Phenoxyethanol
- CAS
- 122-99-6
- EC
- 2045897
- PubChem CID
- 31236
- Molecular Formula
- C8H10O2
- Molecular Weight
- 138.1600 g/mol
Limits germ growth. A widely used safe preservative.
What does it do?
A preservative used to limit germ growth throughout the product's shelf life.
Details
One of the most commonly used preservatives. Prevents germ growth. Considered safe up to 1% and is found in many cosmetic products. It is synthetic and well-tolerated by the skin.
Hazards
Benefits
Functions
Restrictions
Where is it found?
Also known as
Function & Use
Preservative
Regulatory note
- EU 1223/2009 Annex VAllowed
Maximum concentration: 1%
Industry GHS notices (PubChem)
These are industry self-reports to ECHA, not our regulatory assessment.
- H302(99.8%)- Harmful if swallowed
- H318(13.0%)- Causes serious eye damage
- H319(87.0%)- Causes serious eye irritation
- H320- Causes eye irritation
- H335(13.0%)- May cause respiratory irritation
- H336- May cause drowsiness or dizziness
- H361- Suspected of damaging fertility or the unborn child
What The Sources Say
SCCS (EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety)2
EU 1223/2009 Annex V — SCCS opinion: OPINION ON Phenoxyethanol
EU 1223/2009 Annex V — SCCS opinion: Opinion concerning Restrictions on Materials listed in annex VI of Directive 76/768/EEC on Cosmetic Products
CIR (Cosmetic Ingredient Review)1
Details on the dermal sensitization studies summarized below can be found in Table 4. An eyelash product containing 0.018% Ethyl Tafluprostamide (n = 51; tested neat) and 7.5% Ethyl Tafluprostamide in phenoxyethanol (n = 54) were considered to be non-sensitizing in human repeat insult patch tests (HRIPTs).4 HRIPTs were also performed using eyelash serums containing Isopropyl Cloprostenate (0.0044% and 0.005%; tested neat; n = 50-56).14-17 The majority of assays were performed under semi-occlusive conditions. The serums tested were considered to be non- irritating and non-sensitizing in all assays.
ToxValDB (EPA Toxicity Value Database)11
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Eye Irritation, classification: Eye irritation - category 2A. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Skin Irritation, classification: Not classified. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Skin Sensitization, classification: Not classified. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: Eye Irritation, classification: Category 6.4A (Category 2A). Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
EPA ToxValDB skin/eye data — endpoint: eye irritation: in vivo, classification: Severe Irritation, species: rabbit, study: eye irritation, guideline: OECD Guideline 405 (Acute Eye Irritation / Corrosion) according to, year: 1983. Caveat: this is an aggregated record; dose, species and route of exposure must be considered together.
+6 more records.
EPA ToxCast (high-throughput in vitro screening)1
EPA ToxCast ER model: NO estrogen receptor activity found (AUC agonist=0, antagonist=0). Tested in 18 in vitro assays. Caveat: this is an in vitro screening model with no dose or exposure context; it does NOT mean an effect occurs in humans at cosmetic use levels.
Scientific References
- CIR - Safety Assessment of Ethyl Tafluprostamide andCosmetic Ingredient Review (CIR), Personal Care Products Council(2022)
- EPA CompTox Chemicals Dashboard - DSSTox identifiers mapped to CAS (2021r1)US EPA, Center for Computational Toxicology and Exposure
- EU CosIng - Cosmetic Ingredient Database full exportEuropean Commission, DG GROW
- INCIDB - Skincare & Cosmetics INCI Database (Kaggle 2026.07)INCIDB (derived from EU CosIng, US FDA MoCRA, NLM DailyMed, OBF)
- OpenFDA Cosmetic Adverse Events (api.fda.gov/cosmetic/event)US FDA — unvalidated adverse event reports
- OPINION ON PhenoxyethanolSCCS — Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
- Opinion concerning Restrictions on Materials listed in annex VI of Directive 76/768/EEC on Cosmetic ProductsSCCS — Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety
- PubChem - CID-Synonym-filtered bulk + PUG REST propertiesNCBI / National Library of Medicine
- ToxCast ER model - 2-Phenoxyethanol (DTXSID9021976)US EPA — ToxCast / CompTox
- ToxValDB - genotoxicityUS EPA — ToxValDB v97
- ToxValDB - skin/eyeUS EPA — ToxValDB v97