Eugenol ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is primarily a fragrance component, giving formulas a warm, spicy, clove-like odor profile. It may also support flavoring or deodorant effects, but perfuming is its main role in personal care.
What does Eugenol do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is primarily a fragrance component, giving formulas a warm, spicy, clove-like odor profile. It may also support flavoring or deodorant effects, but perfuming is its main role in personal care.
Is Eugenol clean?
This ingredient has clean-standard friction because it is a recognized fragrance allergen and sensitizer for some users. In the EU and UK, it requires allergen disclosure when present above set thresholds in leave-on and rinse-off products.
Is Eugenol sustainable?
This material can be plant-derived from aromatic oils or made synthetically, so its sustainability profile depends on sourcing. It is generally biodegradable, with fewer persistence concerns than many synthetic aroma materials, but crop and essential-oil supply chains can vary in land, water, and traceability impacts.
Is Eugenol COSMOS-approved?
It is compatible with COSMOS-natural and COSMOS-organic when sourced as an allowed natural fragrance constituent and used within fragrance and allergen-disclosure rules. From a Green Chemistry view, renewable sourcing and biodegradability are positives, while sensitization potential and concentration control are the main caveats.
How does Eugenol work chemically?
The molecule is a small phenolic aromatic compound with methoxy and allyl functionality, making it oil-soluble, fragrant, and moderately reactive compared with saturated aroma materials. It is typically used at trace to low fragrance levels, is sensitive to air and light oxidation, and is managed through antioxidant systems, packaging, and IFRA category limits.
Last updated 2026-05-13