Baby Safety / Compounds / Methyl benzoate

Is Methyl benzoate safe for babies and kids?

Low risk for kids

(Babies-specific data is limited; this page draws from human adult context.) Methyl benzoate poses low risk to adults under normal use conditions.

What is methyl benzoate?

Also known as: benzoic acid methyl ester, Methylbenzoate, Benzoic acid, methyl ester, Clorius.

IUPAC name
methyl benzoate
CAS number
93-58-3
Molecular formula
C8H8O2
Molecular weight
136.15 g/mol
SMILES
COC(=O)C1=CC=CC=C1
PubChem CID
7150

Risk for babies

Low risk

Methyl benzoate poses low risk to adults under normal use conditions.

Regulatory consensus

2 regulatory and scientific bodies have classified Methyl benzoate. The classifications differ — that's the data.

AgencyYearClassificationNotes
EU——EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 - extended allergen declaration requirement
IFRA——IFRA Standards on Fragrance Materials

Regulators apply different standards of evidence — animal-data weighting, exposure-pattern assumptions, epidemiological power thresholds — which is why two scientific bodies can review the same data and reach different conclusions. The disagreement is the data.

Where kids encounter methyl benzoate

  • Perfume
  • Personal Care
  • Fragrance Mixtures

Safer alternatives

Lower-risk approaches that achieve a similar outcome to Methyl benzoate:

  • Fragrance-free product formulations
    Trade-offs: Eliminates allergen risk entirely; consumer acceptance varies (some associate scent with cleanliness/efficacy); growing market segment; regulatory advantage in EU (no IFRA compliance needed).
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)
  • Essential oil-free synthetic fragrance blends with established safety profiles
    Trade-offs: Allows scent without specific natural allergens; synthetic molecules can be individually safety-tested; some synthetics have their own sensitization profiles; cost comparable to natural blends.
    Relative cost: Lower (ingredient elimination)
  • Encapsulated fragrance technologies (reduced dermal contact)
    Trade-offs: Reduces dermal contact by 60-90% via polymer shell release mechanism; higher formulation cost; may alter scent perception (delayed release); shell material itself requires safety assessment.
    Relative cost: 1.2-2×
  • Naturally-derived isolates at IFRA-compliant concentrations
    Trade-offs: Alternative fragrance ingredient; individual safety profile should be assessed per IFRA standards; sensitization potential varies by compound; patch testing recommended for sensitive individuals.
    Relative cost: 2-5× conventional

Frequently asked questions

No FAQ entries generated.

See Methyl benzoate in the baby app

Look up products containing methyl benzoate, compare to alternatives, and explore the full data record.

Open in baby View raw API data

Sources (1)
  1. ATSDR Toxicological Profile — CAS 93-58-3 — reference

Reference data, not professional advice. Aggregates publicly available regulatory and scientific data; not a substitute for veterinary, medical, legal, or regulatory advice. Why we built ALETHEIA →