O-Cymen-5-Ol ●
TL;DR. This ingredient is used as an antimicrobial preservative and deodorizing active. It helps suppress bacteria and yeast growth in formulas and can reduce odor-forming microbes on skin.
What does O-Cymen-5-Ol do in a cosmetic formula?
This ingredient is used as an antimicrobial preservative and deodorizing active. It helps suppress bacteria and yeast growth in formulas and can reduce odor-forming microbes on skin.
Is O-Cymen-5-Ol clean?
From a clean-beauty perspective, it has friction because it is a synthetic phenolic antimicrobial with regulatory concentration limits and some irritation or sensitization potential at higher exposure. It is not a broad clean-standard staple in the way simpler organic acids or alcohol-based preservatives often are.
Is O-Cymen-5-Ol sustainable?
This material is typically synthetic and petrochemical-derived, rather than a renewable plant-derived input. Its environmental profile is less favorable than readily biodegradable preservative acids, with aquatic-toxicity and persistence considerations depending on concentration and discharge conditions.
Is O-Cymen-5-Ol COSMOS-approved?
It is not generally permitted under COSMOS-natural or COSMOS-organic standards as a cosmetic preservative. From a Green Chemistry lens, it scores modestly because it is effective at low levels, but it has weaker alignment on renewable sourcing and end-of-life biodegradability.
How does O-Cymen-5-Ol work chemically?
The molecule is a substituted phenolic compound, which explains its antimicrobial activity through membrane disruption and protein interaction in microbes. In cosmetics it is commonly limited to very low use levels, with the EU allowing up to 0.1%, and it is usually formulated with attention to solubility, pH, and compatibility with surfactants and emulsifiers.
Last updated 2026-05-13