Benzyl Salicylate

Benzyl salicylate is an ester of benzyl alcohol and salicylic acid, presenting as a colorless to pale yellow oily liquid with a faint, sweet, balsamic floral scent reminiscent of orchid. It is widely used in perfumery as a fixative and mild fragrance ingredient, and also provides weak UV-absorbing properties in the UVB range, making it a secondary functional component in some sun care formulations. Notably, benzyl salicylate is classified as one of the 26 (now expanded under EU regulations) fragrance allergens requiring mandatory declaration on cosmetic labels when present above 0.001% in leave-on and 0.01% in rinse-off products, which formulators must carefully consider during product development.