Ingredient glossary
Phenoxyethanol
On your shelf ✓What Phenoxyethanol does for your skin, who it suits, and what to watch for.
INCI: Phenoxyethanol
In short: Phenoxyethanol delivers preservation, suits most skin types, and the evidence behind it is strong. One thing to know: clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently.
- What it does
- Preservation
- Best for
- Most skin types
- Watch out
- Clear it with your doctor if pregnant; introduce it gently
- Evidence
- Strong
The molecule
The Glow take
Quiet, essential, and nothing to fear.
Phenoxyethanol keeps a product safe to use from the first pump to the last, at tiny amounts. Not something you pay a premium for.
— Maya
What it does
- preservation
strong evidenceThe EU's Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety assessed the full toxicology dossier in 2016 and concluded phenoxyethanol is safe as a preservative at up to 1% — the ceiling set in Annex V of the EU Cosmetics Regulation — judging the margin of safety adequate for children as well as adults; sensitisation is uncommon and the dossier's guinea-pig maximisation test was negative. The older CIR review called it safe at the use levels then reported, up to 1%, without setting a limit of its own. France's ANSM argued for a lower 0.4% cap for under-3s and a nappy-area warning, but those measures were annulled and no such restriction applies today.
On a label: usually effective at 0.5-1%.
Who it's for, and who should skip it
Tends to suit
- all
Approach with care
- infants under 3 nappy area
- Clogs poresLow
- Irritation riskModerate
How it fits each skin type
- DrySuits
- CombinationSuits
- OilySuits
- SensitiveSuits
Take extra care if any of these apply to you: infants under 3 nappy area.
Where it fits in your routine
Plays well with
Phenoxyethanol, answered
Is Phenoxyethanol safe during pregnancy?
Clear it with your doctor first. Phenoxyethanol is flagged as use-with-caution during pregnancy and breastfeeding, so check with your doctor or midwife before adding it.
Who should avoid Phenoxyethanol?
Approach Phenoxyethanol with care if any of these apply to you: infants under 3 nappy area. Its irritation risk is moderate, so introduce it slowly and patch test first.
What concentration of Phenoxyethanol actually works?
Phenoxyethanol tends to do its job in the 0.5 to 1% range. Much lower and it is likely underdosed.
During pregnancy
Treat Phenoxyethanol as a maybe rather than a yes for now. It is flagged as one to use with caution while pregnant or breastfeeding, so it is worth clearing before you carry on.
When in doubt, check with your doctor or midwife. They outrank any website, including this one.When it is worth booking →
Can you mix Phenoxyethanol with
This, for every label you own
One ingredient is easy. A full label is where it gets confusing. The Ingredient Decoder reads any product and tells you the honest truth, ingredient by ingredient.
Sources & how we reviewed this
- SCCS/1575/16 (EU Scientific Committee opinion)read in full
- DOI 10.3109/10915819009078737abstract only, the full text is paywalled