Benzyl Alcohol (CAS 100-51-6) is a colorless liquid with a mild, pleasant aromatic scent, often described as slightly sweet and floral. In perfumery, it serves multiple roles, primarily as a solvent and a fixative, helping to dissolve other fragrance materials and stabilize the overall composition. It is commonly found in various fragrance formulations, particularly in floral and fruity accords, where it can enhance the overall scent profile. Benzyl Alcohol is also known for its antimicrobial properties, making it a useful ingredient in cosmetic formulations. However, it is important to note that Benzyl Alcohol is classified as a potential allergen and is subject to regulatory scrutiny, particularly under IFRA guidelines. While it is widely used, perfumers should be mindful of its concentration in formulations to ensure compliance with safety standards and to minimize the risk of allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. — AI-generated summary, 2026-09-02.
Very mild, slightly sweet floral-balsamic odor with a faint almond-like nuance. Often perceived more as a soft solvent than a fragrance ingredient, contributing subtle rounding rather than a distinct character.AI · claude-opus-4-7
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Other ingredients whose composition declares this material as a constituent. The percentage shown is the supplier-declared concentration in that parent.
Perfume and Flavor Chemicals, page 130.
Colorless liquid.
Soluble in water, miscible with alcohol and oils.
Faint, nondescript odor, rather sweet, but varies considerably with the quality of the alcohol.
The taste (in water) is rather sharp, chemical, nondescript, and the impurities will usually show up very conspicuously in water solution of Benzyl alcohol.
Used in perfumery as a blender, in some florals quite extensively. Jasmin, Gardenia and Lilac may often be composed using Benzyl alcohol although this material is really dispensable in most cases.
Used frequently in flavor compositions: in imitation Blueberry, Cherry, Grape, Honey, Loganberry, Muscatel, Nut, Orange, Raspberry, Vanilla, Walnut, and in Floral type flavors, Fruity types, Liquor types, Rootbeer, Rose, Violet, etc.
Produced from Benzyl chloride and Potassium (or Sodium) carbonate.
Natural complex substances (NCSs) in which this material typically occurs.
| NCS | Botanical | Typical % |
|---|---|---|
| HYACINTH ABSOLUTE | Hyacinthus orientalis L. | 40% |
| JASMINE SAMBAC ABSOLUTE | Jasminum sambac (L.) Aiton | 8% |
| JASMINE OFFICINALE ABSOLUTE | Jasminum officinale L. | 3% |
| NARCISSUS POETICUS ABSOLUTE | Narcissus poeticus L. | 2.8% |
| CASSIE ABSOLUTE | Vachellia farnesiana (L.) Willd. | 2.7% |
| FLOUVE OIL | Anthoxanthum odorantum L. | 2.1% |
| STYRAX OIL | Liquidambar styraciflua L. | 1% |
| PERU BALSAM | Myroxylon balsamum (L.) Harms var. pereirae (Royle) Harms | 0.9% |
| TUBEROSE ABSOLUTE | Poliantes tuberosa L. | 0.5% |
| YLANG, YLANG OIL, TERPENE-FREE | Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. f. &Thomson oil (forma genuine Steenis) | 0.5% |
| CARNATION ABSOLUTE | Dianthus caryophyllus L. | 0.2% |
| TOLU, BALSAM, EXTRACT | Myroxylon balsamum (L.) Harms. | 0.2% |
| JASMINE ABSOLUTE (GRANDIFLORUM) | Jasminum grandiflorum L. | 0.1% |
| CINNAMON BARK EXTRACT | Cinnamomum zeylanicum Blume | 0.1% |
| GARDENIA TAHITENSIS OIL | Gardenia tahitensis DC. | 0.1% |
| VIOLET LEAF ABSOLUTE | Viola odorata L. | 0.1% |
| CANANGA OIL | Cananga odorata (Lam.) Hook. f. &Thomson oil (forma genuine Steenis) | 0.1% |
| ROSE ABSOLUTE | Rosa x damascena Mill. | 0.1% |
| MIMOSA ABSOLUTE | Acacia decurrens (Wendl.f.) Willd. | 0.05% |
| ROSE OIL | Rosa x damascena Mill. | 0.02% |