Cosmetic ingredient dictionary
Farnesol in cosmetics: what it is and what it does
Farnesol is a cosmetic ingredient that adds scent. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions. It is a fragrance allergen that EU labels must name above set levels. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 187 products, most often perfumes.
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What does Farnesol do in a product?
In a cosmetic product, Farnesol adds scent and reduces body odour. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: perfuming and deodorant.
What other names and numbers does Farnesol have?
- CAS number
- 4602-84-0
- EC number
- 225-004-1
- CosIng reference
- 33921
Is Farnesol restricted in the EU?
Yes, it has limits. The EU allows it only with limits or conditions of use, such as a maximum amount or a warning on the label (Annex III of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 82).
The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.
Is Farnesol a fragrance allergen?
Yes. Farnesol is one of the fragrance allergens that EU rules make a label name when there is more than 0.001% of it in a product left on the skin, or more than 0.01% in one that is rinsed off. On a label it can appear on its own after “Parfum”, because it is part of the scent.
Who should look out for Farnesol?
Which products contain Farnesol?
Open Beauty Facts finds Farnesol in the ingredient lists of 187 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often perfumes, deodorants and women's perfumes.
Products with it, by country of sale: France 91 · Germany 30 · Spain 11 · United States 9.
Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Farnesol turns up, not how much of the market it is.
Bravoora reads this ingredient for everyone you shop for: an allergy or intolerance, a vegan or vegetarian diet, a calorie or protein goal, and the labels on supplements and skincare too. Build a profile · For dermatologists, dietitians and doctors
Sources
The job, the description and the EU annex entry are CosIng’s; the fragrance allergens are the EU Annex III names Bravoora’s label checker reads; the product counts are Open Beauty Facts’.
- European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
- Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
- EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)
- EU Regulation 2023/1545 (fragrance allergen labelling)
Contains information from Open Beauty Facts, which is made available here under the Open Database License (ODbL). Read the licence · Download this dictionary’s data · How we check
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