# Benzyl benzoate
**Benzyl benzoate** is the ester formed from benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol, a colorless oily organic compound with the formula C₁₄H₁₂O₂ that is used as a topical medicine against scabies and lice, as a fragrance and solvent in cosmetics, and as a flavoring agent in food.[1](https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C120514&Mask=6EF&Units=CAL) • [2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) It is listed on the [WHO Model List of Essential Medicines](https://www.edgepedia.org/who-model-list-of-essential-medicines) as a 25% topical lotion in the class of scabicides and pediculicides.[3](https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1089)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identity | Ester of benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol; formula C₁₄H₁₂O₂; molecular weight 212.24; CAS 120-51-4[1](https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C120514&Mask=6EF&Units=CAL) |
| Physical form | Colorless oily liquid (or leaflets/solid near room temperature); boiling point 323–324 °C; melting point 21 °C; insoluble in water, miscible with ethanol[2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) • [4](https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0390.htm) |
| Medical use | WHO Essential Medicine, topical lotion 25%, for scabies and pediculosis; first added to the list in 1977[3](https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1089) |
| Crusted scabies | CDC recommends combination treatment with 25% topical benzyl benzoate (or 5% permethrin cream) plus oral ivermectin 200 µg/kg on days 1, 2, 8, 9, and 15[5](https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/ectoparasitic.htm) |
| Food use | FEMA GRAS number 2138; JECFA number 24; permitted under 21 CFR 172.515 as a flavoring agent or adjuvant and solvent[6](https://www.femaflavor.org/flavor-library/benzyl-benzoate) • [7](https://hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?id=BENZYLBENZOATE&set=FoodSubstances) |
| Natural occurrence | Found in essential oils including ylang ylang, rosewood, and cinnamon[8](https://www.lush.com/us/en_us/i/benzyl-benzoate-natural) |
| Safety | Cosmetic Ingredient Review concluded it is safe in present practices of use and concentration; acute dermal LD₅₀ in rats 4,000 mg/kg[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996) |
## Physical and chemical properties
Benzyl benzoate is a colorless oily liquid with a faint, sweet, balsamic odor and a sharp burning taste.[2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) • [10](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/pii/S0099542808606383) It boils at 323–324 °C and melts at about 21 °C, so it can solidify as white leaflets just below room temperature.[2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) • [4](https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0390.htm) It is practically insoluble in water but miscible with ethanol at room temperature and soluble in organic solvents and oils.[2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) The octanol/water partition coefficient is high, reported as log Pow 3.97 by the International Chemical Safety Card and 3.68 in the Cosmetic Ingredient Review assessment, reflecting its lipophilic character.[4](https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0390.htm) • [9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996) It is combustible, with a flash point of 148 °C and an auto-ignition temperature of 480 °C.[4](https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0390.htm)
## Synthesis
Three main routes have been used to prepare benzyl benzoate: esterification of benzoic acid with benzyl alcohol, reaction of sodium benzoate with benzyl chloride, and condensation of two molecules of benzaldehyde in the presence of sodium benzyloxide.[10](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/pii/S0099542808606383) • [18](https://www.dxhx.pku.edu.cn/EN/10.3866/PKU.DXHX201601038) The benzaldehyde route is the Tishchenko reaction, in which an aluminum alkoxide catalyst combines the acid and alcohol portions of two aldehyde molecules directly as the ester; Claisen modified the [Cannizzaro reaction](https://www.edgepedia.org/cannizzaro-reaction) in 1887 using sodium ethoxide and found that benzaldehyde was converted to benzyl benzoate.[11](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/benzyl-benzoate) Modern laboratory methods achieve high yields: a triphenylphosphine oxide/oxalyl chloride system converts benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol to benzyl benzoate in 90% isolated yield in 1 hour at room temperature in acetonitrile.[12](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5830786/)
## Medical use
Benzyl benzoate kills the mites that cause scabies (*Sarcoptes scabiei*) and lice, and it is used as an alternative agent for the topical treatment of scabies and for the topical treatment of pediculosis.[13](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Benzyl-benzoate) The WHO Essential Medicines list specifies a 25% topical lotion for four indications: phthiriasis, [pediculosis corporis](https://www.edgepedia.org/pediculosis-corporis), pediculosis capitis, and scabies.[3](https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1089) The entry is also recommended for children above 2 years of age, and precipitated sulfur ointment is specified as a therapeutic alternative.[3](https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1089)
**Treatment guidance.** For ordinary scabies, national treatment guidelines such as Ghana's direct application of 25% benzyl benzoate over the whole body except the face after a warm bath, repeated on subsequent days, with a half-strength dilution for infants under 1 year.[14](https://extranet.who.int/ncdccs/Data/GHA_D1_Standard-Treatment-Guideline-2010.pdf) In Australian care-facility guidance, 25% benzyl benzoate is the second-line treatment for typical scabies.[15](https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/8c17dc80455805b48892ebecbb6ce37f/scabies-management-in-care-facilities-2012.pdf?MOD=AJPERES) For crusted scabies, an aggressive infestation occurring among immunodeficient, debilitated, or malnourished persons, the CDC recommends combination treatment with a topical scabicide, either 5% permethrin cream or 25% topical benzyl benzoate, together with oral ivermectin 200 µg/kg body weight on days 1, 2, 8, 9, and 15, because substantial treatment failure can occur with a single-dose topical scabicide or oral ivermectin alone.[5](https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/ectoparasitic.htm)
Reported side effects include burning sensation, rashes, and skin irritation.[16](https://pharmacy.moh.gov.my/sites/default/files/document-upload/topical-preparation-counselling-guide-pharmacist-ed1.2018-01.08.2019.pdf) The safety card notes that the substance is irritating to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract, and that repeated or prolonged skin contact may cause dermatitis.[4](https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0390.htm)
## Metabolism and toxicology
Benzyl benzoate is rapidly hydrolyzed in vivo to benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol; the benzyl alcohol is in turn oxidized to benzoic acid, which is conjugated with glycine to form hippuric acid for excretion.[10](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/pii/S0099542808606383) Acute dermal toxicity is low: a median lethal dose (LD₅₀) of 4,000 mg/kg body weight was reported in rats and 4,448 mg/kg in rabbits.[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996) In a 7-month oral study, mice dosed with 800 mg/kg showed no effects.[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996) Undiluted benzyl benzoate was nonirritating in human patients and nonirritating to skin at concentrations up to 50% in animal studies, though sensitization reactions ranging from none to moderate were induced in animals.[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996) After reviewing newly available data, the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel concluded that benzyl benzoate is safe in the present practices of use and concentration described in its assessment.[9](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996)
## Fragrance and food uses
Benzyl benzoate occurs naturally in essential oils, including ylang ylang, rosewood, and cinnamon, and it is used in perfumery both as a fragrant material with a faint balsamic odor and as a solvent to dissolve other perfume materials.[8](https://www.lush.com/us/en_us/i/benzyl-benzoate-natural) In food, it is a permitted flavoring agent or adjuvant and solvent under 21 CFR 172.515, carries FEMA GRAS number 2138, and was evaluated by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA number 24) at its fifty-seventh meeting in 2001.[6](https://www.femaflavor.org/flavor-library/benzyl-benzoate) • [7](https://hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?id=BENZYLBENZOATE&set=FoodSubstances) • [2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) JECFA specifications require an assay of at least 99.0% and describe the material as leaflets or an oily liquid with a faint, sweet, balsamic odor.[2](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/) It also functions as a plasticiser, solubilising agent, solvent, or therapeutic agent in pharmaceutical products, generating benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol after hydrolysis.[17](https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/benzyl-alcohol-and-benzoic-acid-group-used-excipients-report-published-support-questions-and-answers-benzyl-alcohol-used-excipient-medicinal-products-human-use-emachmp5081882013-and-t_en.pdf)
## References
1. [Benzyl Benzoate, NIST Chemistry WebBook, SRD 69](https://webbook.nist.gov/cgi/cbook.cgi?ID=C120514&Mask=6EF&Units=CAL)
2. [JECFA Specifications for Flavourings: Benzyl benzoate, FAO](https://www.fao.org/food/food-safety-quality/scientific-advice/jecfa/jecfa-flav/details/en/c/309/)
3. [Benzyl benzoate, eEML Electronic Essential Medicines List, WHO](https://list.essentialmeds.org/recommendations/1089)
4. [ICSC 0390: Benzyl Benzoate, ILO-WHO International Chemical Safety Cards](https://www.inchem.org/documents/icsc/icsc/eics0390.htm)
5. [Ectoparasitic Infections, CDC STI Treatment Guidelines](https://www.cdc.gov/std/treatment-guidelines/ectoparasitic.htm)
6. [Benzyl Benzoate, FEMA Flavor Library](https://www.femaflavor.org/flavor-library/benzyl-benzoate)
7. [Substances Added to Food (formerly EAFUS): Benzyl Benzoate, FDA](https://hfpappexternal.fda.gov/scripts/fdcc/index.cfm?id=BENZYLBENZOATE&set=FoodSubstances)
8. [Benzyl Benzoate ingredient page, LUSH](https://www.lush.com/us/en_us/i/benzyl-benzoate-natural)
9. [Johnson, W. et al. (2017). Safety Assessment of Benzyl Alcohol, Benzoic Acid and its Salts, and Benzyl Benzoate. International Journal of Toxicology](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1091581817728996)
10. [Benzyl Benzoate, Analytical Profiles of Drug Substances, Volume 10 (1981), ScienceDirect](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/bookseries/pii/S0099542808606383)
11. [Benzyl Benzoate overview, ScienceDirect Topics](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/benzyl-benzoate)
12. [A novel and highly efficient esterification process using triphenylphosphine oxide with oxalyl chloride, PMC](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5830786/)
13. [Benzyl Benzoate, CID 2345, PubChem](https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Benzyl-benzoate)
14. [Ghana Standard Treatment Guidelines (2010), WHO extranet](https://extranet.who.int/ncdccs/Data/GHA_D1_Standard-Treatment-Guideline-2010.pdf)
15. [Scabies management in care facilities, SA Health](https://www.sahealth.sa.gov.au/wps/wcm/connect/8c17dc80455805b48892ebecbb6ce37f/scabies-management-in-care-facilities-2012.pdf?MOD=AJPERES)
16. [Topical Preparation Counselling Guide, Ministry of Health Malaysia (2018)](https://pharmacy.moh.gov.my/sites/default/files/document-upload/topical-preparation-counselling-guide-pharmacist-ed1.2018-01.08.2019.pdf)
17. [Benzyl alcohol and benzoic acid group used as excipients, EMA report](https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/report/benzyl-alcohol-and-benzoic-acid-group-used-excipients-report-published-support-questions-and-answers-benzyl-alcohol-used-excipient-medicinal-products-human-use-emachmp5081882013-and-t_en.pdf)
18. [Self-Condensation of Benzaldehyde to Benzyl Benzoate over Sodium Benzyloxide](https://www.dxhx.pku.edu.cn/EN/10.3866/PKU.DXHX201601038)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Chemistry › Organic substances › Carbonyl and carboxyl chemistry › Carboxylic acid derivatives › Esters › Esters by acyl residue › Benzoate esters*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license