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Cosmetic ingredient dictionary

Methyl Benzoate in cosmetics: what it is and what it does

Methyl Benzoate is a cosmetic ingredient that keeps the product from spoiling. The EU lists it as an allowed preservative, with a maximum amount. Open Beauty Facts finds it in 21 products, most often sunscreen.

By Bravoora teamUpdated Sources checked 3 sourcesHow we check

What does Methyl Benzoate do in a product?

In a cosmetic product, Methyl Benzoate keeps the product from spoiling, keeps the skin in good condition and dissolves other ingredients. The EU’s CosIng database lists these jobs for it: preservative, skin conditioning, solvent and perfuming.

preservativeskin conditioningsolventperfuming

What other names and numbers does Methyl Benzoate have?

CAS number
93-58-3
EC number
202-259-7
CosIng reference
35279

Is Methyl Benzoate restricted in the EU?

It is allowed, on a list with limits. The EU lists it as an allowed preservative, with a maximum amount (Annex V of Regulation 1223/2009, entry 1a).

The annex entry sets the exact limits, the products it may be used in and any warning the label must carry.

Which products contain Methyl Benzoate?

Open Beauty Facts finds Methyl Benzoate in the ingredient lists of 21 of the 22,021 products it has a list for, most often sunscreen and face lotions.

  • Sunscreen3
  • Face lotions2

Products with it, by country of sale: Germany 6 · France 4 · Spain 2 · Argentina 2.

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

On these listsPreservatives

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)

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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