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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Menthol in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Menthol is a cosmetic ingredient that hides an unwanted smell or taste. It is one of the fragrance allergens EU labels name above set levels on new products since 31 July 2026. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 823 products, most often toothpastes.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 4 sourcesHow we check

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What does Menthol do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Menthol hides an unwanted smell or taste, makes alcohol undrinkable and gives a fresh feeling. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: masking, denaturant, refreshing and soothing.

maskingdenaturantrefreshingsoothing

What other names and numbers does Menthol have?

CAS number
1490-04-6, 2216-51-5, 89-78-1, 15356-70-4
EC number
216-074-4, 218-690-9, 201-939-0, 239-388-3
CosIng reference
35228

Is Menthol a fragrance allergen?

Yes. Menthol is one of the fragrance allergens the EU added in 2023 (Regulation (EU) 2023/1545). Since 31 July 2026, a new product placed on the EU market must name it when there is more than 0.001% in a product left on the skin, or more than 0.01% in one that is rinsed off. Products already on sale may stay on shelves until 31 July 2028, so an older label may not name it yet.

Who should look out for Menthol?

Fragrance-sensitive skinNot for youIt is a fragrance allergen EU rules name on new products since July 2026.

Read the fragrance (parfum) guide

Which products contain Menthol?

Open Beauty Facts finds Menthol in the ingredient lists of 823 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often toothpastes, mouthwash and shampoos.

  • Toothpastes109
  • Mouthwash53
  • Shampoos50

Products with it, by country of sale: France 204 · Germany 139 · United States 102 · Australia 56.

Counted on 13 October 2026 from Open Beauty Facts, which volunteers fill from real packs: it shows where Menthol turns up, not how much of the market it is.

On these listsFragrance allergens

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’.

  1. European Commission: CosIng cosmetic ingredient database (functions, description, EU annex entry)
  2. Open Beauty Facts: product database, 77,506 products, read 13 October 2026, ODbL
  3. EU Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products (the annexes)
  4. 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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