METHYL EUGENOL
Fragrance Ingredient; MASKING
Also listed as
ALLYLVERATROLE; BENZENE, 1,2-DIMETHOXY-4- (2-PROPENYL) -; 3,4-DIMETHOXYALLYLBENZENE; 1,2-DIMETHOXY-4- (2-PROPENYL) BENZENE; EUGENOL METHYL ETHER; EUGENYL METHYL ETHER; VERATROLE METHYL ETHER; 1,2-DIMETHOXY-4- (2-PROPENYL) - BENZENE; 4-ALLYLVERATROLE; BENZENE, 1,2DIMETHOXY4 (2PROPENYL) ; 1,2-DIMETHOXY-4-ALLYLBENZENE
Given the incomplete information made available by companies and the government, EWG provides additional information on personal care product ingredients from the published scientific literature. The chart below indicates that research studies have found that exposure to this ingredient -- not the products containing it -- caused the indicated health effect(s) in the studies reviewed by Skin Deep researchers. Actual health risks, if any, will vary based on the level of exposure to the ingredient and individual susceptibility -- information not available in Skin Deep.
| This ingredient: | |
 | Cancer |
 | Developmental/reproductive toxicity |
 | Restrictions & warnings |
| Allergies/immunotoxicity |
| Contamination concerns |
| Other moderate concerns for this ingredient: Neurotoxicity, Endocrine disruption, Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive), Biochemical or cellular level changes |
 | Lesser or emerging concerns for this ingredient: Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs), Data gaps |
About METHYL EUGENOL: Methyl Eugenol is the aromatic compound.
Restrictions & warnings
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics | Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients | |
| Restricted in cosmetics (recommendations or requirements) - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Restricted in EU cosmetics (mandatory manufacturing or structural specifications) | European Union - Banned or Restricted in Cosmetics | |
| Recommended restricted in cosmetics - use, concentration, or manufacturing restrictions - Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only within recommended use or concentration limitsn) | International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards |
Cancer
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Possible human carcinogen | NTP Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition | |
| Possible human carcinogen | NTP - Tumor Induction in Mammary Gland | |
| Possible human carcinogen | California EPA Proposition 65 | |
| Possible carcinogen | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Organ system toxicity (non-reproductive)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Classified as a high human health priority | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Endocrine disruption
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more studies show endocrine system disruption at low doses | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 2001 | |
| show more | ||
Neurotoxicity
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show brain, nervous system, or behavioral effects at low doses | RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie 1972 | |
| show more | ||
Biochemical or cellular level changes
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show biochemical changes at low doses where the human health implications are not yet well understood | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 2001 | |
| show more | ||
Irritation (skin, eyes, or lungs)
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| One or more animal studies show skin irritation at high doses | RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology 1975 |
Data gaps
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not assessed for safety in cosmetics by industry panel | ||
| 119 studies in PubMed science library may include information on the toxicity of this chemical see search results -> | PubMed |
Multiple, additive exposure sources
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Designated as safe for general or specific, limited use in food | FDA Everything Added to Food |
Persistence and bioaccumulation
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be persistent | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | |
| show more | ||
Ecotoxicology
| type of concern | product conditions | reference |
| Not suspected to be an environmental toxin | Environment Canada Domestic Substance List |
Government, industry, academic studies and classifications
| government/industry list/academic study | appears on list as | classification(s) |
| Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients | METHYL EUGENOL | •Use is restricted in Canadian cosmetics |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | EUGENYL METHYL ETHER | • Fully up-to-date toxicology information has been sought. |
| European Union - Banned or Restricted in Cosmetics | METHYLEUGENOL | •Restricted in EU cosmetics (mandatory manufacturing or structural specifications) |
| International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards | METHYL EUGENOL | •Fragrance subject to restrictions: safe only within recommended use or concentration limits |
| NTP Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition | METHYLEUGENOL | •Reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen (National Toxicology Program classification) |
| NTP - Tumor Induction in Mammary Gland | METHYLEUGENOL | •Induces mammary tumors (National Toxicology Program classification) |
| California EPA Proposition 65 | METHYLEUGENOL | •Carcinogen: California Proposition 65 |
| Silent Spring's Mammary Carcinogens Reviews Database | METHYLEUGENOL | •Chemicals Shown to Cause Mammary Gland Tumors in Animal Studies |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | BENZENE, 1,2-DIMETHOXY-4-(2-PROPENYL)- | •This chemical was deemed a high human health priority even though it did not meet the strict criteria of the categorization exercise of CEPA. The chemical was flagged for suspected carcinogenic concerns. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | EUGENYL METHYL ETHER | •The chemical has been reported as used in fragrance compounds by IFRA affiliated member companies in 2008. |
| RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie 1972 | METHYL EUGENOL | • brain, nervous system, or behavioral effect - Altered sleep time (including change in righting reflex) (mouse LD50) • brain, nervous system, or behavioral effect - Changes in motor activity (specific assay) (mouse LD50) • brain, nervous system, or behavioral effect - Somnolence (general depressed activity) (mouse LD50) |
| RTECS®- Carcinogenesis (London) 1984 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Adduct (mouse ipr) |
| RTECS®- Carcinogenesis (London) 1984 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Adduct (mouse ipr) |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1990 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Unscheduled DNA Synthesis (rat lvr) |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1996 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Unscheduled DNA Synthesis (rat orl) |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1990 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Unscheduled DNA Synthesis (rat lvr) |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1996 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Unscheduled DNA Synthesis (rat orl) |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 2001 | METHYL EUGENOL | • gastrointestinal - Changes in structure or function of salivary glands (rat TDLo) • liver - Hepatitis (hepatocellular necrosis), diffuse (mouse TDLo) • metabolic - Weight loss or decreased weight gain (rat TDLo) • gastrointestinal - Alteration in gastric secretion (rat TDLo) • cancer - Cells (cultured) transformed (mouse TDLo) • cardiovascular - Changes in heart weight (rat TDLo) • kidney or renal system - Changes in kidney weight (rat TDLo) • blood - Changes in leucocyte (WBC) count (rat TDLo) • liver - Changes in liver weight (rat TDLo) • respiratory - Changes in lung weight (rat TDLo) • blood - Changes in platelet count (rat TDLo) • endocrine system - Changes in spleen weight (rat TDLo) • endocrine system - Changes in testicular weight (rat TDLo) • endocrine system - Changes in thymus weight (rat TDLo) • blood - Microcytosis with or without anemia (rat TDLo) • liver - Multiple effects (mouse TDLo) • gastrointestinal - Other changes (mouse TDLo) • biochemical - Phosphatases (rat TDLo) • biochemical - Plasma proteins not involving coagulation (rat TDLo) • biochemical - Transaminases (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology 1975 | METHYL EUGENOL | • broad systemic - Broad systemic toxicity (rat LD50) • skin - Primary skin irritant (rabbit ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1989 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Gene Conversion and Mitotic Recombination (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2005 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: (mouse orl) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1989 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: Gene Conversion and Mitotic Recombination (Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2005 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: (mouse orl) |
| RTECS®- National Technical Information Service 5639 | METHYL EUGENOL | • kidney or renal system - Changes in bladder weight (rat TDLo) • blood - Changes in erythrocyte (RBC) count (rat TDLo) • liver - Changes in liver weight (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- National Technical Information Service 7865 | METHYL EUGENOL | • cancer - gastrointestinal tumors (rat TDLo) • cancer - liver tumors (mouse TDLo) • mutagenic - skin tumors (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- National Toxicology Program Technical Report Series 2000 | METHYL EUGENOL | • liver - Changes in liver weight (mouse TDLo) • endocrine system - Changes in testicular weight (mouse TDLo) • mutagenic - endocrine system tumors (rat TDLo) • cancer - liver tumors (mouse TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Pharmacology: International Journal of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology 1976 | METHYL EUGENOL | • metabolic - Weight loss or decreased weight gain (rat TDLo) |
| RTECS®- Toxicologist 2005 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Adduct (rat orl) |
| RTECS®- Toxicologist 2005 | METHYL EUGENOL | • mutagenic - Positive mutation assay: DNA Adduct (rat orl) |
references
| government/industry list/academic study | reference |
| Canada - Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetics Ingredients | Health Canada. 2007. List of Prohibited and Restricted Cosmetic Ingredients. Canada's Cosmetic Ingredient Hotlist. March 2007. |
| FDA Everything Added to Food | FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). 2008. EAFUS [Everything Added to Food]: A Food Additive Database. FDA Office of Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. |
| European Union - Banned or Restricted in Cosmetics | EC (European Commission of the European Union). 1999-2006. Enterprise Directorate-General Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics. The rules governing cosmetic products in the European Union, Volume 1, "Cosmetics legislation." |
| International Fragrance Association Codes & Standards | IFRA (International Fragrance Association). 2006. Codes and Standards. |
| NTP Report on Carcinogens, 11th Edition | NTP (National Toxicology Program). 2005. Report on Carcinogens, Eleventh Edition; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program. |
| NTP - Tumor Induction in Mammary Gland | NTP (National Toxicology Program) 2006. Chemicals Associated with Site-Specific Tumor Induction in Mammary Gland. |
| California EPA Proposition 65 | California EPA (California Environmental Protection Agency). 9/2008. Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986. Chemicals known to the State to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity. |
| Silent Spring's Mammary Carcinogens Reviews Database | Rudel RA, KR Attfield, JN Schifano and JG Brody. Chemicals Causing Mammary Gland Tumors in Animals Signal New Directions for Epidemiology, Chemicals Testing, and Risk Assessment for Breast Cancer Prevention. CANCER Supplement. 2007 Jun 15;109(12):2635-2666. |
| Environment Canada Domestic Substance List | EC (Environment Canada). 2008. Domestic Substances List Categorization. Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) Environmental Registry. |
| IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List | IFRA (International Fragrance Assocication). 2010. IFRA Fragrance Ingredient List based on 2008 Use Survey. Accessed online 01/04/2010: http://www.ifraorg.org/Home/News/Latest-News/page.aspx/66?xf_itemId=43&xf_selectionDatapartId=25 |
| RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie 1972 | RTECS®- Archives Internationales de Pharmacodynamie et de Therapie. (Heymans Institute of Pharmacology, De Pintelaan 185, B-9000 Ghent, Belgium) V.4- 1898- 199,226,1972 |
| RTECS®- Carcinogenesis (London) 1984 | RTECS®- Carcinogenesis (London). (Oxford Univ. Press, Pinkhill House, Southfield Road, Eynsham, Oxford OX8 1JJ, UK) V.1- 1980- 5,1613,1984 |
| RTECS®- Carcinogenesis (London) 1984 | RTECS®- Carcinogenesis (London). (Oxford Univ. Press, Pinkhill House, Southfield Road, Eynsham, Oxford OX8 1JJ, UK) V.1- 5,1613,1984 |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1990 | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology. (Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523) V.20- 28,537,1990 |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1996 | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology. (Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523) V.20- 34,337,1996 |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1990 | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology. (Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523) V.20- 1982- 28,537,1990 |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 1996 | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology. (Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523) V.20- 1982- 34,337,1996 |
| RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology 2001 | RTECS®- Food and Chemical Toxicology. (Pergamon Press Inc., Maxwell House, Fairview Park, Elmsford, NY 10523) V.20- 1982- 39,303,2001 |
| RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology 1975 | RTECS®- Food and Cosmetics Toxicology. (London, UK) V.1-19, 1963-81. For publisher information, see FCTOD7. 13,857,1975 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1989 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 224,427,1989 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2005 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- 577S,1,2005 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 1989 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- -1964 224,427,1989 |
| RTECS®- Mutation Research 2005 | RTECS®- Mutation Research. (Elsevier Science Pub. B.V., POB 211, 1000 AE Amsterdam, Netherlands) V.1- -1964 577S,1,2005 |
| RTECS®- National Technical Information Service 5639 | RTECS®- National Technical Information Service. (Springfield, VA 22161) Formerly U.S. Clearinghouse for Scientific & Technical Information. OTS0555639 |
| RTECS®- National Technical Information Service 7865 | RTECS®- National Technical Information Service. (Springfield, VA 22161) Formerly U.S. Clearinghouse for Scientific & Technical Information. PB2000-107865 |
| RTECS®- National Toxicology Program Technical Report Series 2000 | RTECS®- National Toxicology Program Technical Report Series. (Research Triangle Park, NC 27709) No.206- NTP-TR-491,2000 |
| RTECS®- Pharmacology: International Journal of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology 1976 | RTECS®- Pharmacology: International Journal of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology. (S. Karger AG, Postfach CH-4009 Basel, Switzerland) V.1- 1968- 14,367,1976 |
| RTECS®- Toxicologist 2005 | RTECS®- Toxicologist. (Soc. of Toxicology, Inc., 475 Wolf Ledge Parkway, Akron, OH 44311) V.1- -1981 44,464,2005 |
| RTECS®- Toxicologist 2005 | RTECS®- Toxicologist. (Soc. of Toxicology, Inc., 475 Wolf Ledge Parkway, Akron, OH 44311) V.1- 1981- 44,464,2005 |
"RTECS®" is a United States trademark owned and licensed under authority of the U.S. Government, by and through MDL Information Systems, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 by Environmental Working Group
All rights reserved.
Favorites basket
No items in basket.
Skin Deep User Tools BETA
Looking for a product report that we don't have in Skin Deep? Sign up to enter it into the Skin Deep database and leave product reviews.
SKIN DEEP NEEDS YOUR HELP
We always want Skin Deep to be free to the public, but delivering high-quality research costs time and money. Help by donating just the cost of a bar of soap or bottle of shampoo.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Stay informed with email updates on toxics in everyday products and how they can affect your health.
JOIN THE CAMPAIGN
Find out more about the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.