Benzyl Alcohol: The 2026 American Contact Dermatitis Society Allergen of the Year.

Authors

Leon Zheng, Margo Reeder, Amber Reck Atwater, JiaDe Yu

Published in

Cutis. Volume 118. Issue 3. Pages 88-91.

Abstract

Benzyl alcohol is a widely used preservative, solvent, and fragrance ingredient found in personal care products and topical medications, including corticosteroids. Despite its ubiquity, benzyl alcohol remains an underrecognized contact allergen and was named the 2026 Allergen of the Year by the American Contact Dermatitis Society (ACDS). It can be present in products marketed as "clean," "sensitive," "fragrance-free," or "hypoallergenic" due to current labeling regulations. When used as a fragrance, benzyl alcohol may be omitted from the visible ingredient list under US Food and Drug Administration regulations that protect proprietary fragrance formulas as trade secrets. Clinical recommendations include patch testing for benzyl alcohol, avoidance counseling, careful review of topical product ingredients, and use of benzyl alcohol-free alternatives when appropriate.

PMID:
42955808
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Oct 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.