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →