Benzyl alcohol
100-51-6 · 66072-40-0 · (Hydroxymethyl)benzene · .alpha.-Hydroxytoluene · .alpha.-Toluenol · 4-Hydroxymethylated polystyrene · Alcohol bencilico · Alcohol benzylicus · Alcohol, Benzyl · alcoholum benzylicum · Alcool benzilico · Alcool benzylique · alpha-Hydroxytoluene · alpha-Toluenol · aplha-Hydroxytoluene · Aromatic alcohol · Aromatic primary alcohol · Bentalol · Benzal alcohol · Benzene Carbinol · Benzene-2,3,4,5,6-d5-methan-alpha,alpha-d2-ol · Benzenecarbinol · Benzenemethanol · benzenmethanol · Benzoyl alcohol · Benzyl alcohol · Benzyl alcohol (natural) · Benzyl alcohol; Benzenemethanol · Benzyl alkohol · BENZYL-ALCOHOL · benzylalcohol · Benzylalkohol · benzylic alcohol · Benzylicum · BnOH · Caswell No. 081F · Euxyl K 100 · FEMA No. 2137 · Hydroxymethyl resin (100-200 mesh) · hydroxymethylbenzene · Hydroxytoluene · hydroxytoluenes · INS NO.1519 · Itch-X · MBN · Methanol benzene · Methanol, phenyl- · Phenolcarbinol · phenyl carbinol · Phenyl Methanol · Phenyl-Methanol · Phenylcarbinol · Phenylcarbinolum · phenylmethan-1-ol · phenylmethanol · Phenylmethyl alcohol · Protocoxil · TOLUENE,ALPHA-HYDROXY · Ulesfia · Zilactin Early Relief Cold Sore · E1519 · Benzyl alcoholE number E1519INS 1519CAS 100-51-6
Listed as a solvent by Canada and the US.
Listed as solvents and vehicles (CA, US) · flavouring agents and adjuvants (US) · carriers (CA)
- Canada: Carrier solvent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Solvents (List 15)
- United States: Solvent or vehicle — FDA, Substances Added to Food: BENZYL ALCOHOL
- United States: Flavoring agent or adjuvant — FDA, Substances Added to Food: BENZYL ALCOHOL
- Canada: Carrier solvent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Solvents (List 15)
Benzyl alcohol is a clear liquid with a faint aromatic odour. In food it is used less for a taste of its own than as a solvent and carrier — the liquid that flavourings and colours are dissolved in before they are dosed into a food.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | Permitted, with conditions | 1 food category highest permitted level 500 mg/kg In the final food. | Food Standards Code, Schedule 15, S15—5, item 0.3, Benzyl alcoholretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| Canada | Permitted | no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) 2 permitted uses Show every permitted use
| Health Canada, List of Permitted Solvents (List 15)and 1 further provisionretrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | Permitted, with conditions | Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 385, ベンジルアルコール (“Benzyl Alcohol” in the unofficial English translation). …Designated additive: Appended Table 1, item 385, ベンジルアルコール (“Benzyl Alcohol” in the unofficial English translation). Standards for use — Specifications and Standards for Foods, Food Additives, etc. (MHW Notification No. 370 of 1959), Part II (Food Additives), F (Standards for use), entry ベンジルアルコール: (1) [may be used only for the purpose of flavouring] “ベンジルアルコールは、着香の目的以外に使用してはならない。” The Japanese is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the Notification; the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications for this additive, in the same Notification, are not imported and are not shown here; nor are the general rules in F 添加物一般, which apply to every additive. | Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act (MHW Ordinance No. 23 of 1948), Appended Table 1retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| South Korea | Permitted, with conditions | Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. …Designated food additive: Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, Part III, 1. 일반식품첨가물 (general food additives), 벤질알콜 (“Benzyl Alcohol”, the English the Code prints beside it). Main use (주용도) of 벤질알콜: 향료. Standard for use (사용기준) of 벤질알콜: (1) [may be used only for flavouring] “벤질알콜은 착향의 목적에 한하여 사용하여야 한다.” The Korean is the standard as published. There is no official English translation of the current Code (the English version on MFDS’s website is the 2020 edition and has no legal effect); the English in square brackets is this site’s description of what each sentence does, not a translation of the foods or the levels. Compositional specifications (Part IV) are not imported, nor are the general standards in Part II, which apply to every additive. | Standards and Specifications for Food Additives (식품첨가물의 기준 및 규격), MFDS Notification, Part III (Standards for use, by item)retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| United States | Permitted, with conditions | Named in the list of synthetic flavoring substances and adjuvants in 21 CFR 172.515(b), which may be safely used in food in the minimum quantity required to produce their intended effect. The section is held on this site as the page synthetic-flavoring-substances-and-adjuvants; read it for the conditions. | 21 CFR 172.515retrieved 2026-10-18 |
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Australia and New Zealand | 500 mg/kg | 1 numeric limit |
|---|---|---|
| Canada | — | 2 GMP |
| Japan | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| South Korea | — | 1 no quantity stated |
| United States | — | 1 no quantity stated |
What it is made from
Occurs naturally in fruits and in essential oils such as jasmine and ylang-ylang, and is also made industrially from toluene. JECFA specifies it both as a flavouring agent and as a carrier.
- CAS registry number
- 100-51-6
- InChIKey
- WVDDGKGOMKODPV-UHFFFAOYSA-N
- PubChem
- CID 244
The two specifications, compared
The European Union sets identity and purity by regulation; JECFA publishes its own through FAO, advisory until a country adopts it. Both documents are below in full. These are the parameters each puts a number on.
| Parameter | European Union | JECFA |
|---|---|---|
| Assay | no less than 98 % | no less than 98 % |
| Lead | no more than 2 mg/kg | no more than 2 mg/kg |
The two documents state the same figures for every parameter compared here.
How the EU defines it
The legal specification an additive must meet to be sold as this E number in the EU — what it is, how it may be made, and the purity it must reach. From Commission Regulation (EU) No 231/2012.
A specification does not authorise use. This site holds no EU permission for Benzyl alcohol in food; see the EU row in the status panel above.
E 1519 Benzyl alcohol
Synonyms: Phenylcarbinol; Phenylmethyl alcohol; Benzenemethanol; Alpha-hydroxytoluene
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Chemical name
- Benzyl alcohol; Phenylmethanol
- Chemical formula
- C₇H₈O
- Molecular weight
- 108,14
- Assay
- Not less than 98,0 %
- Description
- Colourless, clear liquid with a faint, aromatic odour
Identification
- Solubility
- Soluble in water, ethanol and ether
- Refractive index
- [n]D ²⁰ 1,538-1,541
- Specific gravity (25° C/25 °C)
- 1,042-1,047
- Test for peroxides
- Passes test
- Distillation range
- Not less than 95 % v/v distils between 202 and 208 °C
Purity criteria
- Acid value
- Not more than 0,5
- Aldehydes
- Not more than 0,2 % v/v (as benzaldehyde)
- Lead
- Not more than 2 mg/kg
How JECFA defines it
The international specification for identity and purity, prepared by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives and published by FAO. It is a different document from any above, written by a different body and revised on its own cycle; it is advisory, and a country adopts it or does not.
INS 1519 Benzyl Alcohol
Synonyms: Phenylcarbinol; phenylmethyl alcohol; benzenemethanol; alpha-hydroxytoluene; INS No. 1519
Assay, identification and purity criteria
Description and assay
- Specification history
- Prepared at the 46 th JECFA (1996), published in FNP 52 Add 4 (1996) superseding specifications prepared at the 23 rd JECFA (1979), published in FNP 12 (1979). Metals and arsenic specifications revised at the 63 rd JECFA (2004). An ADI of 0-5 mg/kg bw established at the 23 rd JECFA (1979) was maintained at the 46 th JECFA (1996).
- Chemical names
- Benzyl alcohol, phenylmethanol
- C.A.S. number
- 100-51-6
- Chemical formula
- C7H8O
- Formula weight
- 108.14
- Assay
- Not less than 98.0%
- DESCRIPTION
- Colourless, clear liquid, with a faint, aromatic odour
- FUNCTIONAL USES
- Flavouring agent (see "Flavouring agents" monograph), carrier
- METHOD OF ASSAY
- Weigh accurately about 1 g of the sample, proceed as directed under the method for Hydroxyl Value and calculate the percentage of benzyl alcohol by the formula W x A (B + − S) x N x 10.814 % w/w = C W where A is ml of KOH solution required for the free acid determination; B is ml of KOH solution required for the reagent blank; C is weight of the sample used for the free acid determination; S is ml of KOH solution required for the titration of the acetylated sample; W is the weight of the sample used for acetylation; and N is the normality of the ethanolic KOH solution.
Identification
- Solubility (Vol. 4)
- Soluble in water, ethanol and ether
- Refractive index (Vol. 4)
- n (20, D): 1.538 - 1.541
- Specific gravity (Vol. 4)
- d (25, 25): 1.042 - 1.047
- Infrared absorption
- The infrared spectrum of the sample corresponds with the reference infrared spectrum below
Purity criteria
- Distillation range
- Not less than 95% v/v distils between 202 and 208º
- Lead (Vol. 4)
- Not more than 2 mg/kg Determine using an AAS/ICP-AES technique appropriate to the specified level. The selection of sample size and method of sample preparation may be based on principles of methods described in Volume 4 (under “General Methods, Metallic Impurities”).
- Acid value (Vol.4)
- Not more than 0.5
- Aldehydes
- Not more than 0.2% v/v (as benzaldehyde) See description under TESTS
- Peroxides
- Passes test See description under TESTS
- Chlorinated organic compounds
- Test 0.25 g of the sample dissolved in 10 ml of water using 0.5 ml of 0.1N silver nitrate and 0.5 ml of 0.01N hydrochloric acid in the control.
- Test: Aldehydes
- Transfer 2 ml of the sample into a 100-ml volumetric flask and add water to volume. Shake until dissolved. To 2 ml of the above solution add 3 ml of water and 0.5 ml of a saturated solution of dinitrophenylhydrazine in dilute hydrochloric acid. Cap test tube, shake and allow to stand for 10 min. Add 5 ml of 95% ethanol and 2 ml of a 10% potassium hydroxide solution and homogenize. Any red-brown colour that develops shall not be more intense than that of a control, simultaneously prepared under the same conditions, but substituting 2 ml of the sample with 2 ml of freshly prepared 0.2% v/v solution of benzaldehyde.
- Test: Peroxides
- Flush out with carbon dioxide a ground glass necked 100-ml flask fitted with a cool air condenser. Then introduce 1 ml of the sample, 2 ml of chloroform, 0.1 g of potassium iodide and 20 ml of a mixture of 1 volume chloroform and 2 volumes of glacial acetic acid. Fit the condenser to the flask and warm with small flame to initiate boiling within 30 sec. Maintain boiling for exactly 30 sec from the moment vapours appear in the condenser. Cool immediately in iced water, and add through the condenser 40 ml of carbon dioxide free water. Titrate the liberated iodine with a 0.005N solution of sodium thiosulfate and record the number of ml of solution used as n. Perform the same operation without the sample and record the number of ml of solution used as n'. The difference (n - n') must be less than 1 (equivalent to 40 mg peroxide per litre, expressed as oxygen).
- Test: Infrared spectrum
- Benzyl alcohol
Authorised in other additives, enzymes, flavourings and nutrients
These authorisations are not for use in food. They let this substance be used inside another additive, a food enzyme, a flavouring or a nutrient preparation — often as a carrier — and it reaches food only as part of that product. Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008.
| Part | May be used in | Maximum level | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annex III, Part 4: Food additives including carriers in food flavourings | Flavourings for: confectionery including chocolate and fine bakery wares | 250 mg/kg from all sources in foodstuffs as consumed or as reconstituted according to instruction of the manufacturer | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 4 |
| Annex III, Part 4: Food additives including carriers in food flavourings | Flavourings for: liqueurs, aromatised wines, aromatised wine-based drinks and aromatised wine-products cocktails | 100 mg/l in final food | Regulation (EC) No 1333/2008, Annex III, Part 4 |
Every name it appears under
62 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
E number
- E1519
CAS registry number
- 100-51-6
- 66072-40-0
As it appears in regulation
- Benzyl alcohol
Other names
- (Hydroxymethyl)benzene
- .alpha.-Hydroxytoluene
- .alpha.-Toluenol
- 4-Hydroxymethylated polystyrene
- Alcohol bencilico
- Alcohol benzylicus
- Alcohol, Benzyl
- alcoholum benzylicum
- Alcool benzilico
- Alcool benzylique
- alpha-Hydroxytoluene
- alpha-Toluenol
- aplha-Hydroxytoluene
- Aromatic alcohol
- Aromatic primary alcohol
- Bentalol
- Benzal alcohol
- Benzene Carbinol
- Benzene-2,3,4,5,6-d5-methan-alpha,alpha-d2-ol
- Benzenecarbinol
- Benzenemethanol
- benzenmethanol
- Benzoyl alcohol
- Benzyl alcohol
- Benzyl alcohol (natural)
- Benzyl alcohol; Benzenemethanol
- Benzyl alkohol
- BENZYL-ALCOHOL
- benzylalcohol
- Benzylalkohol
- benzylic alcohol
- Benzylicum
- BnOH
- Caswell No. 081F
- Euxyl K 100
- FEMA No. 2137
- Hydroxymethyl resin (100-200 mesh)
- hydroxymethylbenzene
- Hydroxytoluene
- hydroxytoluenes
- INS NO.1519
- Itch-X
- MBN
- Methanol benzene
- Methanol, phenyl-
- Phenolcarbinol
- phenyl carbinol
- Phenyl Methanol
- Phenyl-Methanol
- Phenylcarbinol
- Phenylcarbinolum
- phenylmethan-1-ol
- phenylmethanol
- Phenylmethyl alcohol
- Protocoxil
- TOLUENE,ALPHA-HYDROXY
- Ulesfia
- Zilactin Early Relief Cold Sore
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is E 1519?
- E 1519 is Benzyl alcohol. Benzyl alcohol is a clear liquid with a faint aromatic odour. In food it is used less for a taste of its own than as a solvent and carrier — the liquid that flavourings and colours are dissolved in before they are dosed into a food.
- What is Benzyl alcohol used for in food?
- It is listed as a solvent — the role Canada and the US assign it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Is Benzyl alcohol banned in Europe?
- No. Benzyl alcohol does not appear on the EU's list of authorised food additives, which is not the same as being banned: the EU permits an additive only where it has authorised it, and usually the reason for an absence is that no one applied. The EU has made no finding against this substance. It does mean it may not be used as a food additive in the EU today.
- Where is Benzyl alcohol permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Japan, South Korea and the US permit it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
Sources for this page
- anz retrieved 2026-10-17
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
- jp retrieved 2026-10-18
- kr retrieved 2026-10-18
- us-listings retrieved 2026-10-18
- euspecs retrieved 2026-10-18
- jecfaspecs retrieved 2026-09-23
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
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