Body & Beauty / Compounds / Phenoxyethanol

Phenoxyethanol on your skin: a safety profile

Low risk

(People-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Generally safe at ≤1% in cosmetics; rare contact dermatitis

What is phenoxyethanol?

The IUPAC name is 2-phenoxyethanol.

Also known as: 2-phenoxyethanol, Ethylene glycol monophenyl ether, Phenyl cellosolve, Phenoxethol.

IUPAC name
2-phenoxyethanol
CAS number
122-99-6
Molecular formula
C8H10O2
Molecular weight
138.16 g/mol
SMILES
C1=CC=C(C=C1)OCCO
PubChem CID
31236

Risk for people

Low risk

Generally safe at ≤1% in cosmetics; rare contact dermatitis

Regulatory consensus

1 regulatory bodyhas classified Phenoxyethanol.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
Unknown——

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 phenoxyethanol

  • Personal Care — moisturizer, serum, sunscreen, baby products, shampoo
  • Consumer Products — cleaning products, wet wipes

Safer alternatives

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

  • Ethylhexylglycerin + organic acids
    Trade-offs: Alternative preservation system; spectrum of antimicrobial activity differs (gram+/gram-, yeasts, molds); pH range of efficacy varies; challenge testing per ISO 11930 required for cosmetics.
    Relative cost: 2-5×
  • Caprylyl glycol
    Trade-offs: Alternative preservation system; spectrum of antimicrobial activity differs (gram+/gram-, yeasts, molds); pH range of efficacy varies; challenge testing per ISO 11930 required for cosmetics.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Pentylene glycol
    Trade-offs: Alternative preservation system; spectrum of antimicrobial activity differs (gram+/gram-, yeasts, molds); pH range of efficacy varies; challenge testing per ISO 11930 required for cosmetics.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×

Frequently asked questions

What products contain phenoxyethanol?

Phenoxyethanol appears in: moisturizer (Personal care); serum (Personal care); cleaning products (Consumer products); wet wipes (Consumer products).

See Phenoxyethanol in the body app

Look up products containing phenoxyethanol, 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 →